Jarett Gandolfo (born June 22, 1990) is an American politician who is a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

from the 7th district. Elected in 2020, he assumed office on January 1, 2021.

Early life and education

Gandolfo was raised in

West Islip, New York West Islip is a hamlet and CDP founded roughly in 1683, located in the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, New York, United States. Situated on the South Shore of Long Island, the population of the CDP was 27,048 at the time of the 2020 census. ...

and graduated from

West Islip High School West Islip High School is a public high school in the town of West Islip, in Suffolk County, New York on the South Shore of Long Island. It is part of the West Islip Union Free School District. Curriculum The curriculum at West Islip High Sc ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminology and sociology from

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

and a

Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

from

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

Career

Prior to his election to the

, Gandolfo served as

Andrew Garbarino Andrew Reed Garbarino (born September 27, 1984) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 2nd congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the New York State ...

's chief of staff. When Garbarino was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, Gandolfo announced his candidacy to succeed him. Gandolfo defeated Democratic nominee Francis T. Genco in the November election and assumed office on January 1, 2021. Once in office, Gandolfo became a vocal critic of Governor

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...

's use of COVID-19 pandemic emergency powers, especially the 10pm curfew imposed on restaurants and bars. Gandolfo argued that the curfew was arbitrary, ineffective, and greatly harming the food service industry. Gandolfo currently sits on the Health, Higher Education, Insurance, Mental Health, and Racing and Wagering committees.

References

New York (state) Republicans University at Albany, SUNY alumni Villanova University alumni People from West Islip, New York People from Sayville, New York Living people 1990 births 21st-century American politicians {{NewYork-NYAssembly-stub