Brian Maher defeats Matthew Mackey
KINGSTON, N.Y. >> A GOP town supervisor has defeated an advocate for the LBGTQ community in Tuesday’s election to win the 101st Assembly seat in the state Legislature, according to unofficial results from the state Board of Elections.
Republican Brian Maher, 37, who is Montgomery town supervisor, was ahead in vote totals in a race against Matthew Mackey by a vote of 29,859-17,947.
Maher is former chairman of the Orange County Young Republicans.
The 101st Assembly District, which stretches from Madison County to Orange County at the border of New Jersey, includes Hardenburgh, the town of Rochester, Wawarsing and Shawangunk in Ulster County.
Maher lives in Walden and is a former mayor of the village and is a graduate of Empire State College in Newburgh, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in public affairs in 2019.
Maher is a former chairman of the Orange County Young Republicans and a former three-term chairman of the state Young Republicans.
Maher was elected Walden village mayor in 2009. He said in a statement that when he was mayor all budgets came in under the 2% tax cap while addressing significant infrastructure issues.
Under his administration, the Walden Youth Employment Program was started. It employed nearly 200 youngsters between the ages of 14 and 17.
Maher is currently the supervisor of the Town of Montgomery. He has held that position since 2020.
While supervisor, the town updated its comprehensive plan and has received high markets for its bond rating, Maher said.
Mackey, who has a husband and lives in Kerhonkson, was born in Poughkeepsie.
According to the candidate’s campaign website, Mackey attended SUNY at Fredonia before transferring to Marymount Manhattan College in 2007 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in theater. Mackey has been an advocate for the LGBTQ community since college and expects to finish a master’s degree in social work from Adelphi University.
Mackey, who identifies as non-binary, “hopes for a world where everyone has an equal playing field and where everyone can exist without fear of rejection for being who they are,” a statement said.
Among the topics that were at the top of Mackey’s priority list are abortion rights, the economy and health care.