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Cancer diagnosis forces Albany mayoral candidate to exit race

Mayoral candidate Michael Crook says his goal is to make Albany a better city.
Dave Lucas
/
WAMC
Mayoral candidate Michael Crook is withdrawing from the race.

An Albany mayoral candidate is withdrawing from the race.  

Independent candidate Michael Crook says he's pulling out after receiving a diagnosis of end stage type IV colorectal cancer. Crook tells WAMC the right thing to do is end his campaign immediately.

 "Basically I don't feel like moving forward. I'll be fair to the voters. I think the most responsible thing is to step back and let the voters choose a candidate who can effectively the serve their term," said Crook. 

Crook says it wouldn't be fair to the voters if he won and he claims he "would not make it through the first term."

Crook’s exit leaves at least five candidates to replace third-term Democratic Mayor Kathy Sheehan. The Democratic primary is June 24th.

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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