KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive Patrick Ryan delivered his farewell address to county residents in his role as the county’s leader on Wednesday. He will be sworn in as the congressman from New York’s 19th District next Tuesday.
Ryan, a West Point graduate and Iraqi war veteran, said that we must continue to find the “shared humanity” in our country.
“I believe that the democracy that has made our country so great and has made me so proud of our country that I was willing to risk my life to stand up and fight and defend for it, I believe that that democracy and those values are fragile and at great risk right now, and the only way that we can rescue and bring that back is to continue to be optimistic in the face of all the challenges and all the pressures and all the division and to deliver for people,” he said.
In his live Facebook farewell, Ryan recounted the many accomplishments in his administration, including jumpstarting a new life for the former Tech City property, continuing development of housing, reinvesting in mental health services, working through the pandemic and planning for a crisis stabilization center.
