Carman elected minority leader

Lee Carman

GUILDERLAND — Lee Carman, a Republican and Guilderland resident currently serving his third term in the 29th District of the Albany County Legislature, has been elected as the new minority leader of the legislature.

“I hope to keep our caucus and fight for the constituents to do what’s best in Albany County,” Carman told The Enterprise. “I think, in this day and age, it is important to work with the majority leader for the good of the county.”

Carman said he was looking forward to working with Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, a Democrat, and the Democratic majority, which vastly outnumbers the Republicans in the 39-member body. 

Christine Benedict, the former minority leader, stepped down from the position on Dec. 16, and Carman was elected by the minority conference. He had served as the deputy minor leader for two years under Benedict.

Carman, a graduate of Clarkson University, is the senior vice president of lending for Kinderhook Bank, and has served as the past chairman of the Guilderland Republican Party. He made a close, but unsuccessful, run for Guilderland Town Board in the fall.

 Benedict, who will continue to represent Colonie in the county legislature, said she stepped down from the leadership role, a post she has held for nine years, because she wants to focus on the problems facing her district.

“I knew Lee was very capable,” said Benedict, “and I decided to put my time and energy elsewhere.”

More Guilderland News

  • The $8.9 million project to replace the 95-year-old bridge began on March 17 with Winn Construction clearing trees and grading, moving earth to reconfigure the slope near the entrance to Guilderland’s Tawasentha Park.

  • The name Helderberg Indivisible was chosen, Porter said, because people from Berne and Knox are among the protesters who come to Altamont, at the foot of the Helderbergs, for the weekly rally. She estimated “maybe 50” people belong to the group.

  • Following a town board discussion about turning an old landfill property on Kenyon Road in Rensselaerville into a memorial park, The Enterprise found out through the state Department of Environmental Conservation that, while the town legally closed the landfill many decades ago, the state has yet to determine that it was not adversely affecting water quality in the area. 

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