Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin delivered his State of the County address in Troy Thursday, amid reports he could be seeking another role.
The Republican focused on the county’s efforts to replace aging infrastructure, support its youth and elderly population, and boost sales tax revenues.
“I'm tighter with the public's money than I am with my own, because I shepherd it,” McLaughlin said. “It's their money. It's not my money ever. It's not my money. It's their money. My job is to get the most out of it and spend as little of it as I can while providing all the services.”
In office since 2018, McLaughlin says he has worked to grow and revamp the county by monetizing it. Speaking with reporters at Franklin Terrace in Troy, McLaughlin says supporting infrastructure improvements, like paving up to 45-miles of road per year, supports the local economy.
“Some of that's in our control. Some of it's out of our control. I can't control the economy or what people are doing, but what I can control is making sure that they have the most ability to transact that business and spend that money here in Rensselaer County, as opposed to going across the river or anywhere else to buy their goods and services,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin says the county invested $92.8 million on the renovation and building of several county offices and the correctional facility, senior centers in Hoosick Falls, East Greenbush and Troy and water infrastructure in Schodack.
Upcoming projects totaling $132 million include renovating several county-owned nursing home facilities like Van Rensselaer Manor, highway garage upgrades and builds in Cropseyville, Berlin, and Spicer, and eight new pickleball courts at the county office building in East Greenbush.
Will he be there to oversee it all?
McLaughlin is a potential candidate for Congress in New York’s 21st District as fellow Republican Elise Stefanik prepares to be confirmed as UN Ambassador.
McLaughlin says he’s not committed to running. Stefanik has served five terms in the district that stretches across 15 northern New York counties. The former state assemblyman told reporters he’s focused on his current role.
“There's a lot of factors for me at play, both personally and professionally,” McLaughlin said. “I would be an honor, for sure, but I love doing what I'm doing, so either way, I'm fine. And as I said right from day one, I am not chasing this. I am not groveling. I am not chasing it. It's an honor to serve. The president needs me to serve. I would step up and do it, but it is not the easiest job in the world, and I recognize that too. I certainly have the energy to do it and the vision and all that, but I also enjoy what I'm doing here. So, my focus is on, on Rensselaer County.”
If Stefanik is confirmed, Governor Kathy Hochul must call a special election to fill the term. A number of potential candidates are seeking the nomination from county party leaders.
McLaughlin will make the trip to Washington D.C. this weekend for President-elect Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
McLaughlin focused part of his speech on Trump’s return to the White House, saying the new administration could lower costs for the county.
“It's just clear that government spending is insane. I mean, how do you spend $300 for a hammer when you go to you go to Home Depot, it's 12 bucks,” McLaughlin said. “That doesn't make any sense, other than somebody's getting wealthy somewhere down the line. But it's massively inefficient. So, I think they're going to do a lot of what we've done here in the county, streamline things. You know, I’m trying to run this county like I'm the CEO. This is a business. I got to minimize expenses, maximize revenue, but also fully aware that we got to provide services. And with all that we've done, not one service has been cut, not one. In fact, they've expanded. So, it seems like we're on the right track.”
As he was delivering his address, the Times Union reported McLaughlin has applied to be Hudson Valley Community College’s new president.