New York state Sen. Joe Robach will not run for re-election, he announced Wednesday morning.
Robach, a Republican, who switched parties from being a Democrat in 2002, has been in the Senate since 2003.
This is Robach’s statement:
“It has been an honor and privilege to represent Rochester and Monroe County in the state Senate and state Assembly. I have had the opportunity to accomplish much, meet many great people and assist thousands of residents in our community throughout my tenure in elected office. However, I, like many others, am now suffering from the divisive New York City politics that have engulfed everything in the State Capitol. This has impacted my decision not to seek re-election.
I have always made my service to be of purpose and have spent my entire career ensuring that Monroe County, Rochester and upstate has a strong voice in state government. It is imperative that any Senate representative from our region, regardless of political affiliation, be willing to stand up to the New York City power brokers that now control our state capitol, and put our region and people first. I hope that my performance has reflected my deep appreciation for the opportunity to serve in elected office and the continued support I have received from the community that I love.”
Speaking Wednesday from his office in Greece, Robach said the environment in Albany has changed, with one-party control and what he called a very radical far-left agenda taking over Albany and doing many things that his constituents tell him they don't like.
“I've always been of purpose, not of title,” he said. “I want to deliver and get things done here. When they make it harder, it's difficult."
He said when Republicans were in the majority, they were able to negotiate and accomplish things, because there was equal leverage with Democrats in control of the Assembly.
“But certainly -- and that's why I am not seeking re-election -- that ability is not there today,” he said. “We have all one-party control that seems to be racing to the radical left as fast as it can."
Robach said it's important that whoever represents this region stands up to the downstate politics that have engulfed Albany.
The 56th district includes the towns of Brighton, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Parma and parts of the city of Rochester.
There are already three Democrats interested in running for the seat, including Jeremy Cooney, who ran for the seat last year; Hilda Rosario Escher, the former longtime leader of the Ibero-American Action League; and Sherita Traywick, a Greece Board of Education member. Traywick is a former aide to state Sen. Rick Dollinger, and officially kicks off her campaign Wednesday afternoon.
Senate Republican Leader John Flanagan thanked Robach for his many years of service, saying Robach has been a good friend and colleague.
“The people of Rochester, I think, are going to really miss him tremendously,” Flanagan said. “He’s been an outstanding public servant.”
Flanagan, speaking to reporters at the State Capitol, said he’ll “aggressively recruit candidates” to run for the seat.
Robach joins six other Republican senators who have left or announced they are leaving since the GOP lost the majority in that house in November 2018.
State Sen. Rich Funke, a Republican who represents the 55th Senate District, has not yet said whether he will run for a fourth term next year.
But he did release a statement Wednesday praising Robach, which said in part that, “Next year, Rochester will lose one of its greatest champions.” Funke said that, “In an era of hyper-partisanship, Joe Robach was a glaring exception. He would work with anyone if it meant helping the region he loved.”
