Democrat bids again for Assembly seat
Chad McEvoy hopes to unseat incumbent Republican Brian Miller in the 101st District two years after losing to him.
Chad McEvoy is making his second bid for the state’s 101st Assembly District seat.
McEvoy, who lives in the Otsego County town of Westford, announced Tuesday that he is seeking the Democratic nomination in the district, which stretches from Oneida County to Orange County and includes the Ulster County towns of Denning, Hardenburgh, Shawangunk and Wawarsing.
The 101st District seat currently is held by Republican Brian Miller of Oneida County, who soundly defeated McEvoy in 2018.
McEvoy said in a statement issued Tuesday that the 101st is one of the most gerrymandered districts in New York.
“No doubt, it’s a difficult district to compete in, especially for a Democrat,” said McEvoy, 45, who has a background in economic development. “But the voters deserve a choice and a real conversation about the issues that matter to our rural communities, like the fact that many of us still don’t have broadband or that we are suffering from decades of under-investment in our infrastructure.
“And I will continue to fight against both sides using the benefits of incumbency irresponsibly and to the detriment of the voters,” he said,
The 101st Assembly District is a narrow strip, almost 200 miles long, that snakes south and southeast from Oneida County. It includes towns in Oneida, Herkimer, Otsego, Delaware, Ulster, Sullivan and Orange counties.
McEvoy said his platform includes universal access to high-speed internet and reliable cell phone coverage, sustainable economic growth, the protection and advancement of civil liberties and individual freedoms, environmental protection, fighting under-investment in upstate New York, and policies that would improve the quality of life in rural communities.
McEvoy works as a project manager at SUNY Oneonta. He has spent the majority of his career working with nonprofits, including the American Red Cross, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Heifer International, he said.
As a volunteer, McEvoy said he has conducted climate change research and built agricultural databases.
McEvoy and his wife, Megan, live on 63 acres with their dog, Nina.