Colin J. Schmitt

Colin J. Schmitt has dedicated himself to service to our community, state, and nation utilizing his governmental service, military, and private sector experience to help others.

​

Schmitt most recently served in the New York State Assembly from 2019 to 2022 representing parts of Orange and Rockland counties, being recognized as one of the most bipartisan members of state government.  

​

For the entirety of his service in the State Assembly, Colin was the ranking Minority member of the Assembly Committee on Local Government, the most bipartisan committee in the legislature. He also served on the Housing, Labor, Insurance and Banks committees. Schmitt served as Co-Chair of the bipartisan and bicameral Sportsmen’s Legislative Caucus representing the State during national meetings and gatherings, and Co-Chair of the Assembly Minority Water Quality Task Force. In 2021, Schmitt was appointed by the Minority Leader to serve on the General Budget Conference Subcommittee on Environment/Agriculture/Housing. 
 
During legislative sessions, Schmitt passed more bills than usual for a minority party member, including nine prime-sponsored pieces of legislation and over 75 sponsored and cosponsored bills. Schmitt’s bipartisan legislative focus was on tax relief, public safety, ethics reform, preservation of our community and natural resources and delivering our fair share of funding from Albany. 

​

Schmitt was able to secure record funding, in the millions of dollars, for his district through direct grants given to schools, police departments, libraries, local governments, and fire departments. He was proud to provide increased funding streams and programs to aid education, local governments, local roads, and veterans organizations and causes.
 
Assemblyman Schmitt dedicated much of his efforts to constituent service as well as serving as an advocate for our district. Schmitt and his team handled thousands of constituent service cases. A significant number of those cases were during the COVID-19 pandemic which surged requests for help to a level never seen before in state legislative history.

​

Much of Schmitt’s state legislative tenure was COVID-impacted and that became a major focus of government operations. Schmitt and his team rapidly became a reliable resource for the community, including being the first local government official to provide masks and hand sanitizer to first responders and frontline workers, running a hot food distribution program to homebound seniors in conjunction with Falkirk Estates and the Carpenters Local, partnering to provide antibody testing to first responders, distributing COVID take-home tests, and so much more. COVID changed all of our lives whether we liked it or not. Schmitt helped lead the effort to get life back to normal for students, business owners, and families as soon as possible. Schmitt was a governmental leader in the “Let Them Play” Movement and spearheaded the effort for students to return back to playing sports. Schmitt was also an outspoken ally for small business gyms to be open any hours they chose to operate. Schmitt was the only New York State-level elected official invited to participate in the Operation Warp Speed Summit at the White House in December of 2020.

​

On top of providing needed assistance to constituents, Schmitt created the Small Business of the Month Appreciation Program, 99th Assembly District Art Showcase, and community events of honor, including the 99th Assembly District Women of Distinction, Students of Achievement, Salute to First Responders and Veterans Hall of Fame/Traveling Wall of Honor programs. Colin also hosted numerous state legislative roundtables in the district to spur governmental action including state-level Veterans and First Responder PTSD and Task Force on Water Quality roundtables along with a Heroin and Opioid Epidemic Legislative Forum and Youth-Anti-Vape Public Forum. 

​

Schmitt received regional and national attention for several of his initiatives, including highly publicized trips to the U.S.-Mexican border where Schmitt investigated immigration issues impacted by New York State government pull factors and issued a report on steps needed to protect our state and country. 
 
Colin serves as a Sergeant in the Army National Guard. He completed Army Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning, GA, and was a distinguished honor graduate from Fort Lee as a 92A automated logistics supply specialist and completed the Fort Dix NCO Academy Basic Leaders Course (BLC). He was activated, while serving as a State Assemblyman, for the federal COVID-19 mission and the Buffalo Blizzard Mission. He is currently assigned to the 53rd Troop Command HHD, New York Army National Guard. 

​

Colin is a graduate of Valley Central High School, where he served as the student representative to the board of education. After high school, Colin put himself through college utilizing a combination of jobs, scholarships, and student loans to earn a degree in Politics with a minor in Theology and Religious Studies from The Catholic University of America, Pi Gamma Mu honors.

​

While still in high school, Colin joined the staff of then-Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt–beginning as a volunteer, then becoming an intern and eventually, at the time, the youngest aide ever hired by the New York State Assembly.

​

As a college student, Colin founded and chaired a nonpartisan government reform political action committee (New Dawn NY) that promoted ethics reform, budget reform, and job creation. 

​

Through New Dawn NY, Colin successfully created the grassroots “Stop NY Double Dip” campaign that garnered local, statewide, and national media attention.

​

After college, Colin joined the staff of Senator Greg Ball, serving as Director of Operations for the NYS Senate Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee.

​

In 2015, Colin was honored by the Lymphatic Education and Research Network and “Connor’s Spartans” for his work as a state Senate staff member on behalf of the lymphatic disease community.

​

Prior to his election to the Assembly, Colin served as Chief of Staff for the Town of New Windsor. He helped oversee the town’s operations and worked to deliver real results for local residents by helping to secure significant economic development investment for the community and hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding for various town projects.  These projects included the restoration of the historic New Windsor Woodlawn Cemetery and the establishment of a town tree committee and Arbor Day celebration honoring first responders and veterans. The construction of an all-inclusive playground at Kristi Babcock Memorial Park, at no expense to taxpayers, providing an opportunity for children of all abilities to play together is still one of his proudest accomplishments. This is the largest such playground in the region and is open year-round to the public.

​

Schmitt is a licensed commercial real estate agent, with his wife Nikki, who is a broker at their third-generation family business. 

​

Colin was appointed in March 2023 to serve as Director of Finance for the Town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, NY.

​

Colin is a member of numerous community, civic and fraternal organizations and a parishioner of a local Catholic Parish.

Colin is an alumnus of Empire State American Legion Boys State and proudly represented New York at American Legion Boys Nation. Colin regularly supports the Boys State program, including an annual keynote address to the new class of Staters.

​

Colin’s father is a retired FDNY Lieutenant and his sister is a local police officer.  Many of Colin’s extended family are members of area labor unions.

​

Colin is married to his wife, Nikki Pagano-Schmitt, and they have an adopted dog, Quincy. The pair were married in the fall of 2018 and had a beautiful Hudson Valley wedding.