New York State Assemblymen Tony Jordan of the 113th district will leave his post to become the next District Attorney of Washington County on January 1st, but the question of who will replace him remains.
Washington County native and Republican Tony Jordan is stepping down from the state Assembly district that spans Saratoga and Washington Counties to become Washington County’s new district attorney.
An attorney, Jordan served as Washington County’s Assistant District Attorney prior toward beginning his legislative career in 2009.
As the calendar turns, candidates are now beginning to step up their efforts of taking Jordan’s place in Albany.
In a November interview, Jordan said to represent a district like the 113th, which contains larger towns and small rural communities, it takes somebody to consider the needs of both.
“Somebody who will be willing to strike the balance the needs and the importance of projects like GlobalFoundries, and the needs and importance of the farming community – both large-scale commercial dairy and the small organic farms,” said Jordan. “And they also have to be appreciative of the small business owners.”
Jordan said the representative of the 113th district also needs to sometimes speak up against the voice of Democratic House Speaker Sheldon Silver, who controls the powerful majority in the chamber.
“There’s a risk to standing out and speaking out, so it will take a person who is comfortable and willing to do that,” said Jordan.
The race to fill the open seat cannot begin until Governor Andrew Cuomo calls for a special election. However, some people are already expressing interest in running.
Saratoga Springs resident Steve Stallmer, who currently serves as Congressman Chris Gibson’s chief of staff, has already secured the endorsement of the Republican party, and is seeking the Independence and Conservative party lines as well.
Stallmer said the two issues most important to him when he steps up his campaign efforts over the coming weeks will be reforms to the implementation of the Common Core school curriculum standards and lowering taxes.
“I think what it takes to represent them at the state level is the knowledge and the experience and the understanding of them, and the ability to articulate them in the assembly chamber, with the governor’s office, with your fellow colleagues – both in the senate and the assembly – to have the skill set to navigate the process and to be able to get results for the community, and I believe I bring all of that to the table.”
Meanwhile, there has not yet been an announced Democratic-endorsed candidate to enter the race, but Round Lake village trustee Carrie Woerner, who ran unsuccessfully against Jordan in 2012, said she has kept her campaign fund open, and has been committed to community service and making connections across Saratoga and Washington counties.
“What I’ve been doing in the last year is being out in the 16 communities that comprise the 113th district, attending meetings, going to events, being connected to people in the community so that I remain aware and engaged in the issues that are important on the ground, and that what’s I’ve been doing in the last year, and what I will continue to do out into the future, both through the elections cycle, and it’s what people can out on me to be – the kind of leadership they can count on me for, if I am fortunate to be elected,” said Woerner.
Woerner said the most important issues she’ll address are jobs and assisting small business, ensuring proper funding for all school districts, and assisting agricultural businesses.
Jordan predicted that the new legislative session will include much business and debate carrying over from where lawmakers left off in June.
“I think many of those issues will continue to be present and how those sort out will be interesting,”
The legislative session will begin the second week of January.
