James Bacalles is a member of the New York State Assembly

New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

, for the 136th district first elected in 1995. He is a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

. Prior to his election to the assembly he served as mayor of Corning

Corning (city), New York

Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,842 at the 2000 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company that developed the community.- Overview :The city of...

. He served on the Steuben County Board of Supervisors and then the Steuben County Legislature from 1980 till 1989.

Bacalles unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the New York State Senate

New York State Senate

The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

 53rd District seat held by George Winner; the nomination went to Tom O'Mara

Tom O'Mara

Thomas F. "Tom" O'Mara is a Republican member of the New York State Senate, representing the 53rd senate district, which includes all of Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben and Yates counties, and a portion of Tompkins County .O'Mara was raised in Horseheads, New York. He holds a B.A...

, who also went on to win the general election. As a result, Bacalles could not seek re-election to his seat in the Assembly, and Phil Palmesano

Phil Palmesano

Philip A. "Phil" Palmesano is an American politician and member of the New York State Assembly. He represents all of Steuben and Yates counties....

was elected to take his place.