A dedicated public servant with over 25 years of experience, James S. Alesi was re-elected to a sixth term in New York State Senate in the general election on November 7, 2006. Senator Alesi represents the Monroe County towns of Chili, East Rochester, Henrietta, Irondequoit, Mendon, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford, Riga, Rush and Wheatland, as well as portions of the City of Rochester.
A small business owner, Senator Alesi has chaired the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business for eight years, and was reappointed in 2007 to serve as chairman for another two years. A proven business leader, he has fought for worker’s rights as well as reforms to the bureaucracy, high taxes, healthcare and worker’s compensation costs that impair New York’s ability to attract and retain businesses and good paying jobs.
To bring much needed change and reform to New York’s business climate, Senator Alesi is carrying the ‘Unshackle Upstate’ agenda put forth by the Rochester Business Alliance that includes a number of initiatives aimed at reducing costs for businesses. A key component is Senator Alesi’s legislation to reform workers compensation laws that burden businesses.
A strong advocate for job creation, Senator Alesi served on the joint committee of the Legislature that made possible the implementation of Power for Jobs, an initiative that helped generate 9,000 jobs and protect more than 210,000 others in its first year alone. He was also a key advocate for the Jobs 2000 (J2K) plan, a $262 million economic development program designed to create new high technology jobs through investments in research, infrastructure, and education and to retrain workers to work with new manufacturing technologies. Recognizing the important role of advanced technology in the economic landscape of the future, Senator Alesi secured funding necessary to create an Information Technology Co-laboratory and a Center for Biotechnology Education and Training at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Another key component to stimulating the economy is investing in education. The greater Rochester region is home to 19 colleges and universities and Senator Alesi continues to be a strong supporter of their academic and research initiatives. Believing that Rochester can lead the way in high tech research and jobs, the Senator was instrumental in securing funding for the new Math and Science Center housed at Nazareth College. Developed by the Rochester Area Colleges, a consortium of the 19 colleges and universities, the Center will work to attract the best and brightest math and science faculty and students to the region.
Senator Alesi was instrumental in securing the passage of the Omnibus Unemployment Insurance Package, an initiative which increased the maximum weekly unemployment insurance benefit and made the cost of such insurance more equitable for businesses with good employment records. In 2000, the Senator was appointed to the New York State Workforce Investment Board by Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno.
Senator Alesi's concern for the health and well-being of his constituents is evident throughout the local community. He has helped to secure millions of dollars for the University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital, Highland Hospital and Rochester General Hospital for research, treatment, emergency services and preventive health. The Senator sponsors an annual Family Health and Fitness Fair in Monroe County. Now in it’s 18th year, it remains one of the largest health care expositions in the northeast. The event features hundreds of health-related exhibitors offering free services and information and attracts nearly 4,000 attendees each year. The Senator also makes it a priority to join in the fight against cancer, with a particular emphasis on aiding research efforts to further the treatment and early detection of breast cancer and prostate cancer. As a result of these initiatives, Senator Alesi was named "Legislator of the Year" by the New York Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians in 1999, and received the NYS American Heart Association's "Achievement in Advocacy" Award in 2000.
Having performed CPR twice in recent years, the Senator is a tireless advocate for efforts aimed at increasing the survival rate of cardiac arrest victims. He is the author of a new law that requires defibrillators in buildings where more than 1000 people may assemble. Additionally, he is the sponsor of legislation that would mandate CPR training in high schools as well as allow school personnel who are certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s) to provide emergency medical treatment on school grounds if necessary.
Growing up in a family which served with volunteer fire and ambulance companies, Senator Alesi recognizes the dedication of volunteer fire and ambulance workers in saving lives and protecting the public. A law written by the Senator substantially raised the weekly compensation for volunteer firefighters who are classified as permanently and totally disabled because of injuries received in the line of duty. The Senator was also the original author of legislation adopted as a budget initiative that created a scholarship program to increase the recruitment and retention of volunteers. Senator Alesi continues to advocate for benefits and incentives for volunteer firefighters such as permanent cost of living adjustments for those permanently disabled due to injuries in the line of duty and Enhanced STAR tax exemptions.
As a member of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction Committee, Senator Alesi is known for his efforts in protecting the safety of New York's children and families. Last year, after the death of a New York State Trooper who was chasing a fleeing vehicle, Senator Alesi’s bill that creates three new crimes of unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle was signed into law. Named for Trooper Craig J. Todeschini, Senator Alesi’s legislation will not only protect law enforcement officers when they order a motorist to pull over, it will prevent tragic accidents involving innocent bystanders when criminals drive at high speeds to flee police officers.
A strong believer that arts are an integral part of the local economy and a child’s education, Senator Alesi continues to fight for and fund programs and organizations that allow the arts to thrive in the greater Rochester region. This year, the Senator was nominated by Garth Fagan Dance for the first annual National Public Leadership in the Arts award from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Senator Alesi is also a founding sponsor of the hugely successful Rochester International Jazz Festival, which will host its sixth edition this June. Additionally the Senator has secured millions of dollars for local area arts organizations, museums and scholarship programs.
A lifelong resident of East Rochester, Senator Alesi remains actively involved in community affairs. He has been a member of numerous community organizations, and he has served on the Boards of Directors of Mercy Flight, Big Brothers-Big Sisters and Rochester Italian Charities. The Senator has been highly successful in securing millions of dollars for local organizations such as hospitals, colleges, senior centers, veterans' organizations, and volunteer firefighter and ambulance companies. Recently, Senator Alesi received the first annual Barber Benjamin Conable, Jr. Award for Public Service in Support of Historical Preservation and Education from Genesee Country Village and Museum.
In recognition of his outstanding service to the community, Senator Alesi received the Medal for American Citizenship from the Veterans of Foreign Wars; the Paul Harris Fellow from the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International; the Presidents Award from the Genesee Country Village Museum; the Advocate’s Spirit Award from the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester; a medal from the Anton J. Kaiser Foundation recognition for his efforts from the Special Olympics New York-Genesee Region and Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Additionally, the Senator has been honored for his efforts by the Marine Corps. Coordinating Council, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, St. John Fisher College, of which he is an alum, the American Cancer Society, the Rochester Museum and Science Center, the Korean War Veterans Association and AIDS Rochester. Senator Alesi is an honorary member of the Bushnells Basin, Pittsford, East Rochester and Fairport Fire Departments.
Senator Alesi’s commitment to Small Business was recognized when he received the 2005 "Champions of Small Business Award" from the Support Services Alliance and when he was named a "Guardian of Small Business" by the National Federation of Independent Business. Also, due to his strong support for issues facing the elder population of our community, Senator Alesi received the 2006 New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) Leadership in Senior Services Award.
The Senator began his public service career at a grassroots level more than 25 years ago as a Deputy Town (Republican) Leader for Perinton, and continued with his election to the Monroe County Legislature in 1989. In 1992, the Senator was elected to the New York State Assembly, where his colleagues named him President of his class of freshman legislators in one of the largest freshman classes in the Assembly's history. He was elected to the New York State Senate in a Special Election in 1996 and has been re-elected every two years since.