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Colton man runs for Senate

Kevin Beary submitted this sketch of himself to the Enterprise instead of a photo.

Another Republican has thrown his hat in the ring to compete for retiring state Sen. Betty Little’s New York 45th District seat.

Kevin Beary, a retired English teacher from Colton in St. Lawrence County, announced his candidacy Friday, detailing his desire to improve the district’s economic standing and his varied ideas to increase tourism.

Beary said he would not have ran against Little, R-Queensbury, who announced her retirement from the state Senate seat earlier this month. He’s now preparing for a primary race against Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury.

“I want to be able to do something for the North Country, especially the northern part. It’s an economically depressed area,” Beary said. “It’s really a shame because its a very beautiful area.”

Beary, citing a New York Times article, said Canadian tourism in the North Country is down “due to increased difficulty at border crossings.” Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows the number of passenger vehicles traveling through the border at Massena has dropped by almost a quarter since 2014.

The NYT article also cites the exchange rate. Five years ago a U.S. dollar was worth $1.16 Canadian, whereas on Friday it was worth $1.31.

Beary said he wants to talk with U.S. and Canadian customs and immigration officials to figure out how to create a more expeditious and friendly border crossing for tourists from the north.

“I think the area has a lot of potential that’s not being realized because people are not thinking in new ways,” Beary said.

He said he wants to have a focus on wellness tourism.

Beary is also running on supporting the Second Amendment, supporting a marijuana regulation and taxation act, and ensuring that upstate New York receives its fair share of tax revenue.

Beary said there is “a great deal of cynicism and disillusionment with politics among the voters of upstate New York.”

“I think my candidacy is one way to show people that they don’t necessarily have to have a lot of official endorsements if they want to get involved politically,” Beary said.

Beary is a member of the St. Lawrence County Republican Committee and the St. Lawrence County Community Services Board’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Subcommittee.

Kimberly Davis from Clinton County is running for Little’s open 45th District seat on the Democratic line.

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