By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
COEYMANS — After a drawn-out process to determine the winner of the Democratic primary in the 102nd Assembly District, Janet Tweed was named the Democratic candidate and will face off against incumbent Republican Assemblyman Chris Tague in November.
The 102nd Assembly District includes portions of Albany County, including Coeymans and Ravena, along with all of Greene and Schoharie counties and parts of Delaware, Otsego and Ulster counties.
The race between Tweed and Democrat Mary Finneran was close following the June primary and the results were not finalized until July, with just 83 votes separating the two candidates. Tweed won 1,779 votes to Finneran’s 1,696, for a margin of 49.47% to 47.16%.
Tweed is a trustee in the village of Delhi in Delaware County, where she has also served as a member of the Climate Smart Communities Task Force and the village’s finance, recreation/joint services and sewer committees. She is also a physical therapist and worked as a traveling in-home caregiver, and now works in a hospital setting, according to her website.
Tweed issued a statement following the July canvassing of absentee and provisional ballots in the primary.
“I love serving as a local elected official, making a difference and getting things done on behalf of my community,” Tweed wrote. “As a frontline health care worker, my goal is always to help my patients grow from surviving to thriving, and I have the same goal for our communities. We have incredible assets and resources here in upstate New York, and we have real challenges. We can overcome whatever obstacles we face, through collaborative, solutions-oriented leadership and collective action.”
Tweed will face off in November against incumbent Assemblyman Chris Tague, who has represented the 102nd Assembly District since 2018. Prior to being elected to the Assembly, Tague was the town supervisor in Schoharie and a former dairy farmer and quarry general manager.
Tague said affordability is one of the top issues in the 2024 election.
“We have people here in the 102nd Assembly District who can’t afford to put gas in their car, they can’t afford to put food on the table or shoes and clothes on their children’s backs,” Tague said. “The Democratic majority in Albany continues and continues to make policy that raises inflation and makes it tougher for New Yorkers to afford to live.”
Safety and security are the other key issues for Tague, including bail reform.
“The Democratic majority in Albany has passed terrible bail laws, they have talked about defunding the police, all these different issues,” Tague said. “I talked to senior citizens throughout the 102nd Assembly District and they are scared — they are scared for their own lives.”
Tweed could not be reached for comment at press time, but on her website points to health care, quality of life and sustainability as some of her top issues in the election.
“In Delaware County, where I live, women have to leave the county to have a baby. Greene County has no hospital at all,” she said on the health care issue. “We have an aging population, and access to urgent care, hospitals, rehab centers and home care are all critical infrastructure to allow seniors to age in place with dignity. There are solutions, and I have the experience and tenacity to see them achieved.”
Tweed said safe infrastructure is a key component when it comes to quality of life.
“That includes housing, transportation, water, sewer, electricity, broadband internet and education,” according to Tweed. “I will ensure that our district receives its fair share of state and federal dollars to maintain our infrastructure, and I will seek out grants to expand broadband throughout our rural district.”
Election Day will be Tuesday, Nov. 5.
