Weeks after announcing he would not be seeking reelection to the Town Board, Jeffrey Kuhn has made known his intention to run for Albany County Legislature with three other Bethlehem Democrats.
The official announcement was made on Thursday, April 1. Bethlehem Councilman Bill Reinhardt will also run, along with incumbent Legislator Charles Dawson and Bethlehem Democratic Committee member Matthew Miller. Reinhardt intends to step down from his position as town board member should he win the upcoming county seat.
“Over the past 18 months or so, I’ve become increasingly concerned with the direction and some of the decisions I’ve seen be made at the County Legislature,” said Kuhn. “It seems important for me to run, given structural reforms are going nowhere and the body is constantly playing politics and protecting incumbents.”
There are nine county seats that contain some part of Bethlehem, but four of those contain a majority of voters in the town and those seats were the ones announced. Reinhardt intends to run for the 33rd district seat now held by Democrat Herbert Reilly, Kuhn for the 34th district seat now held by Democrat Tom Cotrofeld Jr. and Miller for the 36th district seat now held Republican Richard Mendick. Dawson has been a member of the county legislature since 1999 and holds the 35th district seat.
The Democratic candidates said they took issue with recent problems with redistricting in that the last three times new district lines were drawn, it violated the federal Voting Rights Act and the rights of minority voters. Kuhn called the actions “classic gerrymandering.” There was a proposal late last year to settle the lawsuit with a fifth majority-minority district. The legislative leaders then tried to insert a provision to delay the upcoming election to 2016.
There were also concerns the recommendations made in a recent report by the county Charter Review Commission were ignored in order to protect incumbents. Some suggestions included reducing the size of the legislature, creating a bi-partisan or non-partisan redistricting commission, and turning some positions, like the county coroner, into an appointed position of a licensed physician.
“These suggestions made a lot of sense to me and a vast majority of voters,” said Kuhn. “In the legislature, they went nowhere. We’re afraid the leadership is worried about preserving the status quo and preserving their political power, instead of legislating and effectively running the county in the interest of the people.”
Kuhn and Reinhardt said Bethlehem faced some of the same issues when they became involved in town government several years ago. Now that the town is in better shape, they feel some of the same approaches can be used at the county level.
In a news release, Dawson claimed to be fighting for the passage of some of the reforms, but that he needed help. “We need more progressive voices like Jeff, Bill and Matt if we want anything to move forward,” he said.
Reinhardt said one reason he sought to run was because he found a lot of the efficiency and sustainability initiatives he began at the town often work better if put into place at a larger scale. The county will soon need to take up issues like recycling of organic waste, which will be required in the next several years. Reinhardt is also active in the Solorized Albany campaign, which seeks to increase the use of solar energy throughout the county.
“We have had success in Bethlehem in these areas, (and) can have more when partnering with other municipalities,” said Reinhardt. “I feel with my background, I can help other municipalities achieve greater success and achieve more. I don’t look at it as leaving the town, but needing regional solutions and strategies.”
Kuhn said he hopes a more progressive voice will help to push forward changes and get others more involved in their county government.
“As someone concerned about the direction of this county, this dysfunctional government is holding back the county from achieving its full potential,” said Kuhn. “We’re competing against other municipalities for funding and development, and we’re at a disadvantage by playing political games. It’s for all those reason I decided to run.”