Steven McLaughlin

Steven Francis "Steve" McLaughlin (born October 4, 1963)[1] is an American politician serving as County Executive of Rensselaer County, New York. A Republican, McLaughlin represented the 107th District in the New York State Assembly from 2011 to 2017; the district includes parts of Albany, Columbia, Greene and Rensselaer in New York's Capital Region.[2] McLaughlin was sanctioned for sexual harassment by the Speaker of the Assembly in 2017. He has maintained his innocence of the conduct of which he was accused. McLaughlin was elected Rensselaer County Executive in November 2017.

Steven McLaughlin
County Executive of Rensselaer County
Assumed office
January 1, 2018
Preceded byKathleen M. Jimino
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 107th district
In office
January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2017
Preceded byTimothy Gordon
Succeeded byJacob Ashby
Personal details
Born (1963-10-04) October 4, 1963
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Divorced
Children2
Alma materXaverian Brothers High School
Florida Institute of Technology
Arizona State University
Empire State College
University of Phoenix
WebsiteGovernment website

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 in 1983 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

Before entering politics, McLaughlin was an airline pilot and a banker.[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 was defeated.[5] McLaughlin was re-elected to the Assembly in 2012, 2014, and 2016.[6]

McLaughlin developed a reputation as an anti-establishment voice and an outspoken critic of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.[7] In 2013, McLaughlin criticized Cuomo's gun control policies and compared him to Adolf Hitler, Mussolini, and Putin. McLaughlin later apologized for making the comparison.[8]

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.'" The same staffer accused McLaughlin of physically assaulting her, but later recanted.[9]

In November 2017, McLaughlin stated that the Times Union was a "worthless rag" and "fake news." McLaughlin said that if elected Rensselaer County Executive, he would refuse to ever talk to the paper again.[10]

McLaughlin ran for Rensselaer County Executive in 2017 following the retirement of longtime County Executive Kathy Jimino.[11] After defeating Deputy County Executive Christopher Meyer in a contentious Republican primary,[12] McLaughlin narrowly prevailed over Democrat Andrea Smyth in the general election.[13]

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 reported him.[14][15] McLaughlin maintained his innocence.[16]

Mclaughlin was sworn in as Rensselaer County executive on January 1, 2018.[17]

In March 2019, Rich Crist--McLaughlin's top aide--was suspended without pay due to a pending criminal investigation into his campaign activities.[18]

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]

References
  1. "Legislative Preview: Meet The New Members". The Capitol. Manhattan Media. January 6, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  2. "Steven F. McLaughlin: Biography". New York State Assembly. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  3. "Election 2010 Profile: Steve McLaughlin". The Record. September 21, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  4. https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2010/general/2010AssemblyRecertified09122012.pdf 2010 Assembly Election Results, New York State Board of Elections
  5. Danielle Sanzone (2010-11-03). "VIDEO: Steve McLaughlin wins in close race for the 108th State Assembly District". www.troyrecord.com.
  6. "Assembly special elections too close to call | Hudson Valley 360". www.hudsonvalley360.com.
  7. Churchill, Chris (November 2, 2017). "Churchill: Steve McLaughlin calls the 'fake news' Times Union 'a useless rag'". Times Union.
  8. Kaplan, Thomas (5 February 2013). "Cuomo Acted Like Hitler in Gun Push, Official Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  9. Lyons, Brendan (1 September 2017). "Aide accused state assemblyman of roughing her up". Times Union. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  10. Churchill, Chris (1 November 2017). "Steve McLaughlin calls the 'fake news' Times Union 'a useless rag'". Times Union. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  11. Buonanno, Nicholas (August 12, 2017). "Assemblyman looks to be next Rensselaer County Executive". Troy Record. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  12. Crowe, Kenneth (September 18, 2017). "Meyer concedes Rensselaer County primaries to McLaughlin". Times Union. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  13. Crowe, Kenneth (November 14, 2017). "Smyth concedes to McLaughlin in county executive's contest". Times Union. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
  14. Campbell, Jon (29 November 2017). "Assemblyman sanctioned for seeking nude photos". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  15. "Lawmaker's punishment for sex harassment claims: No more interns". New York Post. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  16. "Assemblyman sanctioned for seeking nude photos". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
  17. "McLaughlin, assemblyman turns executive". WNYT NewsChannel 13. 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  18. "Rensselaer County suspends official under FBI probe - TimesUnion.com". www.timesunion.com. March 31, 2019.
New York State Assembly
Preceded by
Timothy Gordon		 Member of the New York Assembly
from the 107th district
2011–2017		 Succeeded by
Vacant
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