Schumer visits all 62 NY counties for 19th straight year
Photo by Tom Rivers: U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer shakes hands with Mike Waterhouse, the Orleans County’s sports fishing promotion coordinator, during a stop in Kendall on Oct. 9. Schumer highlighted a push for federal funds for infrastructure updates that will improve Great Lakes fisheries and restore habitats through the Great Lakes Aquatic Connectivity and Infrastructure Program Act.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer had an increased profile in the nation’s capital this year as Senate Minority leader, but that didn’t stop him from making stops at all 62 counties in New York State.
Schumer completed that goal for the 19th straight year. This was his first as leader of Senate Democrats. He succeeded Harry Reid.
Schumer said he is the only state-wide elected official to visit each county every year he has been in office.
“One of the very first promises I made in 1998 when I ran for the United States Senate was to visit all 62 counties in my first year in office,” Schumer said. “This is a tradition that I have continued every single year because of how much I learn, not to mention how much I enjoy doing it.”
Schumer was in Orleans County on Oct. 9 when he stopped at the Bald Eagle Marina in Kendall to highlight the Great Lakes Aquatic Connectivity and Infrastructure Program Act, which would provide federal funds for infrastructure updates that will improve Great Lakes fisheries and restore habitats. The bill would provide grants to repair or replace aging dams, culverts and roads that inhibit the movement of fish populations across the Great Lakes Basin. Additionally, the bill creates a grant program that would fund infrastructure projects to help improve fisheries.
In 2016, Schumer was in Holley on Veterans Day. He has been in the county annually for nearly two decades, often to discuss agricultural issues and the clean up of the former Diaz Chemical site in Holley.
In a list of accomplishments for Upstate New York this past year, Schumer noted the eight “Diaz homes” in Holley were finally sold after being under control of the federal Environmental Protection Agency for more than a decade. The previous owners of those houses feared they had been contaminated by a chemical leak at Diaz Chemical. The EPA had the houses cleaned and assured the public the houses were safe.
Schumer said he intends to keep his streak going in 2018.
“Almost 19 years later, now as the Senate Minority Leader, a position with great responsibility, my mantra is clearer than ever: ‘Senators who stay in Washington and never return home are simply not doing their job,’” Schumer said. “That’s why I go to the street fairs, parades, graduations and all kinds of public events. Whether I’m in Allegany County or Franklin County, I’m always mixing and mingling with my constituents.”
