Harry Bronson was first elected to the New York State Assembly in November 2010.The diverse 138th district includes the Highland Park/South Wedge, Park Ave, North Winton and NOTA neighborhoods in the City of Rochester, and the suburban and rural towns of Henrietta and West Henrietta, Chili and Riga, including the Village of Churchville.
Harry serves as chair of the Assembly Labor Committee where he is dedicated to increasing worker protection and rights, workplace safety, and making sure we have an economy that works for everyone. Fighting for social justice, labor reforms, fair wages, health care access, LGBTQ protections, equality and fairness have been a lifelong endeavor. Harry’s work embraces and promotes the simple principle that all human beings have dignity and, “No matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like, what your abilities, whom you love, or how you identify – we all have dignity and deserve equity, justice and the opportunity to succeed.”
Growing up on a rural family farm with 11 siblings, Harry’s parents instilled the values of strong work ethic and the importance of family and community. Since he was 8 years old, Harry dreamed of being an attorney, and coming from such modest means, learned early that hard work and education were the best way to accomplish his goal. He credits the SUNY system for helping to make that goal a reality and is SUNY all the way! Harry earned his undergraduate degree in Public Justice from SUNY Oswego, then graduated from University of Buffalo law school. As an attorney and former partner at Blitman and King, his focus areas were anti-discrimination employment law, labor issues, employee benefits and litigation.
Firmly believing public office is a privilege granted by our community, Harry recognizes that those who are given this privilege have a responsibility to maintain the highest ethical standards. Each policy decision Harry makes is based on the foundation of this public trust. Before being elected to the state Assembly, Harry served in the Monroe County Legislature and held leadership positions, such as Minority Leader.
Harry’s support for unions and the labor movement has been critical to advancing legislation that supports rights that benefit all New York workers. In addition to being Chair of Labor, he is a member of Education, Ways and Means and Rules Committees.
Prior to being appointed Labor Chair, Harry served as Chair of Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry where he oversaw economic development and business regulation throughout New York State. Additionally, as the Assembly’s Legislative Liaison to the Fingers Lakes Regional Economic Development Council (FLREDC), Harry is directly helping our region’s families obtain good-paying jobs by growing our regional economy. That includes an emphasis on modern manufacturing initiatives and green jobs creation.
Some of Harry’s proudest legislative accomplishments have been passing Marriage Equality in 2011, which gave LGBTQ+ couples the right to legally marry, and the success of ‘The Fight for 15.’ This law established a minimum wage increase and paid family leave program to provide 12 weeks of paid leave. In 2023, the legislature successfully fought to index the minimum wage to inflation.. He has also passed legislation to end child poverty, reform mental health care, and protect our public school system. These initiatives have gone a long way to ensuring that hardworking New Yorkers can provide for their families, and Harry will continue to be a voice for these protections.
In addition to his work in the Assembly, Harry and his husband John co-owned Equal=Grounds, an inclusive coffee house in Rochester’s South Wedge neighborhood for 18 years. Small businesses are the backbone of our communities and economy, and critical drivers of opportunity, employment, and culture. Supporting entrepreneurship means supporting innovation, creativity, and people-first economic development, and Harry recognizes that we must continue to strive for a system that enables them to start-up and thrive.
He is committed to ensuring our investments in economic development are complimented by investments in workforce development and entrepreneurship, so our emerging and expanding industries have access to skilled workers and our families have more opportunities to succeed. In this role, Harry supports apprenticeship and mentorship programs that promote job training and placement, as well as funding for Centers for Excellence and Advancement and business incubators.
Harry is dedicated to helping all individuals and families in our community and is honored to represent District 138, and the people of New York State. We’ve made important gains, but we still have work to do! Thank you.
