James Skoufis (born October 18, 1987) is an American politician of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
currently representing the
42nd District of the
New York State Senate since 2023. Skoufis previously represented the
39th District prior to redistricting from 2019 to 2022.
Skoufis began his political career on the
Woodbury town board in
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
. In
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
he was elected to the
New York State Assembly, becoming its youngest member at 25. He was re-elected in 2014 and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
.
Background
Skoufis was born in
Flushing, Queens in 1987, the son of a
Greek immigrant. His family moved north to the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
of
Woodbury in the
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
in 1995. He graduated from
Monroe-Woodbury High School
Monroe-Woodbury High School is located in Central Valley, New York, Central Valley, New York (state), New York, part of the town and village of Woodbury, Orange County, New York, Woodbury in Orange County, New York, Orange County. It educates all ...
in 2005. He went on to earn a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
''
summa cum laude'' from
The George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, presid ...
and a
masters from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.
Before his time in the state legislature, Skoufis was a project manager at an electronic security firm and a member of the Woodbury Town Board. On the Town Board, Skoufis distinguished himself in the wake of
Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 ...
by leading the local relief effort and helping affected families with food, shelter, and financial assistance.
Skoufis married his wife Hillary at
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
's
The Pierre
The Pierre is a luxury hotel located at 2 61st Street (Manhattan), East 61st Street, at the intersection of that street with Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan, New York City, facing Central Park. Designed by Schultze and Weaver, Schultze & Weaver, th ...
in May 2017.
They welcomed their first child in 2021.
He has one sibling, a sister.
New York State Assembly
After redistricting in 2012 following the
decennial census, long-time Republican Assemblywoman
Nancy Calhoun decided to retire, leaving the seat vacant.
Skoufis received the Democratic nomination for the seat, defeating Larry Delarose at the party's county
convention.
In the November general election, he defeated Republican
Goshen Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
Kyle Roddey with 56% of the vote.
At age 24, he became the youngest member of the Assembly.
Skoufis introduced his first two bills within a week of being sworn in; both were inspired by the
aftermath
Aftermath may refer to:
Companies
* Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing
* Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre
* Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company
* Aftermath Services, an America ...
of
Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 ...
in 2011. Both bills passed the Assembly a few months later.
Also in his first session, Assemblyman Skoufis was an outspoken supporter of increasing the minimum wage, as well as tax incentives to attract new businesses to the
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
. Skoufis also voted to repeal the
payroll tax
Payroll taxes are taxes imposed on employers or employees, and are usually calculated as a percentage of the salaries that employers pay their employees. By law, some payroll taxes are the responsibility of the employee and others fall on the em ...
that funds the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area of the U.S. state of New York. The MTA is the largest public transit authority in th ...
in outlying counties it serves, co-sponsored legislation to prohibit tax breaks for businesses that outsource jobs, and supports an elimination of the
property tax
A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inhe ...
system in favor of a fairer, broader-based system.
Early in 2014, Skoufis introduced Tuition-Free NY, a proposal to make SUNY and CUNY in New York State tuition-free as long as students fulfill community service and residency requirements. The proposal garnered bipartisan support in the Assembly and won praise from some editorial boards.
New York State Senate
In 2018, longtime Senator
William J. Larkin Jr. retired at the age of 88. He had served in the seat since 1991. Prior to Larkin's retirement, Skoufis was floated as a potential challenger, but he never opted to run. However, with Larkin no longer running, Skoufis entered the race. In a good year for Democrats, Skoufis defeated Republican
Stony Point Councilman
Tom Basile
Thomas J. Basile (born October 22, 1975) is an American businessman, political commentator, and Republican politician in New York. He served in the George W. Bush administration in various capacities, including in Iraq, and was the executive direc ...
, 54 percent to 46 percent. Democrats also took the majority in the Senate in the same election.
In the Senate, Skoufis serves as the Chair of the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations.
Skoufis contracted
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
during the
pandemic. On May 5, 2020, he announced he had been symptom-free for two weeks and was able to end his self-isolation. "The past two weeks
ee the sickest I have ever felt", he said.
Electoral history
New York State Assembly
New York State Senate
See also
*
List of Columbia University alumni
*
List of George Washington University alumni
This list of George Washington University alumni includes numerous prominent politicians, including a recent U.S. Attorney General, four current heads of state or government, CEOs of major corporations, scientists, Nobel laureates, MacArthur f ...
*
List of Greek Americans
References
External links
Assembly Website
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skoufis, James
Living people
1987 births
Democratic Party New York (state) state senators
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
American people of Greek descent
21st-century American politicians
George Washington University alumni
Columbia University alumni
People from Flushing, Queens
People from Woodbury, Orange County, New York