John Lemondes was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 3, 2020. John comes from a family of veterans and is a graduate of Paul Smith’s College, Penn State University, Syracuse University, the Command & General Staff College, and the Eisenhower School for National Resource Strategy. His military career spanned 27 years and he retired as a Colonel in 2014. His service included combat operations in two wars and culminated with the honor of leading the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency team responsible for meeting the international treaty obligations related to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons during the Obama Administration. He then led the research, development, and construction of the Field Deployable Hydrolysis System that was used to neutralize chemical weapons in Syria. After his Army retirement, John and his family began operating a diversified livestock farm in LaFayette while simultaneously working in the high-tech defense industry building naval and United States Marine Corps radar platforms. John most recently served as the President of the New York Farmer Veteran Coalition, is an active member of the American Sheep Industry Association, and served on the Board of Directors of the Onondaga County Soil & Water Conservation District.
