Another candidate announces bid for Assembly seat
TROY, N.Y. » A second Democratic candidate recently announced her candidacy for state Assembly.
The Columbia County Democratic Committee recently endorsed candidate Tistrya Houghtling in her bid for the 107th Assembly District seat in November.
The 107th district covers parts of Rensselaer, Columbia and Washington counties. The seat is currently held by Republican Jake Ashby, who beat out Democrat Cindy Doran in a special election in April. Ashby will need to run for the seat again this November.
Houghtling, a New Lebanon native, now serves as New Lebanon’s elected town clerk. She grad-
uated as valedictorian from the New Lebanon Junior - Senior High School in 1997. After attending the University of Rochester, Houghtling built a career as a music festival organizer, a news release said. Houghtling moved back to her hometown in 2010 to raise her family. Called to public service, Houghtling served as the deputy court clerk in the New Lebanon Town Court from 2010–11, when she was promoted to court clerk. After five years of service in the Court, Houghtling ran a successful campaign for town clerk. With votes from voters across all party lines, she won a contested race by a 13 percent margin.
According to a news release, as town clerk, Houghtling’s innovations have included transparent online communication of town business, creation of programs for local families in crisis, and multiple clean energy initiatives.
Keith Kanaga, chair of the Columbia County Democratic Committee, said, “Tistrya brings a wealth of public service and community experience. Her run for higher office is a natural extension of the terrific work she’s done for the town of New Lebanon. Tistrya is concerned about jobs, clean water, helping our neighbors – making our hometowns better places for us all. We believe she’s a candidate who will understand and serve all the residents of the 107th district, and we are proud to endorse her.”
“Tistrya Houghtling is an ideal choice to represent the people of the 107th Assembly District. As a dedicated public servant and mother of three, Tistrya understands the issues important to our commu- nities and will work tirelessly for all the people of this district. I am proud to endorse her candidacy and will work to see her elected in November,” added Rensselaer County Democratic Committee Chairman Mike Monescalchi.
Houghtling has also received the endorsement of the Working Families Party.
Phil Markham, Rennselaer County chair for the Working Families Party, said: “I’m proud to endorse Working Families-Democratic Party candidate, Tistrya Houghtling, for New York Assembly. When anybody meets Tistrya, they immediately rec- ognize how genuine and honest she is, and that her views on the issues important to residents of the district are informed by her own lived experience and compassion, merged with intelligence and practicality. We couldn’t have found a better person to represent the interests and values of the hardworking people of Rensselaer County.”
Voters can learn more about Houghtling and her campaign by following her on social media (www.facebook.com/tistryaforassembly, www.instagram.com/tistryaforassembly, www.twitter.com/ForTistrya) or visiting her website (www. tistryaforassembly.com).
Houghtling will have campaign headquarters opening soon in Chatham, New Lebanon, and Troy, and will be announcing a kick- off event open to the public in the coming weeks.
Democrat Don Boyajian, a municipal and environmental lawyer and resident of the village of Cambridge, recently announced his run for the assembly seat as well.
The Assembly seat was vacated after Jan. 1, when former Republican Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin left the seat to become the Rensselaer County executive.