Francine DelMonte

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Francine DelMonte is a former New York State Assembly member from Lewiston who represented the 138th district. She lost the Democratic primary in September 2010 to John Accardo and later ran on the Working Families Party line. She was succeeded by Republican John Ceretto.

The 138th District includes Lewiston, Cambria, Wilson, Porter, Niagara, Wheatfield, Newfane, Hartland, the City of Niagara Falls, and the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in Lewiston.

Before joining the Assembly, DelMonte worked as a reporter for the Niagara Gazette and as Chief of Staff for Assemblyman Joseph Pillittere. When Pillittere retired in 1998, she ran for his seat. She lost the Democratic primary to Renae Kimble and, running on a third-party line, was defeated by Robert Daly, who took the seat in January 1998. Kimble later served as Niagara County Legislator until 2011. DelMonte won the seat in 2000 with Democratic endorsement, defeating Daly.

In the Assembly, DelMonte helped create the Niagara Wine Trail to boost the wine industry and tourism. She also proposed the Underground Railroad Heritage Commission to educate people about Niagara Falls’ Civil War history and to support heritage tourism with a new museum and rail terminal. She supported a governor’s compact with the Seneca Nation and helped secure funding for a new terminal at Niagara Falls International Airport and a $6.6 million grant for a culinary arts facility at Niagara County Community College in downtown Niagara Falls.

She was initially against the airport proposal because of the position of former Mayor Vince Anello. DelMonte has been a strong environmental advocate, sponsoring legislation to prohibit transporting PCBs from the Hudson River cleanup to a waste site in Porter.

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