By Doug La Rocque
Republican Jake Ashby of Castleton has been nominated by his party as their candidate to fill the 107th District Assembly seat, left vacant when former Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin became Rensselaer County Executive on January 1.
Mr. Ashby is a member of the Renssealer County Legislature, a former Army Captain who served two tours of duty and is currently a college instructor and occupational therapist. He has the endorsement of former area Congressman Chris Gibson and in his press release, Columbia County Clerk Holly Tanner is quoted as saying “Jake Ashby has excellent leadership skills, knows the issues facing upstate and will be a great representative for our district in the State Assembly.”
It appears Mr. Ashby will be opposed by another member of the county legislator, Cindy Doran of Troy. Ms. Doran tells The Eastwick Press that she is seeking the Democratic nod, and already has the endorsement of the Rensselaer and Columbia County Party Chairs.
Her resume includes 30 years of teaching experience at Troy Schools and Hudson Valley Community College. She is a six year member of the legislature and is a member of the Education, Health and Environmental Committees. In that capacity, she says water quality in the eastern towns of the county, is one of her highest priorities.
The 107th district includes most of Rensselaer County, the northeast section of Columbia County and a small part of southern Washington County. Governor Cuomo has set Tuesday, April 24 as the date for a special election to fill the vacant Assembly seat.