Downstate Democrats wouldn’t — and shouldn’t — pick a Texas Republican to serve on the MTA. Why should an eight-term ex-congressman from New Jersey who leads an organization that lobbies before the Adirondack Park Agency Board and only recently registered to vote from his Adirondack camp be allowed to serve on the board of the APA?

That’s exactly what has happened with the appointment of Rush Holt Jr. to the APA Board. Between his lengthy record as a New Jersey Congressman and a blatant conflict of interest due to his role on the Adirondack Council, Mr. Holt had no business being appointed by his former Congressional colleague Gov. Hochul nor being confirmed by the Senate.

Section 803 of the Adirondack Park Agency Act dictates that the five members of the board be full-time residents within the Adirondack Park. The governor and progressive interests will use the fact that Mr. Holt changed his voting registration from New Jersey to Clinton County in 2020 and that he owns a camp in the region as proof of residency. But ask any of the hardworking men and women who live inside the Adirondack Park and they’ll tell you that a summer home makes you a visitor, not a resident with a true, personal investment in our communities.

And they’re right to question that investment. Mr. Holt, in addition to 16 years as a reliable Democrat vote as a New Jersey Congressman, is currently on the Board of Directors for the Adirondack Council. This should have been immediately disqualifying, as the Adirondack Council is an environmental lobbying organization that appears before the APA on numerous issues. Selecting one of its board to serve on the APA calls into question the integrity of the board and casts doubt on the fairness of its decision-making process.

There are 6 million acres and more than 100,000 people living in the Adirondack Park region. Finding an actual full-time resident with experience and the insights needed to balance both environmental issues and economic realities inside the blue line isn’t hard.

Instead of pursuing that common-sense path, Senate Democrats and the governor opted for the opposite.

So to answer the rhetorical question at the beginning of this editorial, why pick the highly conflicted Rush Holt?

The answer to that is simple: because he’s a handpicked vote for their hyper-progressive agenda, one that reflects their politics and not the upbringing, values and lifestyle of the Adirondack Park region.

And what’s next, making Mr. Holt the chairperson of the Board?

State Senators Dan Stec and Mark Walczyk