Campaign Countdown: Candidates for New York’s 115th Assembly District
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) - We are taking a look at the candidates in the race to represent New York’s North Country in the state’s 115th Assembly District, which is comprised of Clinton and Franklin counties and part of Essex County.
On the ballot is incumbent Democratic Assemblyman Billy Jones running for reelection. His challenger is Stephen Chilton, who says change is desperately needed within the state’s government.
“I think that people have gained a certain kind of trust in me in the last five to six years,” Jones said.
Assemblyman Jones was elected to serve the district in 2016. He was previously a Franklin County legislator, mayor of the village of Chateaugay and a correctional officer.
He says the biggest part of the job is to listen.
“The person is calling or emailing or stopping us on the street. To them, in that moment, on that day it’s the biggest issue in their lives,” Jones said.
Some of the issues he hears about on those stops or calls are things like inflation.
“I think it’s at the top of most people’s minds,” Jones said.
People also raise concerns about the rise in crime rates and the need for better broadband. He also hears concerns about offering the best education, recreation and child care for the children of the district.
Plus the region is still trying to recover from COVID and facing staffing shortages in nearly all industries.
“Everywhere I go, it doesn’t matter where I am or what organization, business, anything to do with recruiting and retaining workers. It’s a major, major issue,” Jones said.
Jones says he tries to keep things bipartisan, working with state and federal partners regardless of party to achieve what’s best for the North Country.
“Politics doesn’t play into that, it really doesn’t, in anything we try to do,” he said.
“I’m interested in politics because I feel our politicians now don’t really represent people anymore,” said Stephen Chilton, the Republican on the ballot.
Chilton is a proud Ellenberg native. He is a husband and a father and has worked many jobs over the years in construction, health care and corrections.
For the last 21 years, he’s worked for UPS as a driver and says that gave him the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the district.
Chilton says he’s concerned about the state’s high taxes, high inflation, costs for medication and heating for people in the North Country.
“You know, living paycheck to paycheck, the government taking more and more, a record budget in New York state with less services,” Chilton said.
He says people are leaving and it’s because of the need for more good-paying jobs in the region.
Chilton also wants more investment in infrastructure in the North Country and says that bail reform and the HALT Act need to be repealed.
“It has made every community in New York state less safe, let’s be honest,” he said.
Chilton also takes aim at the state’s new gun legislation that limits where someone can carry a firearm as a violation of the Second Amendment.
“The Constitution has been around for many, many years. It’s been very successful for the American people and I want to stick to that document,” Chilton said.
Both Jones and Chilton say they plan to be out and about within the district over the next month to speak with voters.
To learn more about the candidates, you can visit their websites.
https://www.chiltonfornysassembly115.com/
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