Rob Ortt

Robert Gary Ortt II (born May 23, 1979) is an American politician who is a member of the New York State Senate. Ortt represents the 62nd district, which covers Niagara and Orleans counties. First elected in 2014, Ortt is a Republican.

Rob Ortt
Ortt in 2021
Minority Leader of the New York State Senate
Assumed office
June 28, 2020
DeputyAndrew Lanza
Preceded byJohn J. Flanagan
Member of the New York Senate
from the 62nd district
Assumed office
January 1, 2015
Preceded byGeorge Maziarz
Mayor of North Tonawanda
In office
January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2014
Preceded byLawrence Soos
Succeeded byArthur Pappas
Personal details
Born
Robert Gary Ortt II

(1979-05-23) May 23, 1979
North Tonawanda, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMeghan Ortt
EducationCanisius College (BA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service2001–2009
RankFirst Lieutenant
UnitNew York Army National Guard
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
AwardsBronze Star
Army Commendation Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge

Prior to serving in the State Senate, Ortt served as mayor of North Tonawanda, New York from 2010 to 2014 and as city treasurer from 2007 to 2010.

On June 19, 2020, Ortt was named Senate Minority Leader.

Background

Ortt was born on May 23, 1979.[1] He attended St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in Buffalo and graduated from Canisius College,[2] with a degree in international relations and political science.[3] Ortt and his wife, Meghan, live in North Tonawanda.[4]

Military service

In October 2001, Ortt enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in response to the September 11 attacks. From March 2008 until December 2008, he served in the War in Afghanistan where his mission was to serve as a combat mentor/advisor to the Afghan National Police in Kandahar City, the second-largest city in Afghanistan. In recognition of his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.[5] He achieved the rank of first lieutenant.[3]

Early political career

On April 3, 2007, Ortt was appointed to the post of City Treasurer by the Common Council of North Tonawanda, New York. A few months later on November 6, 2007, he was elected to serve a four-year term, which began on January 1, 2008.[5] On November 4, 2008, the town voted to eliminate the position of City Clerk and combined the offices of the City Clerk and City Treasurer to form one position of Clerk-Treasurer, making Ortt the first to hold that title.[5]

From January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2014, Ortt served as mayor of North Tonawanda, taking over from Lawrence V. Soos,[6] a Democrat.[7] He was succeeded as mayor by Arthur G. Pappas.[8][9]

New York State Senate

In 2014, when George Maziarz opted not to run for reelection, Ortt ran for his seat, which Maziarz had held since 1995.[2] The 62nd District covers all of Niagara and Orleans counties, as well as the towns of Sweden and Ogden in Monroe County.[10] Ortt was elected to the New York State Senate, defeating Johnny G. Destino, a Democratic attorney from Niagara Falls.[11]

In the Senate, he was named chairman of the Standing Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities as well as the co-chair the Senate's Joint Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction.[4]

In May 2015, Ortt, along with John J. Bonacic and Rich Funke,[12] called for Dean Skelos, who was serving as Republican majority leader of the State Senate, to step down. Ortt also expressed support for a motion to replace Skelos as majority leader.[13] (On May 4, Skelos had been arrested on federal corruption charges.[14])

In July 2016, Ortt and New York Assemblyman Raymond Walter asked New York's comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, to objectively investigate the state contracting process. Ortt and Walter requested that DiNapoli pay special attention to the Buffalo Billion, a large state investment into job creation in and around Buffalo, New York.[15]

Positions

As a candidate for the Senate in 2014, Ortt indicated that he opposes abortion, except in cases of rape or incest.[3] He stated that he "strongly supports" the other nine pieces of Governor Cuomo's women's equality bills including "tougher equal-pay laws and laws to combat sexual harassment, domestic violence, and human trafficking."[3]

In 2017, Ortt introduced legislation that would cause the 2013 gun control law known as the NY SAFE Act to be repealed in all areas of New York other than New York City.[16]

On the EPL/Environmental Advocate's Environmental Scorecard in 2018, Ortt scored a 68, up from a score of 53 points in 2017.[17] In 2018, Ortt helped pass legislation he sponsored that added geothermal heating systems to the list of financeable heating systems in New York State.[18]

Also in 2019, Ortt voted against the following bills that became law:

  • The Reproductive Health Act, an abortion rights bill;[19][20]
  • The New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act;[21][22]
  • The Driver's License Access and Privacy Act (also known as the Green Light Bill), which made driver licenses available to undocumented immigrants;[23][24][25] and
  • The Jose Peralta New York State DREAM Act, which gave undocumented students the opportunity to receive state-funded financial aid for college.[26][27]

Corruption charges

On March 22, 2017, Ortt, along with his predecessor George Maziarz, was indicted by a grand jury on corruption charges.[28] Ortt was charged with three counts of offering a false instrument for filing; he pleaded not guilty.[29] Prosecutors alleged that Republican officials had approached Ortt about running for mayor of North Tonawanda in 2009. However, taking that position would have reportedly involved a $5,000 pay cut for Ortt. According to prosecutors, Synor Marketing, a public relations firm, created a no-show job for Ortt's wife, Meghan; the Niagara County Republican Committee allegedly paid $21,500 to Synor that was to be paid to Meghan Ortt.[30]

Dismissal
Senator Ortt speaking with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins in 2022

On June 27, 2017, all charges against Ortt were dismissed by Judge Peter A. Lynch. Judge Lynch ruled that there was no evidence that Ortt had known that the Niagara County Republican Committee was the source of the payments made to Meghan Ortt.[30][31] Lynch did not rule that then-New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had prosecuted Ortt in bad faith or presented inaccurate evidence to the court.[32]

Senate Minority Leader

Ortt was named Minority Leader of the New York Senate on June 19, 2020 after incumbent John J. Flanagan announced his resignation.[33][34]

Other political campaigns

On August 17, 2019, Ortt announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for the United States House of Representatives in New York's 27th congressional district.[35] The incumbent representative in the district, Republican Chris Collins, was arrested on federal insider trading charges in 2018.[36] Ortt did not receive the Republican nomination, and he ended his congressional campaign on February 11, 2020.[37]

References
  1. "Rob Ortt for Congress - About".
  2. Miller, Melinda (July 15, 2014). "North Tonawanda mayor sees State Senate opportunity as natural progression". The Buffalo News. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  3. Prohaska, Thomas J. (October 26, 2014). "Ortt sees his military service as key ingredient for state role". The Buffalo News. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  4. Ortt, Rob (March 10, 2015). "Ortt Reaches Out To Reporter Readers". Niagara Falls Reporter. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  5. "About Robert G. Ortt". nysenate.gov. New York State Senate. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  6. Michelmore, Bill; Galarneau, Andrew Z. (February 3, 2009). "Fiscal stability highlighted in Soos' speech". The Buffalo News. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  7. "Soos files suit over firing from Board of Elections". The Buffalo News. October 16, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  8. "North Tonawanda". www.northtonawanda.org. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  9. Summerson, Mia (January 3, 2015). "North Tonawanda welcomes a new mayor". Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  10. Besecker, Aaron (November 4, 2014). "Ortt declares victory in 62nd State Senate race". The Buffalo News. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  11. "Robert Ortt elected to State Senate 62nd District". WGRZ News. November 4, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  12. Mckinley, Jesse (May 5, 2015). "Dean Skelos, New York Senate Leader, Stands Firm Despite Calls to Resign". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  13. Mckinley, Jesse; Kaplan, Thomas (May 10, 2015). "Dean Skelos Faces Growing Opposition as Support Wanes Among Republicans". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  14. Craig, Susanne (May 4, 2015). "New York Senate Leader and Son Are Arrested on Corruption Charges" – via NYTimes.com.
  15. Rozens, Tracy (July 21, 2016). "Challenges remain for Buffalo Billion project featuring major SolarCity factory". Daily Energy Insider. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  16. "Proposed Legislation Would Repeal SAFE Act Everywhere But NYC". spectrumlocalnews.com. February 2, 2017.
  17. Precious, Tom. "Environmental group grades state lawmakers on voting records". The Buffalo News. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  18. "NYS Politicians Support Renewable Energy". Buffalo Geothermal. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  19. "Long-stalled abortion bill passes New York Legislature". Buffalo News. January 22, 2019.
  20. Harding, Robert. "'Women's health matters': Cuomo, NY lawmakers OK abortion rights bill". Auburn Citizen.
  21. "NY State Senate Bill S6599". NY State Senate. June 18, 2019.
  22. "Cuomo Signs Historic Climate Change Legislation". www.ny1.com. July 18, 2019.
  23. "New York lawmakers pass bill to allow driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants". ABC7 New York. June 18, 2019.
  24. "Gov. Cuomo Signs 'Green Light Bill' Granting Undocumented Immigrants Access To Drivers' Licenses". June 18, 2019.
  25. "NY State Senate Bill S1747B". NY State Senate. June 10, 2019.
  26. DeWitt, Karen (January 24, 2019). "NYS acts to provide college aid for undocumented immigrants". news.wbfo.org.
  27. "NY State Senate Bill S1250". NY State Senate. January 11, 2019.
  28. McKinley, Jesse (March 23, 2017). "New York State Senator Robert Ortt Is Charged With Violating Election Law". New York Times.
  29. Robert Gavin, Ortt, Maziarz plead not guilty in AG investigation: GOP senator charged in job scam; predecessor with campaign-cash payoff, Albany Times Union (March 24, 2017).
  30. Hamilton, Matthew (June 27, 2017). "Albany judge dismisses indictment of Sen. Rob Ortt". Times Union.
  31. McKinley, Jesse (June 27, 2017). "Judge Dismisses Charges Against New York Senator Robert Ortt". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  32. Sondel, Justin (November 10, 2017). "Witch Hunt: The thin line between justice and politics". City & State New York. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  33. "Sen. Ortt elected Senate Republican Conference Leader after Gallivan withdraws". WIVB.com. June 19, 2020.
  34. "Rob Ortt named state Senate minority leader; pledges to be 'voice of opposition'". Buffalo News. June 19, 2020.
  35. "State Senator Rob Ortt to run for 27th District Congressional seat". WGRZ. August 17, 2019.
  36. Ordin, Erica; Vazquez, Maegan (August 8, 2018). "New York Republican Rep. Chris Collins indicted on insider trading charges". CNN.com. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  37. Hoffman, Connor (February 11, 2020). "Ortt bows out of NY-27th congressional race". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
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