Michael W. Cole (born 1971/1972) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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 ...

representing the 142nd Assembly District, covering portions of Erie and Niagara Counties, from 2006 to 2008. He served on the Assembly Committees for Tourism, Arts and Sports Development, Higher Education, Local Governments, and Government Operations. He was also the ranking member of the Ethics and Guidance Committee. He is an attorney in

Alden, New York Alden is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 10,865 at the 2010 census. The town is derived from a family name known to early settlers. Alden is in the northeast part of Erie County, east of Buffalo. It contains ...

, where he lives with his family.

Early life

Cole was raised in

; and has lived his entire life in Erie County, New York.

Education and early career

Cole is a graduate of Alden Central High School. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from the

State University of New York College at Brockport State University of New York Brockport (also known as SUNY Brockport or Brockport State, and previously The College at Brockport) is a public university in Brockport, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY). History C ...

in 1994, and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from the

University at Buffalo Law School The University at Buffalo School of Law (also known as State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, or SUNY Buffalo Law School) is a graduate professional school at the University at Buffalo. Founded in 1887 and affiliate with Niagara Univ ...

. He was admitted to the bar in February 2001.

Political career

For former Congress Member Jack Quinn, Cole served as General Counsel and Senior Field Representative. He worked with Quinn's constituents in Western New York State each day, as well as businesses and non-profits. Cole's focus was on issues such as crime, seniors, education, youth and families, community development, and agriculture. Cole was also Quinn’s liaison for issues that affected Western New York veterans. Additionally, Cole was a New York State Senate legislative assistant for the late Senator John B. Daly. Cole's first elected office was as Alden Town Councilman in 1998, and he later served as the Town Supervisor.

As New York State Assembly Member

Elections

Cole was first elected to the Assembly during a special election in May 2006, gaining close to 70 percent of the vote. He was elected to his first full term as an Assemblyman on November 7, 2006, defeating Democratic challenger Laura Monte with nearly 57 percent of the vote. Cole won a Republican nominating convention for his Assembly District in May 2008, but was defeated in the September 2008 Republican

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

by challenger

Jane Corwin Jane Lewis Corwin (born February 29, 1964) is an American politician and businesswoman who currently serves a Commissioner of the International Joint Commission for United States and Canada. She previously served as a Republican Party member of ...

Electoral history

* May 2006

Special Election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

, NYS Assembly, 142nd AD : * November 2006

General Election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, NYS Assembly, 142nd AD : * September 2008 Republican

Primary Election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

, NYS Assembly, 142nd AD :

Assembly censure

In 2007, Cole was formally

censure A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spir ...

d by New York State Assembly Speaker

Sheldon Silver Sheldon Silver (February 13, 1944 – January 24, 2022) was an American Democratic Party politician, attorney, and convicted felon from New York City who served as speaker of the New York State Assembly from 1994 to 2015. A native of Manhattan' ...

. He admitted to drinking excessively with a student

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

at a hockey party in Albany that was hosted by former Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, walked her home, and then spent the night in the woman's apartment with her. These actions were direct violations of the Assembly policy against

fraternization Fraternization (from Latin ''frater'', brother) is "to become brothers" by conducting social relations with people who are actually unrelated and/or of a different class (especially those with whom one works) as if they were siblings, family memb ...

with student interns. The intern additionally lost her position. Additionally, Cole was removed as the ranking Republican on the

Alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

and Drug Abuse Committee, was barred from the Assembly Intern Program, and lost the rights and privileges otherwise due to him per his seniority.

Post-political career

Cole maintains a private law practice in Alden.

Personal life

Cole resides in Alden with his wife Lori (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Kolodziej). They have two daughters Emily and Allison; and attend St. John’s Roman Catholic Church in Alden. Cole is the son of Wayne and Dorothy Cole, and has two brothers, Daniel and Dennis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Mike 1970s births Living people Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly State University of New York at Brockport alumni University at Buffalo Law School alumni