John Lemondes, Auburn-area NY assemblyman, rated among most conservative state lawmakers

The state Conservative Party released its grades for the 2023 legislative session and Lemondes, R-LaFayette, was one of 11 legislators to receive a 96% score — the highest mark in this year’s ratings. 

The Conservative Party reviewed votes on 25 bills, most of which the party opposes. Examples include a bill to establish a commission on slavery reparations, legislation to shift local elections to even years and a measure recently signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to automatically seal records for certain crimes. 

Lemondes aligned with the party on 24 of the 25 bills. He opposed a few budget bills Conservatives criticized and certain election reform measures, including the proposal to move local elections to even years. He supported other proposals endorsed by the party, such as the creation of an organized retail crime task force and a bill to protect military monuments. 

However, Lemondes split with Conservatives on a vote that’s important for the area he represents, specifically the Auburn Enlarged City School District. 

The state Legislature passed a bill, with Lemondes’ support, to raise the debt limit for small city school districts from 5% to 10% of the taxable value of property. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill in October. 

The legislation will take effect after voters approved a constitutional amendment to eliminate the 5% debt ceiling that was in place for small city school districts, such as Auburn. The amendment combined with the bill align small city schools with other school districts in the state that are subject to a 10% debt limit. 

Conservatives said they opposed the bill because it would lift debt cap limits. They prefer other approaches, such as “new priorities in state leverage” and revising pay-as-you-go measures. 

But Lemondes’ vote was the only blemish on a voting record that received high marks from the Conservative Party. 

“The people of central New York elected me to protect their values and principles in Albany and that’s exactly what I’ve done during my time in the Assembly,” Lemondes said in a statement. “Right now, we are lacking a conservative mindset in our state government.” 

Lemondes criticized “out-of-control spending” and proposals that “put our public safety into the hands of criminals.” He thinks the state needs to return to conservative ideals. 

That message was echoed by state Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar, who panned the Democratic-led state Legislature. He also explained why the party releases its annual legislative rankings. 

“Voter education has always been a core tenet of the Conservative Party,” Kassar said. “Taxpayers must be made aware of how their elected officials spend tax dollars and where they stand on key philosophical, cultural and eocnomic issues.” 

Lemondes was first elected to the state Assembly in 2020 and won reelection in 2022. For both campaigns, he was endorsed by the Conservative Party.