Preceded by George Maziarz Succeeded by Arthur G. Pappas Spouse(s) Meghan Ott Education Canisius College | Preceded by Lawrence V. Soos Political party Republican Alma mater Canisius College Party Republican Party | |
 | ||
Residence North Tonawanda, New York, United States Profiles | ||
Robert G. Ortt (born c. 1979) is an American politician and member of the New York State Senate, representing the 62nd district.
Contents
Early life and family
Robert G. Ortt is the son of Robert and Suzette Ortt, and the grandson of Milford R. Ortt (d. 2016) and Ruth DeGregorio, of North Tonawanda.
Ortt attended St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in Buffalo and graduated from Canisius College, with a degree in International Relations and Political Science. Ortt and his wife, Meghan, live in North Tonawanda.
Career
In October 2001, Rob enlisted in New York Army National Guard in response to the events of September 11th. 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 He achieved the rank of First lieutenant.
North Tonawanda politics
On April 3, 2007, Rob was appointed as 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 4-year term, which began on January 1, 2008. 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.
From January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2014, Ortt served as mayor of North Tonawanda, taking over from Lawrence V. Soos, a Democrat. He was succeeded as Mayor by Arthur G. Pappas.
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. The 62nd District covers all of Niagara and Orleans counties, as well as the towns of Sweden and Ogden in Monroe County. Ortt was elected to the New York State Senate, beating Johnny G. Destino, a Democrat and attorney from Niagara Falls.
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.
In May 2015, Ortt, along with John J. Bonacic and Rich Funke, called for Dean Skelos, the then Republican majority leader of the State Senate, to step down and said he would support a motion to replace Skelos as majority leader.
In July 2016, Ortt and New York Assemblyman Ray Walter asked New York’s comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, to objectively investigate the state contracting piece of Buffalo Billion, a large state investment into job creation around Buffalo, New York. Their request is due to the multiple investigations into Buffalo Billion and their beliefs that money invested into the project should be scrutinized. In the past, construction workers working for projects in the Buffalo Billion initiative were paid late. As part of the Buffalo Billion project and investigations therein, SolarCity is building a new factory that will be 1.2 million square feet called the SolarCity GigaFactory.
Positions
As a candidate for the Senate in 2014, Ortt indicated that he opposes abortion, except in cases of rape or incest. 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." He has also indicated his beliefe that the SAFE Act, legislation passed by the State Legislature and signed into law in January 2013 in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, should be repealed.