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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Two candidates emerge in 99th Assembly race
New Windsor Chief of Staff
runs on GOP line
Rettig is the new Democratic candidate
in Assembly race
By SHANTAL RILEY
[email protected] By SHANTAL RILEY
[email protected]
Colin Schmitt is running for a seat
in the 99th District of the New York
State Assembly. “I have the experience
and ability to hit the ground running
from day one,” said the Republican.
Schmitt, 28, works as chief of staff
for the Town of New Windsor. He also
serves as a member of the U.S. Army
National Guard. “I’ve seen family,
friends, neighbors moving out of the
State of New York because they can’t
afford to live here or raise a family here.
Jobs are lacking, taxes are way too
high,” said Schmitt, who said he would
fight to make sure the district receives
its “fair share” of state funding to help
lower taxes and fund schools.
Schmitt is running on Republican,
Conservative, Independence and
Reform Party lines. Schmitt has run
twice for the seat, once in 2012 and again
in 2016. The position is being vacated
by Assemblyman James Skoufis, who
announced his bid for the 39th seat
of the New York State Senate in May,
following news of the retirement of
longtime state Senator Bill Larkin Jr.
If elected, Schmitt said he would
tackle the region’s opioid crisis with
a “multi-pronged” approach, through
support of prevention, treatment,
recovery and law enforcement. “We
need to take a holistic approach, giving
law enforcement the tools they need,”
he said, including charging drug dealers
with manslaughter in cases of overdose
deaths. “We need to work to make sure
insurance companies are covering
necessary treatments, over the proper
length of time,” added Schmitt.
Education is also needed to better
inform the community about the
epidemic, he said. “Everyone’s been
affected, whether they know it or not,”
Schmitt said.
The New Windsor resident also
supports term limits and ethics
reform, ensuring “honest, accountable
government” in Albany. “I want to
make sure our district has a dedicated
voice, someone who could fight to
reform Albany, but defend our Hudson
Valley values against the powerful This month, Matt Rettig replaced
Brett Broge as the Democratic candidate
for the 99th District of the New York
State Assembly. He will face Republican
Colin Schmitt in the general election in
November. “I’m running to continue
the good work James Skoufis started
for this district,” said Rettig. “He’s been
a tireless advocate for the district.”
The position is being vacated by
Skoufis, who is leaving the job as
part of his bid for the state Senate’s
39th District seat, left open with the
retirement of Senator Bill Larkin Jr.
One of Rettig’s platform goals is to
support sustainable land use in the
district. “We want to make sure growth
is managed in a sustainable way,” said
the Cornwall resident. “I’m pro-growth.
But, we have to make sure that the
resources are adequate for current and
future projects we want to undertake.”
Controlling taxes is also a priority
for Rettig, who has worked as a
commercial airline pilot for more than
18 years. “Everyone agrees taxes are
too high in New York State,” he said.
“I’m open to looking at different ways
to fund schools. It’s possible property
taxes aren’t the best way to do it.”
School districts are in dire need of
adequate funding, Rettig said. “As a
legislator, I can’t teach children, but I
can make sure enough resources are
available to those who do,” he said.
“As a legislator in the majority
party, I can play a part in solving these
issues,” he said. “It’s important that
the seat remains in Democratic hands.
It’s important to have a partner in
the Senate,” Rettig added, referring to
Skoufis. “That would be best for the
district. We would get a lot done that
way.”
Rettig
replaced
Democratic
Committee Chairman Brett Broge soon
after Broge announced he was running
for the seat. “Brett had some family
issues come up, and so he decided he
was unable to run,” Rettig explained.
“When Brett became unavailable,
James Skoufis personally reached
out to me and asked me to run. I am
Colin Schmitt
New York City political machine and
be an advocate for all residents of our
district,” he said.
Schmitt pointed to a new ethics law
recently put into place in New Windsor.
“We were out-of-date with basic state
guidance,” said Schmitt, who wrote the
law. Among other changes, the new
ethics code established a revolving-door
policy that placed restrictions on town
officials leaving town employment to
work for companies with business that
conflicts with their previous duties
and bars acceptance of gifts related
to official duties. “It’s not just talk,
I’ve actually done it,” said Schmitt of
government ethics reform.
“I plan to lead the fight against
systemic welfare abuse,” Schmitt
asserted, and, he said, he opposes the
continued expansion of the Village of
Kiryas Joel.
Schmitt said he also wants to protect
the district’s natural resources. “We
only get one of them,” he said, referring
to the environment. “We don’t get a
redo. We have to protect our waterways,
our rivers, our streams, our open land
and clean air.”
Schmitt previously served as
director of operations for the New York
State Senate Committee on Veterans,
Homeland Security and Military
Affairs. He is the only Republican that
has filed a petition in the race. Schmitt
will face Orange County Democratic
Committee Chairman Brett Broge for
the seat in November.
Matt Rettig
honored that he did so.”
Rettig said he is wide open to working
on the issues with Republican Assembly
members. “I brought people together
to find common ground,” he said,
speaking of his work as a negotiator for
American Eagle and the Air Line Pilots
Association in the 2010s. “I was on the
negotiating committee the entire time
American Eagle was in bankruptcy,”
he said. “We had almost no leverage
but we were able to get through it.
It was very stressful, but we had to
remain professional in an adversarial
situation.”
“Legislators have to get together and
find common ground and find solutions
to figure things out, which is precisely
what I did as a union negotiator,” he
said.
His experience as a professional pilot
will also serve him in the Assembly,
Rettig said. “There is a lot of training
being an airline pilot. It’s a huge
responsibility,” Rettig explained. “I’m
cool under fire. When trouble finds
you, you need to rise to it and react
appropriately and professionally.
That’s my mentality. That’s the
approach I intend to bring to being an
assemblyman.”
To learn more about Matt Rettig,
visit the Rettig for Assembly page on
Facebook or RettigforAssembly.com.
The district covers towns including
New Windsor, Hamptonburgh, Chester,
Blooming Grove, Woodbury, Highlands,
Cornwall, Wawayanda, Goshen and
Stony Point in Rockland County.