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Steven McLaughlin

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Steven McLaughlin
County Executive of Rensselaer County
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2018
Preceded byKathleen M. Jimino
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 107th district
In office
January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2017
Preceded byTimothy Gordon
Succeeded byJacob Ashby
Personal details
Born (1963-10-04) October 4, 1963 (age 61)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDivorced
Children2
Alma materXaverian Brothers High School
Florida Institute of Technology
Arizona State University
Empire State College
University of Phoenix
WebsiteGovernment website

Steven Francis "Steve" McLaughlin (born October 4, 1963)[1] is an American politician serving as County Executive of Rensselaer County, New York. A Republican, McLaughlin represented the 107th District in the New York State Assembly from 2011 to 2017; the district included parts of Albany, Columbia, Greene and Rensselaer Counties in New York's Capital Region.[2] McLaughlin was elected Rensselaer County Executive in November 2017. In 2021 he was indicted on charges of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, both felonies.

Early life and education

McLaughlin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the third of four children of Arthur and Winifred McLaughlin. He was raised in Wrentham, Massachusetts, attending public elementary school and Xaverian Brothers High School.[3]

He attended the Florida Institute of Technology in 1983 and received commercial and instrument aircraft ratings. He then studied finance at Arizona State University. He earned a B.A. degree from Empire State College (State University of New York) and an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.[3]

Career

Before entering politics, McLaughlin was an airline pilot and a banker.[3]

McLaughlin was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 2, 2010, when he defeated incumbent Timothy P. Gordon.[4] McLaughlin had previously run against Gordon in 2008, but was defeated.[5] McLaughlin was re-elected to the Assembly in 2012, 2014, and 2016.[6][7]

McLaughlin was censured by the New York State Assembly Ethic Committee for violations of the Sexual Harassment Policy after he requested a female staff member send him nude photos.[8][9][10][11]

McLaughlin developed a reputation as an anti-establishment voice and an outspoken critic of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.[12] In 2013, McLaughlin criticized Cuomo's gun control policies and compared him to Adolf Hitler, Mussolini, and Putin. McLaughlin later apologized for making the comparison.[13]

McLaughlin ran for Rensselaer County Executive in 2017 following the retirement of longtime County Executive Kathy Jimino.[14] After defeating Deputy County Executive Christopher Meyer in a contentious Republican primary,[15] McLaughlin narrowly prevailed over Democrat Andrea Smyth in the general election.[16]

Mclaughlin was sworn in as Rensselaer County executive on January 1, 2018.[17]

On December 1, 2021, McLaughlin was indicted on two felony counts, including grand larceny in the third degree for misusing campaign funds to pay personal debts[18]

On January 25th, 2023, McLaughlin was acquitted of the felony counts by a jury after one hour of deliberations.[19]

Accomplishments as County Executive

During his first State of the County address in 2018, McLaughlin referenced his campaign, telling county lawmakers: "I fought hard to get here, and I will fight even harder for you as your County Executive." McLaughlin set to work implementing a number of efficiencies in county government, reforming purchasing and personnel moves, generating a savings.[20]

Property taxes

For the 2019 budget, McLaughlin's first as Executive, county property taxes were lowered by a slight margin, less than one-percent. McLaughlin's next two budgets for 2020 and 2021 also lowered county property taxes. The county has also generated a significant savings during each year of McLaughlin's service as Executive.[20]

County roads

Improvement and repair of county roads has been a major focus during McLaughlin's first term. With over 320 miles in the county road network, the county typically paved on average about 20 miles annually before McLaughlin took office. Entering 2021, McLaughlin had paved 105 miles of county roads, after setting a record by paving 50 miles of roads in 2020. For 2021, McLaughlin announced the "Drive for 65", a plan to pave 65 miles in one year and break the record set in 2020. If accomplished, the Drive for 65 would mean over half the county road network had been paved in four years. The road paving effort has drawn support from legislators and residents.[20]

COVID-19 response

Rensselaer County saw the first case of COVID-19 in March 2020. McLaughlin issued a State of Emergency similar to declarations issued by counties across the state. On March 25 of that year, Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration issued an Executive Order to force COVID-19 positive patients into nursing homes, including the county's Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home. McLaughlin was the only County Executive to refuse the order, stating "Not here, not now, not ever". The state had also issued a directive requiring any person entering a nursing home to show proof of a negative test. Despite the rule, state and federal inspectors attempted on multiple occasions to enter the county nursing home while refusing to show proof of a negative test. McLaughlin met the inspectors on two occasions and blocked them from entering. McLaughlin told WNYT: "I don't care if you're Donald Trump. I don't care if you're Andrew Cuomo. You're not coming through the door without proof of a negative test."[21]

Despite numerous requests from McLaughlin, the state did not set up a COVID-19 testing site in the county, forcing residents to travel distances for testing. McLaughlin received support from every mayor, supervisor and legislator in the county to establish an independent testing operation. The county test site represented the largest investment by a county in upstate in a testing operation. As vaccines became available, McLaughlin again worked to establish an independent county vaccination site, utilizing an athletic complex at Hudson Valley Community College, which is sponsored by the county. The county provided the first vaccine to the public at the HVCC site in January 2021. The public has praised the county vaccine operation for efficiency. To encourage vaccines during the summer months, McLaughlin devised an initiative for a mobile vaccination unit, teaming up with the Capital District Transportation Authority for the Vax Bus.

Improvement of county services

When seeking office in 2017, McLaughlin promised to construct a new emergency services training tower after the former one had been closed for several years. The former training structure was levelled during the pandemic. Final approvals were received from the state and construction expected to begin in summer 2021.[20] The county earned recognition by coming under budget by $18 million during the pandemic. McLaughlin announced plans to utilize some of the savings to aid fire, ambulance and community organizations. The Rensselaer County Responds plan was approved in spring 2021 by the County Legislature, with funds set to be distributed the same year. Along with Rensselaer County Responds, the county is investing in new highway equipment.[20]

Open government

Prior to McLaughlin's service, the county had limited social media outreach with the exception of an official Rensselaer County Facebook page. On taking office, McLaughlin implemented additional social media pages for county government, allowing for easier and more timely updates for residents. He has made extensive utilization of the county government social media pages for self-promotion. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, McLaughlin also provided regular livestream updates, and was the only County Executive to take live questions from residents.[20]

Personal life

McLaughlin resides in North Greenbush.[2] He has two sons, Danny and Sean.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Legislative Preview: Meet The New Members". The Capitol. Manhattan Media. January 6, 2011. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Steven F. McLaughlin: Biography". New York State Assembly. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d "Election 2010 Profile: Steve McLaughlin". The Record. September 21, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  4. ^ https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2010/general/2010AssemblyRecertified09122012.pdf 2010 Assembly Election Results, New York State Board of Elections
  5. ^ Danielle Sanzone (2010-11-03). "VIDEO: Steve McLaughlin wins in close race for the 108th State Assembly District". www.troyrecord.com.
  6. ^ "Assembly special elections too close to call | Hudson Valley 360". www.hudsonvalley360.com.
  7. ^ McLaughlin, Steven. "County Executive". stevemclaughlinforcountyexecutive.com.
  8. ^ Vilensky, Mike (29 November 2017). "New York Lawmaker Censured in Sexual-Harassment Case". Wall Street Journal.
  9. ^ Lyons, Brendan J.; Hamilton, Matthew (2017-11-29). "Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin sanctioned for sexual harassment". Times Union. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  10. ^ "NY Ethics Committee: Steve McLaughlin violated sexual harassment policy". NEWS10 ABC. 2017-11-29. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  11. ^ "Steve McLaughlin sanctioned following sexual harassment complaint". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  12. ^ Churchill, Chris (November 2, 2017). "Churchill: Steve McLaughlin calls the 'fake news' Times Union 'a useless rag'". Times Union.
  13. ^ Kaplan, Thomas (5 February 2013). "Cuomo Acted Like Hitler in Gun Push, Official Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  14. ^ Buonanno, Nicholas (August 12, 2017). "Assemblyman looks to be next Rensselaer County Executive". Troy Record. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  15. ^ Crowe, Kenneth (September 18, 2017). "Meyer concedes Rensselaer County primaries to McLaughlin". Times Union. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  16. ^ Crowe, Kenneth (November 14, 2017). "Smyth concedes to McLaughlin in county executive's contest". Times Union. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  17. ^ "McLaughlin, assemblyman turns executive". WNYT NewsChannel 13. 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  18. ^ Ferré-Sadurní, Luis (December 2021). "Cuomo Nemesis is Charged with Campaign Fraud". The New York Times.
  19. ^ https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/deliberations-expected-wednesday-steve-17740594.php
  20. ^ a b c d e f McLaughlin, Steven. "County Executive". stevemclaughlinforcountyexecutive.com.
  21. ^ Propublica (16 June 2020). ""Fire Through Dry Grass"". www.propublica.org.
New York State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the New York Assembly
from the 107th district
2011–2017 		Succeeded by
Vacant
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