Assemblyman James D. Conte was elected to the 10th Assembly District in a special election on March 15, 1988. Assemblyman Conte, a kidney transplant recipient, was appointed by then-Governor George Pataki in October of 1997 to the New York State Transplant Council.  He has since been appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of New York Organ Donor Network (NYODN), as well as the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Donation.  He currently serves as Assistant Republican Leader Pro Tempore and is a member of the Committees on Health and Higher Education.