Meyer ends bid for county executive
TROY, N. Y. » With absentee vote counting into its second day, Deputy County Executive Christopher Meyer bowed out of his bid to replace his retiring boss.
In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Meyer said he was suspending his campaign, ceding the Republican Party nomination to Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin.
“It is with great disappointment that I have come to the realization that I will not be the next Rensselaer County Executive,” Meyer said in his statement. “It has truly been an honor to serve the residents of our great county for the past 13 years. Rensselaer County is a great place to live work and raise a family, and I am extremely proud of the many accomplishments I have been fortunate to be a part of.”
After a contentious campaign that kicked off the same day County Executive Kathleen Jimino announced May 11 that she would not run for a fifth four- year term, McLaughlin held a 2,708- 2,369 edge among GOP voters Sept. 12 and declared victory, also calling for party unity. Meyer, however, refused to concede the race, saying he instead wanted to await the outcome of a count of absentee ballots and affidavits, even though he would have needed to take about 75 percent of the estimated 700 absentee votes to overcome the deficit.
That vote count began Friday and had not been completed as of late Monday afternoon.
“We welcome the end of the primary contest and look forward to the general election,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “We welcome
the support of Chris and his team and look forward to the backing of a unified Republican party and help from voters from all parties.”
Jimino’s longtime deputy, Meyer received the endorsement of the county Republican Committee, but McLaughlin had stronger name recognition among voters after serving seven years in the state Assembly, often as an outspoken critic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The campaign featured a court fight over Meyer’s endorsement by the county’s Independence Party and the release of a taped conversation in which McLaughlin was accused of abusing a female staff member and was capped by a televised debate at which Meyer touted his experience as Jimino’s right- hand man and his in- depth experience working on a host of county issues, while McLaughlin focused on bringing fresh ideas to county government after 16 years of the same policies.
The two also squared off Sept. 12 for the Conservative Party line on a general election ballot that will also include Democrat Andrea Smyth and Green Party hopeful Wayne Foy. In that primary, McLaughlin held a 537- 503 lead with 73 of 74 precincts reporting.