On February 8, the Rensselaer County Minority Office filed a legislative resolution calling for Steve McLaughlin to resign from his position as Rensselaer County Executive.
In December, McLaughlin was indicted by a County grand jury with grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing, allegedly stealing $5,000 from his campaign account in 2017 and paying a former female member of his NYS Assembly staff.
While McLaughlin continues to claim his innocence and his defense attorney Ben Hill is preparing a motion to dismiss the indictment for a lack of sufficient evidence, the State Attorney General’s Office told Rensselaer County Court Judge Jennifer Sober that the Attorney General’s case is ready for trial.
Minority Leader Peter Grimm stated, “Steve McLaughlin has violated the public’s trust and confidence in his ability to execute the responsibilities of the office he has been elected to serve. For far too long, Rensselaer County residents have endured elections and County governance rife with complaints and allegations. McLaughlin should do the right thing and resign from his elected position immediately.”
County Legislator Nina Nichols stated, “We should have zero tolerance for criminal misconduct in Rensselaer County and demand sure and steady leadership from our officials. I hope my fellow Legislators will come together for the betterment of our County.”
Since the resolution was filed the morning of the Legislative meeting, it didn’t make it onto the February agenda. Rensselaer County Legislative Chairwoman Kelly Hoffman stated, “It was not considered to be placed on the agenda because it was late and in violation of the Open Meetings Law. Our agendas must be published at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, and the only late files permitted are those deemed urgent or an emergency. This was no emergency. That said, the minority can submit it for the March meeting.”
Other News
A resolution to oppose the New York State Climate Action Council’s potential ban of wood burning stoves passed 12 to 6. When asked about the 6 members of the Legislative Minority who opposed the resolution, Minority Leader Peter Grimm said, “The resolution was not supporting anything. There is no legislation to oppose. We felt it had no weight, purpose or meaning.”