HILLTOWNS — A life-long Republican and Hilltown native, Travis Stevens will run against the odds in the Democrat-dominated 39th District of the Albany County Legislature. He is making his first run for public office.
"I just felt it was my time. You hit a certain age in your life when you feel like you can do things to better society and yourself," said Stevens. He said he feels right now that he’s a good representative of what the Hilltowns are.
In November, Travis will face off against the winner of the Democratic primary — Berne’s supervisor Kevin Crosier or long-time county legislator Alexander "Sandy" Gordon.

At 32, Stevens recently finished constructing his home in Knox, where he plans to stay.
"I was born and raised here so my values are what the Hilltowns have always been," he said.

During the work week, Stevens commutes to Albany for his job as a senior engineer for the state’s Office of General Services. He works in a division of utilities management that maintains high-voltage electricity and utilities.

In his spare time, he volunteers as a firefighter for the Knox Volunteer Fire Company.

After graduating from the State University of New York Maritime College in the Bronx, he worked on merchant ships.
"I did that for a little while, and then came home. My father needed some help," he said. His father, Robert Stevens, owns and operates Marshall Stevens, a heating and oil company started by Stevens’s grandfather.
"He needed my help, and my help for a week turned into seven years," Stevens said.

Always enrolled in the Republican Party, Stevens is not intimidated about running for a seat in a Democrat-dominated district. The ratio of Democrats to Republicans is nearly 2.5 to 1.
"I’ve been an underdog my whole life," he said. "I’m always up for a challenge. I’ll make this an enjoyable experience and hope for the best."

Stevens said he enjoys getting out and meeting people and would like to represent them. He has already been making door-to-door visits to residents.
"We’ve had very favorable reactions from everyone," he said. "It’s going to be a fun time." Stevens also created a website for his campaign.

According to Kenneth Szesnatt of the Albany Board of Elections, the party enrollment in the 39th District breaks down like this:

— Republican: 1,072

— Democrat: 2,588

— Independent: 246

— Conservative: 164

— Working Families: 12

— Green: 24

— Not enrolled: 1,246.

The issues

A regular attendee at Knox Town Board meetings, Stevens has also been attending Berne and Rensselaerville town meetings this year.
In Rensselaerville, public outcry following the escape of a youth in November from the Cass Residential Center led to the town board voting unanimously for the all-male juvenile detention facility to close. Alexander "Sandy" Gordon, who currently represents the 39th District, spoke up for the usefullness of the facility, provoking residents’ ire. (The state has since announced it will close Cass permanently; no youths are housed there now.)
"I believe the citizens reacted in a way they felt appropriate," Stevens said. "I think the town board did the right thing, as far as supporting the citizens, and that’s what I, as a county legislator, want to do."
Stevens said he wants to "help support the town boards support the citizens of the communities they are representing.
"That would be my ultimate goal because I believe a lot of times in Albany"the Hilltowns don’t get that support," he said. "A lot of times, this area is just forgotten about."

The town boards of the three towns, he said, would be the Hilltown voices that guide him, and he would then take their input to the county. His attending town board meetings is a great way for the town boards to access their representative. Stevens said he plans to keep himself available to the boards and attend meetings to understand and hear the issues of the towns.
"I’ll be accessible to everyone," he said.
Albany County is going to have some "big issues," he said, which include taxes, senior housing, and the proposed civic center in downtown Albany.
"All these directly affect us — not necessarily that it would be built in our area, but it affects our taxes, and is it justified spending"" he asked.

The Hilltowns, he said, will also have their own issues, and he’ll support the Hilltown residents the best he can.

Those issues include alternative energy, merging highway departments, and Camp Cass. Knox discussed a municipally-owned commercial windmill last summer, and a meteorological tower is currently taking wind speed readings.

Stevens said he’d like to get more information about the town’s owning a commercial windmill. Gordon has pushed for use of alternative energy sources locally.
"I am not opposed to alternative energy sources. I think there’s a lot of options to look at — wind, solar," he said. "I think there needs to be more research and information dealt out. I look forward to being a part of that."

Last year, following an inter-municipal forum held by County Executive Michael Breslin, Berne officials discussed merging their highway department with the county. The concept, encouraged by Crosier, a Democrat who ran on the Republican ticket, was rejected by the council members, all Democrats.
"I don’t think we’ve seen all the information yet," Stevens said. "I don’t think all of the information has been clear as to what the state was looking for from different municipalities"What was becoming a proposed merger may have been just: What services could we share" Which I believe a lot of agencies already do and have been doing for many years," he said.
"Without that information, I don’t know where you’ll see tax savings. Taxes are a big deal and will continue to be a big deal"I’d like to see all the information so we can make an educated decision," Stevens said.

Crosier has also been a proponent of one community center serving all the Hilltowns in a centralized location, and has suggested combining other services, such as town courts.
"There are times when consolidation works", but there’s also times consolidation doesn’t," Stevens said. Different municipalities need to have control of their specific area because each town, county, and state, has its own needs, he said.
"Helping is a great thing. Being able to share is a great thing. You truly have to do what’s best for everyone, and not just a few, and I’m afraid, without all the information, decisions will be made that are only helping a select few and not the majority of the people," Stevens said.

Gordon has been a proponent of farmers’ rights. Stevens said he supports area farmers and will work to preserve open space.
"I believe they"fall into the quality-of-life issues that I’d like to preserve for our Hilltown area," he said. "I was a farm hand as a kid through high school in the summers"so I appreciate everything they do. Obviously, I enjoy this lifestyle. It’s where I was born and raised. It’s where I plan on staying. However, I would never tell somebody, ‘No house here,’" he said.
"If that were the case, how many people would not have a house here" You have to hope that the planning and zoning (boards) of the different"towns take everything into consideration and manage growth."