Longtime Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo MA ‘84, who represented New York’s 123rd district, announced that she will not seek reelection this year.

Lupardo has served in the state assembly since 2005 and is now in her 11th term. Lupardo represents Binghamton, Vestal and Union, which contains Johnson City and Endicott. During her career, she has made significant contributions to the economic development of the Southern Tier, passing legislation like the State Green Building Construction Act and securing funding for Binghamton University’s Innovative Technologies Complex.

“Assemblywoman Lupardo, an alum and former Lecturer, has consistently advocated for Binghamton University, bringing in millions of dollars of SUNY capital investment,” a representative from Lupardo’s office said in a statement to Pipe Dream.

A Staten Island native, Lupardo received her BA from Wagner College before moving to the Southern Tier to complete a Master’s degree in philosophy at Binghamton University. She lectured at the University’s School of Education and Human Development for 10 years, then served on the Broome County Legislature from 1999 to 2000. She is the first woman to represent Broome County in the state legislature.

“Serving in the Assembly has been an incredible honor, but the time has come for a new chapter in my life,” Lupardo said in a statement. “After this current term is over I will leave the Assembly, but will remain active in the community, focusing on the many causes and issues that I have worked to advance. This is a truly wonderful place to live and work, and I look forward to joining with others in a new capacity to continue working to make it even better.”

Lupardo helped to pass several notable pieces of legislation throughout her career, including the Safe Drinking Water Schools Act, the Work-Zone Safety Act and several bills legalizing the sale of hemp in New York. During her tenure, she chaired the Committee on Aging and the Committee on Agriculture, where she addressed weaknesses in the state’s food supply chain that were heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

She has also secured millions of dollars in funding for SUNY campuses, along with support for the University’s Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging. Lupardo also passed legislation that allows nursing programs to allow up to one-third of class time spent using patient simulators to count toward clinical training requirements.

“Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo has been a dedicated public servant and a true partner in the work of delivering for our community for the past 22 years,” said State Senator Lea Webb ‘04 in a press release. “Since I assumed office in 2023, I have been grateful to work alongside her on issues that matter deeply to the people we represent. Her steady leadership, institutional knowledge, and commitment to our region and entire state have made a positive and lasting impact.”

In June 2023, Lupardo and Webb collaborated on legislation that authorized the Binghamton City School District to double its normal cost allowance for a five-year period. This increased funding was allocated toward a construction project to improve Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School, which serves the most economically underserved section of Binghamton and was designated as a “Failing School” due to exceedingly high levels of asbestos.

Carl Heastie, the state assembly speaker, commended Lupardo’s commitment to improving the Southern Tier and New York as a whole during her decades-long political career.

“We will miss her here in the People’s House,” said Heastie in a press release. “But I know she will continue to uplift her community and make Broome County and the Southern Tier a better place for all families.”