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CSEA Announces Endorsements

WAMC Photo by Dave Lucas

With primary season on the horizon, Capital Region leaders of the Civil Service Employees Association union endorsed candidates for key Albany County offices on Tuesday.

The union represents some 40,000 members in the immediate Capital Region. Union officials at the Latham office endorsed Democratic candidates for Albany County Executive, Comptroller, Sheriff and Colonie Town Judge.

Dan McCoy, endorsed for a second run for County Executive, explains the impact the union has had on the region.  "They've been fighting for over 105 years for their workers, for their membership, and all these things that we've gotten over the years and a lot of people take it for granted, they don't know how they got the extra vacation day or the extra health care, it's becasue of CSEA and the way they've fought over the 105 years. In 1978, CSEA put a women's committee together statewide, and they pushed for pay equality for women. It's 37 years later, and were talkin' like it's the first time this has come up. CSEA's been fightin' that issue for 37 years, to make a difference for women in the workforce. That's what this endorsement means to me today."

McCoy, who has already been endorsed by a slew of elected officials including the mayor of Albany and the local Congressman, is being challenged by ex-school board member Dan Egan. Egan says he’s unfazed by the CSEA endorsement.    "My campaign continues to pick up momentum on a daily basis, from Zephyr Teachout's endorsement to the thousands of Albany County residents who signed my petition to get on the ballot, and the hundreds of rank and file county employees who've been very supportive of my candidacy, to a host of other endorsements from leading democrats who'll be coming down the pike very soon, my campaign is stronger every day."

Fellow-Democrat Comptroller Mike Conners has also worked closely with the union.   "I'm very proud to have this endorsement and the support of this union. Thye've done a great job for the county and state workers, so we do appreciate it and look forward to their help in the fall."

Another faction of CSEA gathered at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls to officially endorse Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro for reelection.

CSEA Capital Region President Kathy Garrison says the union is bipartisan, with a 50-50 endorsement ratio statewide.  "I cover from Greene-Columbia county up to the Canadian border, so by and large, it's mostly Republican and mostly very Conservative, and we have good relationships on both sides of the aisle. We tend to go more Democratic in Albany, because they usually are in line with what we're concerned about."

The other Albany County endorsees: Craig Apple for Sheriff and Republican Peter Crummey for Town of Colonie Judge.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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