Tim Merrick ran for State Senate in the 45th Senate district, which runs along most of Northeastern New York. He was defeated handily by incumbent State Senator Betty Little. I am not all that surprised that he was defeated, particularly in light of other State Senate and Assembly races in our state. Yet, he was a notable candidate.

I had originally planned to write this article as a follow-up to an earlier one. Yet, I got busy and it never happened. That said, I had notes on this subject and I felt it was important to think about it some more. My views on Merrick as a candidate changed as the race progressed.

The first time I met Tim Merrick I was under-impressed with him. He was short, and a bit eccentric to say the least. He may have been progressive but somehow he seemed out of place in both the Albany scene and the general populace of the North Country.

That said I started to warm up to him over time. He was a charismatic leader, open, and sympathetic to people’s concerns. He would be part of a Democratic State Senate majority that would finally get major pieces of legislation passed that had been bottled up for years. He also would give the North Country a face in the Democratic conference.

I have to agree with him that it’s time for a change. But I also have to wonder what would be the cost of losing the check of having Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno to go against Governor Eliot Spitzer and Shelly Silver in the Assembly. Who would be the Bruno in the new power majority, had the Democrats won the Senate.

For sure, Tim Merrick was not Brian Keeler, a truly great candidate for State Senate in the Hudson Valley. Yet, they both shared a great vision and where defeated by voters who really didn’t know who they were. Too many Democrats simply went with the status quo, not asking themselves whether or not it was time for a change in the rapidly aging the State Senate.