Sam Roberts was elected to the New York State Assembly in November 2010 to represent the 119th District, which includes parts of the city of Syracuse and the Towns of DeWitt, Onondaga and Salina. Roberts was re-elected for a second term in November 2012 to represent the newly defined 128th District. Roberts is currently Chair of the Task Force on University-Industry Cooperation. In addition, he is a member of the following New York State Assembly Committees: Committee on Aging; Committee on Labor; Committee on Libraries and Education Technology; Committee on Small Business; Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development; and Committee on Transportation. Roberts is also a member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. Prior to becoming a New York State Assemblymember, Roberts served as an Onondaga County Legislator from 1990 to 1999. Roberts grew up on the east side of Syracuse and has garnered a solid reputation for his commitment to community activism and public service in Central New York. As a proud member of the United Auto Workers Union, Roberts is a retiree of General Motors, where he worked as a journeyman tool and die maker for 30 years, and was elected as Recording Secretary of UAW Local Union #465 and Chair of Local Union #854’s Education and Civil Rights Committees. Staying committed to the people, he dually served as Onondaga County Legislator while holding employment at General Motors. For five terms he represented Onondaga County’s 19th Legislative District, supporting legislation important to his constituents. Highly skilled in Labor Relations, he has earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Empire State College, associate degrees from Onondaga Community College and certificates in Labor Studies from Cornell University. Roberts’ dedication also transcends into the discipline of Martial Arts where he holds an 8th Degree Black Belt in American Shotokan Karate. He ranked No. 1 in New York and New Jersey, top 10 in the United States and Canada and was the winner of the World Championships prior to retirement from competition.