Assembly candidate Brian Maher reached the 100 mile mark Wednesday, during his bike tour of the newly created 101st District, when he arrived in the Delaware County town of Bovina.
Maher, who began his bike journey on Monday, April 30th with a send off from the Orange County village of Maybrook is on a tour of the district he will be running in this fall. Maher stated on Monday that he felt a bike tour would be the best way to become acquainted with the large, seven county district. The brand new district, created under the recent redistricting, links diverse communities who have never been connected in such a way.
Maher stated Wednesday that the trip has so far exceeded his expectations. “In the past three days I have met fellow New Yorkers of all walks of life. I have had the privilege to enter people’s homes and small businesses. I have heard first hand the many stories these individuals have had to tell. While many have said that they are disappointed in the direction of our state, in the end, they are proud and dedicated New Yorkers who are trying to make a go of it here.”
Brian Maher in Bovina
Maher continued, “Meeting people face to face has allowed me to get an even better grasp of the issues residents of this district are dealing with every day. I have promised them that I will not forget their stories and if they give me the honor to represent them in Albany; I will fight each day on their behalf.”
Along the way, Maher has also had the opportunity to meet with several local elected leaders to get a better understanding of the issues many of these towns will be facing in the next year. Maher saw first hand that many of these towns; especially Neversink in Sullivan County, felt the wrath of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Maher stated, “I have assured local leaders that, if elected, I will fight tooth and nail for our fair share of recovery funds.” Maher, as Mayor of Walden, was also able to relate with many of the struggles these community leaders are facing on budgetary matters, and increased mandate burdens from Albany. “As I have stated before, the 2% tax cap was just the first step in getting local taxes and spending under control”. Maher continued, “The next step is true mandate reform to lessen the burden these local officials face in creating fiscally conservative budgets.
Maher spent remainder of Wednesday meeting with residents of the Village of Delhi, students at the SUNY Delhi campus and spent time in the Town of Meredith.
On Thursday morning, he departed for Day 4 of his journey which will take him through much of the Otsego County portion of the district.
After Otsego County, Maher’s journey will then take him onward to Herkimer County and conclude with a rally on Sunday in Oneida County.
To follow Maher on his tour of the 101st District and read daily blog entries of his experiences, please visit www.mahertolabany.com. There is a link available on the main page that will directly take you to a dedicated bike tour page. Maher’s campaign is actively utilizing new media such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Instagram during the tour
Assembly candidate Maher also welcomes the opportunity to meet individually with any members of the media, local elected officials or the public during his journey. Arrangements can be made by contacting Mike Scheels at 845.537.5152.
The 101st District includes portions of Orange, Ulster, Sullivan, Delaware, Otsego, Herkimer and Oneida Counties.