Steven McLaughlin

Steven McLaughlin
County Executive of Rensselaer County
Assumed office
January 1, 2018
Preceded by Kathleen M. Jimino
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 107th district
In office
January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2017
Preceded by Timothy Gordon
Succeeded by Jacob Ashby
Personal details
Born (1963-10-04) October 4, 1963
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Divorced
Children 2
Alma mater Xaverian Brothers High School
Florida Institute of Technology
Arizona State University
Empire State College
University of Phoenix
Website Government website

Steven Francis "Steve" McLaughlin (born October 4, 1963)[1] is an American banker and politician. He was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly from 2011 to 2017 representing the 107th Assembly District, which includes parts of Albany, Columbia, Greene and Rensselaer counties in the Capital Region.[2] In November 2017, McLaughlin was elected to the position of Rensselaer County Executive.

Early life and education

McLaughlin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the third of four children of Arthur and Winifred McLaughlin. He was raised in Wrentham, Massachusetts, attending public elementary school and Xaverian Brothers High School.[3]

He attended the Florida Institute of Technology and received commercial and instrument aircraft ratings. He then studied finance at Arizona State University. He earned a B.A. degree from Empire State College (State University of New York) and an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.[3]

Career

McLaughlin started in aviation flying for Mall Airways and Brockway Air. He was also a corporate pilot for KeyBank. He then flew for America West Airlines and US Airways until being laid off after the September 11 attacks. During his career as a commercial pilot, he compiled over 12,000 hours of flight time.[3] He then entered the banking industry with a position at Citizens Bank. As of 2010, he was a business banking officer with a local bank.[3]

McLaughlin was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 2, 2010, when he defeated incumbent Timothy P. Gordon.[4] McLaughlin had previously run against Gordon in 2008, but had not prevailed.[5] McLaughlin was re-elected to the Assembly in 2012, 2014, and 2016.

McLaughlin ran for Rensselaer County Executive in 2017, following the retirement of longtime County Executive Kathy Jimino.[6] After defeating Deputy County Executive Christopher Meyer in a contentious Republican primary,[7] McLaughlin narrowly prevailed over Democrat Andrea Smyth in the general election.[8]

McLaughlin is often seen on social media ending his statements with "Drain the Swamp", a colloquialism made popular in the 2016 election cycle by Donald Trump.

Personal life

McLaughlin resides in Melrose, New York, which is located in the Town of Schaghticoke.[2] He has two sons, Danny and Sean.[3]

Controversies

In 2013 McLaughlin compared New York governor Andrew Cuomo to Adolf Hitler, Mussolini, and Putin, criticizing the latter's gun control policies. McLaughlin later apologized for making the comparison.[9]

In September 2017, the Albany Times Union released an audio recording of an argument between McLaughlin and a female member of his staff in which he said, "'You’re still fat. You are. Not attractive — and you’re a (expletive) awful human being.'"[10]

In November 2017, McLaughlin stated that the Times Union was a "worthless rag" and "fake news." McLaughlin said that if elected, he would refuse to ever talk to the paper again.[11]

On November 29, 2017, McLaughlin was sanctioned by the Speaker of the Assembly for allegedly asking an Assembly staffer for nude photos and lying to investigators after the staffer came forward.[12][13]

References

  1. ↑ "Legislative Preview: Meet The New Members". The Capitol. Manhattan Media. January 6, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Steven F. McLaughlin: Biography". New York State Assembly. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Election 2010 Profile: Steve McLaughlin". The Record. September 21, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  4. ↑ Dan Bazile (January 1, 2011). "GOP has new, veteran faces". WNYT-TV.
  5. ↑ Danielle Sanzone (2010-11-03). "VIDEO: Steve McLaughlin wins in close race for the 108th State Assembly District". www.troyrecord.com.
  6. ↑ Buonanno, Nicholas (August 12, 2017). "Assemblyman looks to be next Rensselaer County Executive". Troy Record. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  7. ↑ Crowe, Kenneth (September 18, 2017). "Meyer concedes Rensselaer County primaries to McLaughlin". Times Union. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  8. ↑ Crowe, Kenneth (November 14, 2017). "Smyth concedes to McLaughlin in county executive's contest". Times Union. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  9. ↑ Kaplan, Thomas (5 February 2013). "Cuomo Acted Like Hitler in Gun Push, Official Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  10. ↑ Lyons, Brendan (1 September 2017). "Aide accused state assemblyman of roughing her up". Times Union. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  11. ↑ Churchill, Chris (1 November 2017). "Steve McLaughlin calls the 'fake news' Times Union 'a useless rag'". Times Union. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  12. ↑ Campbell, Jon (29 November 2017). "Assemblyman sanctioned for seeking nude photos". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Lawmaker's punishment for sex harassment claims: No more interns". New York Post. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
New York Assembly
Preceded by
Timothy Gordon		 Member of the New York Assembly
from the 107th district
2011–2017		 Succeeded by
Vacant
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