County Legislator Sandy Gordon next Tuesday is facing in the toughest primary challenge of his life. This race offers a stark contrast between two candidates in one of the most important primary fights this year.

Sandy has been a vibrant representive the towns of Berne, Knox, and Rensselaerville in the County Legislature over the past decade. He has truly been a progressive represent who has done many great things for our county.

A life-long democrat, he purchased many acres of land on the windy hills of Knox to run a small-scale grass fed beef cattle operation. His farm is in one of the nicest parts of the county, with meadows overlooking distant hills and mountains.

It's also an area with a lot of potential that Sandy has done a lot of work towards tapping. He authored the county's first Right to Farm Law and extended it to smaller farms. He help lead the fight to get a slaughterhouse to Voorhesville and keep the USDA Service Center from leaving our county. He also is been a strong proponent of Bill McKibbean's idea of a 100 Mile Diet and sustainable local agriculture. He sponsored legislation promoting a local farm tour route. He understands it in a way only a small farmer can, and as such has been an effective advocate for the hundreds of small farms in our county.

Sandy has been working with a number of farmers in the area to develop the concept of farmer-owned wind cooperatives. This new concept, at least to New York State, would pool together resources of local farmers plus that of green-energy venture capitalists to build wind turbines. More on this at helderbergwind.org. Eventually, he hopes that our county will be a mecca for wind energy projects.

His record of legislative accomplishments are long. He has been a strong supporter of unions, rehabilitation of criminals, and a variety of environmental causes. He helped get land added to the Albany Pine Bush preserve, along with many other parcels preserved through the Hudson-Mohawk Land Trust.

This is the kind of person we want for a County Legislator. A legislator who speaks for his people, and supports strongly progressive causes. One who has been a lifelong Democrat and is committed to his party unlike his opponent who has been a Republican for more then 8 years now.

See Also the following Hayseeds: What Has Sandy Gordon Done for Us?, Kevin Crosier to Challenge Sandy Gordon, Sandy Gordon and Renewable Energy, and a series of posts on Times Union Article: Hilltowns Plain and Simple. The Altamont Enterprise also wrote a excellent article on Sandy called Crosier to contest Gordon for county seat. If you have access to the Times Union Archives, at a look at an article from March 7, 2004 called Hilltowns Plain and Simple. More on his wind energy efforts at Helderberg Wind.