OPTIMISTIC SPEECH
County Executive McLaughlin gives virtual State of the County with chamber
Every January, the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a “State of the County” breakfast as a way for the business community to hear from the Rensselaer County executive.
With an ongoing pandemic, the chamber shifted this year to have Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin give a virtual speech on Zoom. Chamber officials said over 100 people tuned into the virtual event earlier this week.
McLaughlin delivered an optimistic, hopeful, and energetic State
of the County address, saying the county will meet the challenges presented by the pandemic and return to prosperity. The county executive noted the county’s history and heritage of innovation, industry, and ingenuity, and said those characteristics will again serve the county well during 2021.
“We have lived through a momentous and unpredictable time during the previous months of 2020,” he said. “When I spoke to you in January 2020 for my State of the County address to the chamber, we had no hint of what was to come during the ensuing months of what is now last year.
“Even today, we do not know the full effects of the events and turbulence
of 2020 as we enter a new year. It was a year of history, of heartbreak and here in our county, heroism. Despite the hard knocks of 2020, there is reason for optimism, and renewal in our belief of a bright and prosperous future for our great county.”
On that front, McLaughlin spoke to the “strength and resiliency” of the county during the pandemic.
When the county was unable to secure a test site, the county paid to establish an independent COVID-19 testing facility, the only county in the region to make such an investment. The facility has played a role in providing nearly 160,000 tests in the county, McLaughlin noted.
McLaughlin also pointed out the outstanding work of county government during the pandemic by the Health Department, county Aging Department and other departments. He also noted the important role vaccines will play in restoring the economy.
“The Health Department and Mary Fran [Wachunas] deserve special recognition and thanks. They have been on the frontlines battling the outbreak seven days a week since February. They have given so much over these difficult months to keep us safe, while essentially putting their own lives on hold. We owe them great thanks for their service. Their work during these difficult months represents the finest service our county can offer,” he said.
“We have seen major challenges before, and responded with excellence, innovation and ingenuity. That spirit is needed again in Rensselaer County,” McLaughlin added. “Today, I am calling on you, the leaders of our county in business, education, technology, government and agriculture to use your skills, talents, optimism and energy to restart and revitalize in 2021. Let’s return to our winning ways.”
McLaughlin went on to tout how all three of budgets have included tax decreases and been adopted unanimously. The county paved 50 miles of roads in 2020, a record, with the county paving over 105 miles during McLaughlin’s three years in office. The county’s bond rating has also been upgraded during McLaughlin’s tenure.
“Thanks to our team at county Highway and our paving partners, most of whom are based or centered in Rensselaer County for an outstanding job,” he said. “Fifty miles of road paving shows what can be accomplished in this county when there is a focus on results and positive outcomes.”
The county executive also highlighted the news that the Tri-City ValleyCats would be joining a new league as a way to remain a place for residents and others to enjoy affordable baseball.
“Last week, we got great news that the ValleyCats would be joining the Frontier League, which is the oldest currently operating independent league in the country,” he said. “Congratulations to everyone at the ValleyCats on landing this important designation.
“We look forward to a generation of future stars playing at the Joe, and I know many of you will be joining me to cheer on our hometown heroes and the stars of tomorrow.”
According to McLaughlin, the county has also seen historic job creation with the Amazon project in Schodack and the ongoing expansion at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in East Greenbush. Other projects in Troy and surrounding towns have also created new jobs and opportunity. The county has also seen encouraging returns on sales tax numbers in 2020, one year after leading the state in sales tax growth.
“Every day presents an opportunity. We believe we have made the best of the opportunities given to us in Rensselaer County, and improved on our foundation for growth, investment and job creation,” McLaughlin said. “As a county, we have also taken hard hits during 2020 but responded with courage, compassion, innovation and hard work. We can achieve great things and look forward to working with all of you to make 2021 an historic year of comebacks and new victories.”