Frank Skartados

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Frank Skartados (1956–2018) was a Greek-American businessman and politician who served in the New York State Assembly as a Democrat. He represented the 100th district from 2009 to 2010 and the 104th district from 2012 until his death in 2018.

Born on January 3, 1956, on the Greek island of Astypalaia, Skartados grew up on a small family farm. When he was 14, he moved with his mother to New York City. He finished George Washington High School in Manhattan, then worked in the restaurant industry and eventually owned one.

He earned a BA in political science from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a master's degree in International Studies from California State University, Sacramento. He also taught at the New York Military Academy in Cornwall, where he led the Health Department and taught Environmental Studies and American History. He left the academy in 2000 to pursue other work.

Skartados moved to Poughkeepsie, renovating downtown properties and building the Aegean Entertainment Center. He founded the Academy Street Business Association and helped revitalize the area. He supported the Poughkeepsie Partnership and city events to attract people to the city.

In 2008, Skartados defeated 14-year Republican incumbent Thomas Kirwan to win the 100th district seat. Kirwan won it back in 2010 but died in 2011. In a 2012 special election, Skartados won the seat again, now in the redrawn 104th district. He was re-elected in 2012, 2014, and 2016.

As a legislator, Skartados supported bills on the environment, criminal justice reform, consumer protection, veterans benefits, business regulation reform, family court reform, and library election reform. He helped secure funding for schools in Marlboro, Highland, and Poughkeepsie, as well as for fire trucks, police cars, and other local projects. He also supported non-profit groups like soup kitchens, Habitat for Humanity in Newburgh, and Newburgh Safe Harbor’s Park.

Skartados died on April 15, 2018, in Newburgh, New York, from pancreatic cancer at age 62. He was survived by one child. U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney praised him as a fighter for the people and a voice for those who had none. He was succeeded in the Assembly by Jonathan Jacobson.