By Dave Lucas
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Kingston, NY – Congressman Maurice Hinchey has announced that he will not seek reelection and instead will retire from Congress at the end of his current term. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports
Congressman Maurice Hinchey began what some in the audience called his "farewell address" given in an packed room at Senate House State Historic Site in Kingston where Hinchey announced his first campaign for Congress in 1992. Hinchey has spent the past 38 years of his life in public service, including 18 years in the New York State Assembly and 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Hinchey represents New York's 22nd Congressional District, which covers a large swath of the upstate region from the Hudson Valley west to Binghamton and Ithaca. The big question now facing the 22nd is redistricting. New York will lose two congressional seats in a reapportionment that the State Legislature must approve this year. The 73 year old Hinchey recently completed treatment for colon cancer and has been declared cancer free by his doctors, the married father of three children lives in Hurley, near Kingston. Hinchey's daughter Michelle says her dad has served his time well. Since Hinchey's election to the U.S. House of Representatives, he's been a strong liberal voice and a staunch environmentalist. He was a vocal critic of President George W. Bush, and voted against the war in Iraq.Hinchey says he won't slow down - promising to finish out his term fighting for the people - and hinting he will remain the activist and man of the people he's always been - when his term officially ends.