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Two veterans run to replace retiring Crouch in 122nd District

The Daily Star - 10/31/2020

Oct. 31--A political newcomer is facing a longtime government administrator in the race to replace retiring Assemblyman Clifford Crouch in the 122nd Assembly District.

Democrat Rick Shaw, 58, of Downsville, and Republican Joe Angelino, 60, of Norwich, are both military veterans. Since leaving the armed forces, Angelino has most notably served as Norwich Police Chief while Shaw served as a health and safety officer at DCMO BOCES. Both are retired.

Angelino told The Daily Star he is running because, "I believe (New York state) is headed in the wrong direction. I want to be a strong voice for rural, upstate New York."

Shaw said he's seeking office for the first time because, "I am very concerned about the influence the metropolitan politicians have on the way of life in upstate, rural New York and the direction the state is going in, financially."

Shaw said the biggest issue facing the state is COVID-19. "We have to focus on stopping this pandemic and reopening our businesses," he said. "Our economy and livelihoods depend on it."

Angelino said the largest problem is "the massive number of people migrating from the state." He said, "The reason they're leaving is untenable living conditions consisting of high taxes, overregulation and downstate politicians treating our region as a colony by using our resources and imposing their will upon us."

He called for the state to take over funding of Medicaid from counties and to reduce 'frivolous spending on any number of programs."

Shaw also called for targeted spending cuts. "The governor's 'pet projects' downstate need to be put on hold until we get things under control," he said. He also said the state needs to lobby for federal aid to offset costs of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commenting on the seemingly perpetual Democratic majority in the Assembly, Angelino said, "I will likely be outvoted on certain issues, but I won't lose my voice to speak on behalf of the residents of the 122nd Assembly District."

Shaw noted that, if elected, he would be part of the majority -- "something this district has not had in quite a while." He said he would listen to the concerns and ideas of district residents and "go to Albany and find people who will listen to me, and then develop good, commonsense legislation everyone can live with."

Both candidates said the legislature should end Gov. Andrew Cuomo's expanded executive authority, granted to him at the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

The district includes the Otsego County towns of Morris, Butternuts and Unadilla; the Delaware County towns of Franklin, Sidney, Masonville, Tompkins, Walton, Deposit, Hancock and Colchester; and the Chenango County towns of New Berlin, Norwich, North Norwich, German, Smithville, Oxford, Guilford, Greene, Coventry, Bainbridge and Afton; as well as most of Broome County.

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(c)2020 The Daily Star (Oneonta, N.Y.)

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