Democrat Madelyn C. Thorne of Schenectady will be running against incumbent Republican Senator Hugh T. Farley for the position of State Senator of the new District 49 in the general election on November 6.
Thorne, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, September 13, is also running on the Working Families Party line. She has three grown children and is married to Schenectady City Clerk, Chuck Thorne.
“The reason I am running for the Senate is that I am a middle class person and I work for a living. I go to work every single day and I feel as though I know our representatives are not working in the best interests of their constituents,” Thorne said.
“I feel it is time that citizen legislatures take control of the situation and address our problems and work to improve our situation,” she added.
Presently the Director of Pastoral Care at Glenville Nursing Home, Thorne is responsible for overseeing and caring for the emotional and spiritual needs of the residents and staff.
She previously had a career in the graphic arts and document management field, and has had experience on a number of Community Boards including the Advisory Council to the Schenectady County Department of Senior and Long Term Care Services.
She has also held positions on the board of The Umbrella of the Capital District and the Y-Knot Sailing Association, a sailing program for the disabled.
If elected, Thorne wishes to address the issue of the Medicare and Medicaid system in New York state with the intention of streaming the system back to make services available for everyone, as well as to simplify it.
She said that New York state currently carries too much of a financial burden which is passed onto municipalities, which she said “the counties are getting crushed by.”
She also hopes to refocus the economy on building jobs by removing the tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires, and refocusing that money into economic growth for areas that are struggling.
She said she would like to work with the Adirondack Park Agency to bring broadband and cellular service to the entire region, and to discuss ways in which opportunities can be created for people that will not devastate the environment.
“I was up in Indian Lake, and not only do they not have a hospital, but they don’t even have a grocery store anymore. So, everything gets to be a challenge. And at $4 a gallon for gasoline, having to drive down to Glens Falls for a medical appointment, or to drive 30 minutes to pick up some groceries-all of that is just such a burden on people. We need to get refocused on job growth,” she said.
Thorne, a breast cancer survivor, is in support of medical marijuana, and if elected, hopes to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour, protect the Marriage Equality Act, and will work to create cooperative coalitions and alliances throughout the 49th District.
