Senator Ritchie claimed 70 percent of the vote in unofficial tallies reported by local Boards of Elections. Senator Ritchie’s 60,758 votes were more than twice the 25,821 received by her opponent.

There are about 8,000 absentee ballots still waiting to be counted. Final results are expected in about two weeks.

“Voters responded to my record of bipartisanship and proven results. and heard my promise to keep working to reduce taxes and create jobs, to get New York moving on the right track,” Senator Ritchie said.

“I am so very grateful for the confidence and support voters continue to show, and for the opportunity to continue serving Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties in the State Senate.”

Two years ago, Senator Ritchie’s victory over a long-seated incumbent switched the Senate back to Republican conbtrol, after two disastrous years under New York City-dominated leadership.

Here are Senator Ritchie’s vote margins for each county in the 48th Senate District:

Jefferson 73%

St. Lawrence 76%

Oswego 65%

OSWEGO, NY – When Senator Patty Ritchie took office, she said she heard from a lot of people who had lost hope in state government.

“Many people thought Albany was broken, that taxes could only go up and that things could only get worse,” the Republican incumbent said. “But, in the past two years we have started to see a change – and that’s something that I’m proud to be a part of. Now, Democrats and Republicans are working together, and we’re getting real results.”

They have passed two on-time budgets, that have reined in out of control spending, she said, adding, “that’s the first time that’s happened in 30 years.”

They have also eliminated the deficit without any new taxes or borrowing, she continued.

“We have capped property taxes, saving residents of Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties millions of dollars.  The increase in school tax bills this year is the lowest we have ever seen. Also, in the past two budgets, hundreds of millions of dollars in mandate relief has been provided by repealing unnecessary mandates,” the senator said. “It’s changes like these that are making people realize that Albany is working again, and that we’re heading in the right direction towards getting our state back on track.”

She said she hopes to accomplish more in another term.

While there has been significant strides towards improving life in New York State, there’s still a lot more to be done, she pointed out.

“My top priority in my next term will be continuing to get people back to work. We have turned a corner, but there’s a lot more that needs to be done,” she said. “A big part of this is going to be cutting taxes.  I am in support of a tax credit for every new employee that a company hires.”

“Secondly, we need to cut red tape. There’s still far too much overregulation of business, affecting everyone from owners of mom and pop businesses to farmers,” she continued. “Third, we need to focus on innovation.  We have some of the best colleges and universities here in Central and Northern New York. We need to find ways to capitalize on these institutions to help entrepreneurs and business leaders.”

What can be done to improve the economy of NYS – and CNY specifically? Improving the economy of New York State and specifically Central New York relies on job creation, according to the senator.

“One of the biggest ways our state is helping to create jobs is through the Governor’s Regional Economic Development Council program, which I supported,” Ritchie said. “As a result of that effort, Central and Northern New York have received $200 million in job-creating grants and incentives that will help boost our region and its economy.”

To help continue to spur the economy, she said she’d continue to support this program, along with job-creating measures like tax cuts and cutting red tape. The senator said she would work to try and make this area more attractive to recent college grads and other young adults.

“It’s not just out of state and foreign students (that go to school here and then leave), many students that are native to our area have to leave the region to find work. To keep these people in the area, we need to forge new partnerships between private businesses and colleges to help get our workforce ready for highly skilled jobs in manufacturing and hi-tech,” Ritchie said. “By doing this and supporting job creation in the aforementioned ways, we can make our area a more appealing place for the youth to build their lives.”

It is not important whether the person you support has an r, D or X next to their name. What’s important is where they stand on issues that matter to you and what they can do to make the north country a better place to live, work and do business. Educate yourself about the candidates from as many different information sources as you can before casting your vote…

48th State Senate District: I am voting for Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton. I don’t always agree with Mrs. Ritchie, but there is no disputing she is a tireless advocate for the north country. She works very hard to represent the district, which includes St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Oswego Counties. She is extremely responsive to her constituents, and is accessible to them. Her emphasis on lowering taxes and helping businesses create jobs in the region is the attitude we need to succeed. She has a good relationship with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, which demonstrates that she doesn’t care as much about party politics as she does about getting things done for the people she represents. 

State Sen. Patty Ritchie is very deserving of our vote in the upcoming election. I have known Patty for a number of years and worked with her in the St. Lawrence County courthouse during her tenure as county clerk. She is an energetic, intelligent woman who accomplished a great deal as county clerk — such as opening satellite motor vehicle offices around the county and generating substantial revenue by getting auto dealerships downstate to send the county their motor vehicle registrations.

She has taken that same dedication to Albany and worked effectively on our behalf. As chairman of the River Valley Redevelopment Agency, I have witnessed firsthand her ability to work with the governor and other state legislators. Her efforts were instrumental in securing the power contract for 20 megawatts, which will be used for much-needed economic development in the north country.

Patty is an excellent advocate for this Senate district, and I look forward to working with her in the future. I hope you will join me in voting to re-elect Sen. Ritchie.

Robert McNeil

Lisbon

Now that the dust has settled since state Sen. Patty Ritchie and her fellow senators who represent the county came forward with their funding of $100,000 for our much-needed new “live burn simulator” structure, I would like to share with you some of the background behind the award. This award affects every single person living and working within the county, not just the 2,000-plus fire persons who benefit from the training this allows us to do.

On a day that no emergency response person will ever forget — Sept. 11, but in 2012, three people — St. Lawrence County Legislator Jon Putney, Bob Kerr and I as co-chairs of the fundraising effort met with Sen. Ritchie and her staff in her Ogdensburg office in the late afternoon. We were petitioning Sen. Ritchie for support of several grants Bob and I were working on for the project through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the New York Power Authority. After introductions, Sen. Ritchie said that she had heard of our project and our quest for federal and private funding and was pleased to lend her support through a letter she proceeded to hand to the three of us. This letter addressed the USDA Grant Application, and we requested a similar one for the NYPA grant.

Sen. Ritchie informed us that she was truly sorry but there were absolutely no member items or open non-earmarked state funding available for anything. We took a few minutes to give the history and background of the training center, where we came from, what we had achieved and why we had to acquire this new simulator. The senator listened and began to ask more questions. After about 40 minutes, the three of us thanked her for her time and left the meeting feeling that we had not totally struck out in gaining her support for the two grant proposals.

Time passed and the senator’s office called, seeking some hard data and saying there may be something in the works. Sen. Ritchie has definitely earned the support of every citizen in St. Lawrence County. Her goals to serve and protect the people who elect her have more than been fulfilled in this term. I for one strongly recommend you support her in her bid for re-election.

Dale W. Gardner

Canton

The writer is co-chair of the Fundraising Committee, St. Lawrence County Fire Training Facility, Inc.

Kelly’s Picks

On Tuesday, we all have a responsibility to vote for the man or women we fell can best serve our needs. Most everyone is enrolled in a political party, but informed individuals choose to cast a vote for the person they feel can best serve their district.

I like to think I am one of those people. For New York State Senate:

Re-elect Senator Patricia (Patty) Ritchie, who is completing her first term.

Senator Ritchie served as St. Lawrence County Clerk for about 11 years. In that position she proved that she was an excellent administrator. It was Mrs. Ritchie, with the support of competent Motor Vehicle (DMV) staff that came up with the excellent idea of the St. Lawrence County employees of doing vehicle registrations for New York City car and truck dealers. This year St. Lawrence County will receive about $1.7 million from that effort. County Clerk Mary Lou Rupp had the good sense to continue the program.

Senator Ritchie in her first term has demonstrated that she can effectively represent people on both sides of the political aisle. I don’t recall a North Country Republican or Democrat, crossing political lines to have a photo taken with the Governor of the opposite party, but I recently saw a photo of Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat and Senator Ritchie, a Republican. Not bad.

The Senator’s first term has been excellent; she has been very effective in her support of keeping jobs in the North Country.

A group representing a consortium of 214 police agencies and more than 25,000 members—including officers from Watertown, Ogdensburg, Carthage and the New York State Police—has endorsed Patty Ritchie for State Senate.

The highly regarded Police Conference of New York supports candidates that it says work on behalf of law enforcement officers and enhanced public safety.

“Men and women of law enforcement put themselves on the line every day to protect our safety, and I am proud to stand with them to enact laws that hold criminals accountable and make our communities safer,” Senator Ritchie said. “In my second term, I will keep fighting for jobs, to lower taxes and improve our economy, and to help keep our communities safe, and I am gratified by the support of law enforcement and hardworking New Yorkers from every walk of life who want to see continued progress and results.”

Senator Ritchie has sponsored and supported a number of bills to improve the public’s safety, including new laws to prevent domestic violence and crack down on sex predators and child pornography, and expansion of the state’s DNA database to help solve crimes.

Senator Ritchie is seeking a second term representing the 48th Senate District, which includes Oswego and Jefferson Counties, and part of St. Lawrence County.

The 48th Senate District sprawls across Oswego, Jefferson and part of St. Lawrence County — an area large enough to fit two-and-a-half Rhode Islands. The incumbent, Republican Sen. Patty Ritchie of Oswegatchie, is being challenged by Democrat Amy Tresidder, an Oswego County legislator from Oswego.

Two years ago, Ritchie wanted to go to Albany because she believed “the state was going in the wrong direction,” especially where it concerned taxes (too high) and regulations (too burdensome). The state’s dysfunctional government had become “a laughingstock across the country,” the former St. Lawrence County clerk said.

Now, Ritchie says, “I think we’ve turned a corner. The state is going in the right direction.” The Republican-controlled Senate worked with Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to enact a property tax cap, initiate pension reform and close budget deficits without raising taxes on the middle class.

Tresidder is running for the Senate because “I believe that people are fed up with government, fed up with political parties and their tug of war, and fed up with the role that money plays in politics.” As someone who grew up on a farm, she says she can relate to the challenges of dairy farmers in the district.

Tresidder’s bid to unseat the incumbent has been uphill, given the Republican enrollment advantage in the district and her opponent’s well-financed campaign.

On the issues, the candidates agree that wind power development should be a local decision, and both oppose a wind farm in Lake Ontario. They disagree on most everything else, from raising the minimum wage (Tresidder is for it; Ritchie initially was opposed, but now would attach conditions) to hydraulic fracturing (Ritchie wants to see what the state Department of Environmental Conservation decides; Tresidder opposes it outright).

While this page also disagrees with some of Ritchie’s positions (she voted against marriage equality, for example), we find no fault with the incumbent’s commitment to the job and to her constituents. Ritchie has been a visible, vocal and energetic legislator. She has earned a second term. 

Patty Ritchie has a strong history of advocacy for us here in the North Country. As St. Lawrence County (SLC) Clerk she led the 2010 fight to overturn Albany’s attempt to force motorists to purchase new license plates. She won that fight.

Downstate car dealers used to pay people to wait in long lines at DMV offices in the New York City region to process vehicle registrations Patty’s idea to contact downstate auto dealers and offer them the opportunity to get vehicle registrations processed in SLC in a very timely manner was innovative and smart. Her idea has brought millions of dollars into the county from downstate.

After Patty was elected as our New York Senator she went to Albany to work effectively for all of us. Her strong advocacy for the North Country continues as she represents constituents of the 48th Senate District.

A simple example of her proactive advocacy is the e-mail outreach she made today to thousands of her constituents concerning Hurricane Sandy. Her office was sure to send out the emergency contact numbers for Oswego, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence Counties as well as contact information for National Grid, the NYS Hurricane Sandy Helpline, and the NYS Alert system.

Patty will continue to work with both sides of the aisle and Governor Cuomo. Please re-elect Patty Ritchie to keep our great representation in Albany.

Nancy W. Foster, Louisville