The 113th Assembly District is home to the historic Saratoga Race Course, GlobalFoundries' chip manufacturing plant, countless family farms and small businesses and, potentially, a new casino.
Yet the district, which includes parts of Saratoga and Washington counties, has been missing something important since the beginning of this year. Like 10 other Senate and Assembly districts around the state, it currently lacks full representation for more than 1.7 million people at the state Capitol. We have already missed the deadline to have our needs articulated in the Assembly during budget deliberations, and the longer the governor waits to set the date for a special election, the less input this area will have on significant legislative issues before session ends in June.
Like most upstate districts, the top priority in the 113th is economic development and job creation. In Fort Edward, the closure of the General Electric plant will have a devastating impact on the local economy as those jobs are transferred to Florida. We need our economic development agencies to craft a plan for the reuse of that site, to mitigate the loss of revenue to the town and county. In the Town of Moreau, the governor's shutdown of the Mount McGregor Correctional Facility will also remove jobs from the area. We need a full complement of state and local elected officials to work together to create new job opportunities.
The City of Saratoga Springs, too, faces a critical moment — the possible expansion of casino operations. This issue will shape the future of Saratoga for years to come, and, if not implemented properly, could threaten its recent economic growth. To achieve the greatest level of community involvement in the casino-siting process, full state representation is required.
The need for full representation is not a political or partisan issue. It is about fairness. Calling a special election will allow taxpayers throughout the state to listen to the views and qualifications of all the candidates and decide who they want to be their voice in Albany. Depriving New Yorkers of that right — at such a crucial time — is un-democratic.
I urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to call a special election to fill all the vacancies in the state Legislature as soon as possible.
Steve Stallmer is the endorsed Republican candidate for state assembly and chief of staff to Rep. Chris Gibson.