Oswego County's: Guide To Government

Dierdre Scozzfava

Dierdre "Dede" Scozzafava is a life-long North Country resident. Dede graduated from Gouverneur High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Sci-ence degree from the Boston University School of Management and a Masters in Business Administration from the Clarkson Grad-uate School of Management.

Prior to being elected to the New York State Assembly in 1998, Dede dedicated much of her life to community service. She served four years as a Village of Gouverneur Trustee and was Mayor of the Village of Gouverneur from 1993 until her election to the Assembly.

As a Member of the Assembly, Dede has been appointed to the leadership position of Minority Leader pro Tempore for the As-sembly Republican Conference. She is the first woman to ever hold such a prestigious leadership position. More commonly re-ferred to as the "floor leader," the Minority Leader Pro Tempore is responsible for leading debates and driving forward the agenda of the Republican Conference of the New York State Assembly.

Dede also serves on the Ways and Means, Rules, and Ethics and Guidance committees. It known for her bipartisan approach to governance, Scozzafava frequently challenges her Assembly colleagues to rise above politics so that the needs and concerns of New York residents are fully addressed in the Legislature

Assemblywoman Scozzafava has been a vocal advocate for Northern New York by holding forums and serving on a number of task forces to address the diverse needs of the Community's citizens. She has served as a member of the Manufacturing Task Force, the Hunting and Fishing Task Force, and has held hearings for the Task Force on Agriculture. As chairwoman of the SAVE NY Task Force, the assemblywoman traveled throughout New York State to meet with various constituencies to develop and improve ways to protect New York's women and children from domestic abuse and sexual violence. The task force played an integral role in raising awareness of these issues. A number of its proposals, including civil confinement of sex offenders and stiffer penalties under Megan's Law, were adopted as legislation.

Dede is the Vice President of SC Partners, LLC. She is a member of the First United Methodist Church in Gouverneur, a member of the Gouverneur Business Women, an associate member of the Gouverneur Arts Club, a member of the Thousand Island Girl Scouts Council and a member of the St. Lawrence County Farm Bureau.

Dede and her husband, Ron McDougall, reside in Gouverneur. They have four children, a son-in-law,a daughter-in-law and four grandchildren.

Standing Committee Assignments 2009: Banks, Ethics and Guidance, Rules, and Ways.

Vote in 2008 General Election

Dede K. Scozzafava, REP: 23, 260 IND: 3,458 WOR: 2,666