Skartados dies of cancer at age 62
State Assemblyman Frank Skartados died Sunday morning at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, his chief of staff, Steve Gold, said in an email. Skartados was 62. Gold said Skartados, DMilton, was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer in late January. He was admitted on March 24 for respiratory issues and pain associated with his illness, Gold said.
Last Thursday, Gold announced Skartados had been hospitalized with a terminal condition and was not expected to recover.
Skartados was serving his fourth two-year term in the state Assembly. In November 2016, he won another term representing the state’s 104th Assembly District. Skartados defeated Republican William Banuchi in that election.
The 104th District includes the town and city of Newburgh, the city of Beacon, the city of Poughkeepsie, and the Ulster County towns of Marlborough and Lloyd.
Born in Greece, Skartados arrived in New York City with his mother at age 14 in 1970. He graduated, with honors, from the State University of New York at New Paltz with a degree in political science. He worked at the New York Military Academy in Cornwall-on-Hudson before devoting himself to renovating properties in downtown Poughkeepsie.
Skartados was first elected to serve in the Assembly in 2008. He lost the seat two years later to Tom Kirwin by less than twenty votes. He regained the office in a special election in March 2012 after Kirwin’s death, and had held it ever since.
In his first term in office, Skartados secured $6 million to complete the Walkway Over the Hudson. After regaining his seat in the special election, he secured funds to build Hudson River connector trails in Lloyd, as seed money for a mixed use vehicular-trail bridge along the Hudson/ Fishkill Creek in Beacon and two waterfront parks along the west bank of the river.
Skartados secured millions of dollars in state grants to purchase fire trucks, police cars, anti-gun violence programs, snow plows, emergency vehicles, educational technology, school buses and hospital equipment. He also secured grants to make park improvements, fund workforce housing projects and other infrastructure, provide general aid to schools and build a new library.
In a statement sent via email, Ulster County Executive Mike Hein called Skartados “a fiercely dedicated public servant who delivered time and time again for all his constituents.”
“As a strong but gentle soul, he always spoke truth to power while simultaneously making time to help those among us most in need,” Hein said. “We are all blessed that he chose a life of service and because of his integrity, he will forever be profoundly missed.”
In a statement sent via email, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro called Skartados a “dedicated public servant” whose “work positively impacted the lives of those he served.”
Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said in a statement sent via email that Skartados “worked hard for his constituents in what is a very diverse district and was well-liked by his peers.”
Funeral arrangements are being made at the DiDonato funeral home in Marlboro.