Senator Mark C. Walczyk represents New York’s 49th Senate District, serving as a voice for Upstate families, taxpayers, small businesses, farmers, veterans, and local communities. He believes government should focus on practical solutions, protecting taxpayers, growing the economy, defending individual freedoms, and making New York a place where families can afford to live, work, and raise a family.
Mark began his career in public service after graduating from the University at Albany, joining the staff of State Senator Patty Ritchie in 2011. His work there sparked a lasting commitment to constituent services and improving the quality of life across Upstate New York. In 2015, he was elected to the Watertown City Council, serving in nonpartisan local government and gaining firsthand experience with the issues affecting families and businesses.
In 2018, Mark was elected to represent the 116th Assembly District, which he called the “Front Yard of America.” In the Assembly, he successfully advanced legislation that saved Watertown taxpayers approximately $3 million by restructuring the city’s judiciary and helped expand the 1000 Islands Seaway Wine Trail to create new opportunities for local agriculture and tourism.
Since joining the New York State Senate, Mark has continued to focus on delivering results for the communities he represents. His accomplishments include legislation establishing minimum-maintenance roads so municipalities can better direct limited resources to roads that receive less frequent use; measures supporting local police departments and public safety; and legislation helping counties and municipalities address local fiscal needs. He also sponsored legislation designating a portion of the state highway system as the War Dogs Memorial Highway, honoring the service and sacrifice of military working dogs. Local control is at the heart of Mark’s approach to government. He believes communities should have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect them and has pushed back against one-size-fits-all mandates from Albany. That commitment includes sponsoring legislation to strengthen local zoning authority over large-scale renewable energy projects and battery energy storage systems.
Mark has made election integrity and free and fair elections a priority. He has sponsored legislation requiring voter identification and has been a vocal opponent of efforts to weaken New York’s independent redistricting process. Mark believes voters should choose their representatives, not politicians choosing their voters, and has fought to preserve safeguards that keep New York’s elections secure, transparent, and accountable.
Mark has become a leading voice in the Senate on energy affordability and reliability. He has challenged New York’s approach to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act while advocating for an all-of-the-above strategy that includes nuclear power, hydroelectric power, natural gas, and responsible renewable energy development. He has also called for greater use of existing infrastructure, including upgrading older hydroelectric facilities, while pushing for greater transparency around policies that increase utility costs.
Fiscal responsibility has also remained central to Mark’s work. He has called out wasteful spending and unnecessary, burdensome mandates that drive up costs for taxpayers, businesses, and local governments, and has introduced legislation aimed at rooting out government inefficiency and unnecessary spending.
Mark serves as Ranking Republican Member of the Cities 2 Committee, Elections Committee, and Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. He also serves as a member of the Banks Committee, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee, and Internet and Technology Committee.
Mark also serves as a Major in the United States Army Reserve. In 2024, he was mobilized and deployed to the Middle East, where he spent 290 days serving his country. During his deployment, he worked as a construction portfolio manager and facilities contract construction management engineer, overseeing construction projects across multiple countries. His military service reflects the same commitment to service that has guided his work in local and state government.
Mark is an Eagle Scout and remains committed to the values of service, responsibility, and community that shaped him from an early age. He is married to the love of his life, Jessica. They have three children, Atticus, Byron, and Willetta, and a mostly well-behaved hound,
Alfred.