POUGHKEEPSIE – State Senator Sue Serino (R, Hyde Park) launched her re-election bid on Thursday night with the assistance of many notable figures including Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro, Dutchess County GOP Chairman Mike McCormack, and Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison.
Serino is being challenged by Democrat Karen Smythe in the November election.
Calling Serino “The firewall between the craziness of Albany and common sense,” McCormack addressed the crowd of more than 150 people gathered at the event sponsored by the Federation of Republican Women of Dutchess County and said that they need to work hard to send Serino back to Albany for another two years.
Before the senator took to the podium, Molinaro and Rolison also took a few minutes to show their support for their candidate. Rolison said “The City of Poughkeepsie isn’t what it was four years ago. We are seeing a resurgence and people are coming back to Poughkeepsie because Sue Serino has been there to help us. Sue has secured a substantial amount of state funding for us, including money used to purchase new police vehicles, adding “Sue understands public safety.”
Molinaro took the mic saying “Sue is fierce when fighting for the things she believes in.” Molinaro served in the Assembly and called the Senate “The place where bad laws go to die – until now.” Referencing the Democratic takeover of the upper house, Molinaro noted that the new Senate has cast victims of domestic violence aside and marginalized law enforcement in a rush to pass bad law, the bail reform package. Molinaro also cited Serino’s repeated efforts to restore funding for Vet2Vet programs that Governor Cuomo repeatedly leaves out of his executive budget.
“Albany has put public safety in jeopardy,” said Serino after taking to the podium. “I want to continue to be the voice for the district. The Democrats in Albany keep raising taxes and are forcing people to leave the state in droves. I will continue to fight those fights!”
The Senator, in office since 2015 touted her work on tick-borne diseases, opioid abuse, and funding for veteran programming as her biggest passions. “I want to make New York a place where people want to live – not leave.” On her record of veteran assistance, Serino said “Vet2Vet is a quality of life issue for veterans, and, in a lot of instances, their lives. Twenty-two veterans commit suicide daily and for him (Governor Cuomo) not to put that funding in the executive budget and making our veterans schlep up to Albany to fight for something they deserve is absurd.”
Fishkill Town Councilman Ori Brachfeld said he is “proud of her voting record and her work on behalf of veterans is second to none. She has represented her district, including the town I serve, very well.”
Teri Egitto, chairwoman of the host group said that “Sue fights for everything we believe in, especially the need to fix the bail reform laws and continued funding for the Vet2Vet program. She’s fighting the stupidity in Albany – she’s a regular person!”
