Post office could be named for Hinchey
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. » U.S. Rep. John Faso is co-sponsoring legislation to have the post office at 111 Market St. in Saugerties named for Maurice Hinchey.
Hinchey, a 10-term congressman and nine-term state assemblyman, died Nov. 22 at age 79 after battling a rare neurological disorder. He lived most of his life in Saugerties.
Faso, R-Kinderhook, is co-sponsoring the post office measure with Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter of western New York.
“Maurice Hinchey was a fierce defender of the environment who was a steadfast advocate for the causes he believed in and the people he served,” Faso said in a statement posted on his website Friday. “I was proud to serve alongside him in the state Assembly. Naming his hometown post office after Maurice will be an enduring recognition of his lifetime of service to the people of Saugerties and Ulster County.”
Slaughter said in a prepared statement that Hinchey “was a remarkable public servant who had the courage to take on the tough issue.”
“We served four years together in the New York state Assembly and 20 years in Congress,” she added. “I watched him do what he did best: defend the constituents and land he represented. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to rename the post office in Maurice’s hometown in honor of his extraordinary legacy.”
Hinchey served in the state Assembly from 1975 through 1992 and the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 until his retirement at the end of 2012.
Faso’s congressional district, New York’s 19th, includes part of Hinchey’s former district.