Birmingham Will Not Run for State Assembly

Putnam County Legislator Dan Birmingham has made it official. He is not a candidate for the New York State Assembly.

Birmingham, a Republican who was re-elected to his third three-year term in November, and previously served as Deputy County Executive in the early years of the Robert Bondi administration, admitted being flattered by “all the attention, support, and good wishes from family, friends, and constituents with respect to an assembly run.”

But in an interview with the Courier, Birmingham said it would be “shabby” of him to “tell the voters who sent me to Carmel to represent their interest, ‘thanks but no thanks.’”

Birmingham said he really looked forward to “working for the people of our county on the Putnam Legislature in the future. Many positives will take place within the next three years, including keeping taxes in check so that people can continue to live, work, and raise a family in this great community.”

Birmingham’s name had been mentioned in and out of political circles in the past few weeks when the current 99th District Assemblyman Greg Ball announced his intention of running for the Congressional seat now held by Democratic Representative John Hall.

Last month, Ball withdrew from the congressional race and announced his candidacy for the 40th District State Senate seat currently filled by long-time Senator Vincent Leibell. The assembly district covers Carmel, Southeast, and Patterson, as well as Pawling, North Salem, Somers, and Yorktown.

Now that Birmingham has taken himself out of the race, it’s anyone’s guess who might be the candidate to seek the GOP endorsement. Putnam’s Republican Party Chairman Anthony Scannapieco said he was “canvassing several candidates. When I know something, you’ll be the first to know!”