Francine DelMonte is a former member of the New York State Assembly

New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

 representing the 138th Assembly District in New York State. She lost the Democratic primary to former Niagara Falls City Councilman, John Accardo (D-Niagara Falls) in September 2010. She ultimately ran on the Working Families Party

Working Families Party

The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...

 line. She was replaced by former Niagara County Legislator John Ceretto

John Ceretto

John D. Ceretto is an American politician and a Republican member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 138th Assembly District...

 (R-Lewiston). Her district encompasses several municipalities including the towns of Lewiston

Lewiston (town), New York

Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York United States. The population was 16,262 at the 2010 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York....

, Cambria

Cambria, New York

Cambria is a town in Niagara County, New York, USA. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census. Cambria is an early name for Wales.The Town of Cambria is in the center of Niagara County.New York State Route 93 passes through the town.- History :...

, Wilson

Wilson, New York

Wilson is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 1,213 at the 2000 census. The village is said to be named after Luther Wilson. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, Porter

Porter, New York

Porter is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 6,771 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Judge Augustus Porter....

, Niagara

Niagara, New York

Niagara is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 8,378. The town is named after the famous waterfall Niagara Falls....

, Wheatfield

Wheatfield, New York

Wheatfield is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 18,117 at the 2010 census. The name stems from the agricultural use of the town lands: Growing Wheat....

, Newfane

Newfane, New York

Newfane is a town in Niagara County, New York, USA. The population was 9,666 at the 2010 census. The name was suggested by an early settler.The Town of Newfane is in the north-central part of the county, north of the City of Lockport.- History :...

, and Hartland

Hartland, New York

Hartland is a town in Niagara County, New York, USA.The population was 4,117 at the 2010 census.The town is named after Hartland, Vermont, the homeplace of some early settlers.The Town of Hartland is on the eastern border of the county.- History :...

, and the City of Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...

, including the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in Lewiston.

Before serving the 138th District, she was a reporter for the Niagara Gazette

Niagara Gazette

The Niagara Gazette is a morning daily newspaper published in Niagara Falls, New York, USA, which covers several towns and villages of Niagara County, including Niagara, and the City of Niagara Falls. It was bought by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., along with other area newspapers such as the...

. She then served as the Chief of Staff for then-Assemblyman Joseph Pillitteri, who retired in 1998. She ran unsuccessfully for State Assembly in 1998 against Renae Kimble (D

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

-Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...

) and Robert Daly (R

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

-Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...

 on a third party line after losing the primary to Kimble. Robert Daly replaced Pillitteri in January of 1998, and Renae Kimble continued serving as a Niagara County Legislator in Niagara Falls for thirteen more years. DelMonte ran successfully in 2000.

DelMonte was first elected to represent the New York State 138th Assembly District in 2000. The district encompasses a diverse blend of urban, suburban, and rural areas including the towns of Lewiston, Porter, Cambria, Niagara, Wheatfield, Wilson, Newfane, and Hartland and the city of Niagara Falls. While in the Assembly, DelMonte authored legislation creating the Niagara Wine Trail, which supports the growing wine industry by attracting thousands of visitors each year. DelMonte has fought for the continued growth of the wine trail and has supported this growing industry.

DelMonte also introduced legislation to create the Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...

 Heritage Commission to provide an opportunity for students and families to learn about the role Niagara Falls played during the Civil War

Civil war

A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....

, possibly increasing heritage tourism in Niagara Falls with the construction of a new museum and rail terminal.

Niagara Falls also hosts the Seneca Niagara Casino

Seneca Niagara Casino

Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel is a casino located in Niagara Falls, New York and was built to compete with Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario...

, the state's first urban based Native American casino. Assemblywoman DelMonte championed controversial legislation authorizing the governor to negotiate a compact with the Seneca Nation.

She has also helped secure a portion of the funding for the construction of a new terminal at the Niagara Falls International Airport

Niagara Falls International Airport

-Traffic figures:Niagara Falls International received 56,943 passengers in 2008. As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 660 passenger boardings in calendar year 2005 and 1,409 unscheduled enplanements in 2006....

 and secured a $6.6 million grant for Niagara County Community College to create a new culinary arts facility for downtown Niagara Falls within the former Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet

Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet

Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet was an enclosed outlet mall in Niagara Falls, New York, that operated from 1982 to 2000. Its design was unusual in that it was contained within its own parking ramp, and opened directly into the Wintergarden, an indoor arboretum, on its southern end...

. Originally, she was against the proposal for a new airport due to the opinion of Ex-Niagara Falls Mayor Vince Anello.

Assemblywoman DelMonte is an advocate on environmental issues in her district. She has sponsored legislation that prohibits the transport of PCB's from the Hudson River cleanup to the CWM waste disposal site in the Town of Porter.

DelMonte graduated from Buffalo State College and completed course work for a Master of Arts degree from SUNY Albany. She is a lifelong resident of Niagara County. DelMonte was a member of the Agriculture, Economic Development, Racing and Wagering, Energy, Tourism, and Transportation committees. DelMonte was also the Chair of the Assembly Commission on Science and Technology.