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June 18, 2009

Another candidate declares for McHugh seat

By LOHR McKINSTRY

PORT HENRY — A Port Henry veterinarian is the latest candidate for the 23rd Congressional District seat.

On Thursday, former Port Henry Mayor Dr. Gary S. Cooke, 67, added his name to those of other Republican candidates seeking the post.

The seat is expected to be open later this summer when John McHugh is confirmed as secretary of the Army.



AGRICULTURE ISSUES

Cooke said he’s running because the dairy industry is the backbone of the 23rd District, and he wants to help farmers.

As a large-animal veterinarian for 36 years, he said, he works on the dairy farms that fill the Northern Tier from Champlain to Massena.

“I’ve been on a large number of those farms. I know what their problems are. I know what overproduction does to the price of milk.”

He said a 1-percent increase in milk production equals a 10-percent decrease in price.

“The dairy industry is the driving force in the area. Milk prices are devastatingly low. It would be a compounding factor in the demise of this region.”

Cooke said he supports the dairy-production program of the National Milk Producers Federation.

“It could be successful. It’s a very simple program. It recognizes that dairy production increases of 2 to 3 percent a year are normal growth.”

The program would reward milk producers who stay below that, he said, “so there’s not substantial growth in the industry” and milk prices do not fall.



MILITARY VETERANS

He said he would be an advocate for military veterans if he gets the job.

Cooke served in the U.S. Army from 1960 to 1966 as a combat engineer with the 502nd Engineer Company and spent 33 months in Germany during the Cold War.

He graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in agriculture economics and from Cornell University as a doctor of veterinary medicine. He has a PhD in environmental engineering from Kennedy School of Environmental Studies.

His previous political experience includes mayor of the Village of Port Henry and member of the Village Board of Trustees and Village Planning Board.



HEALTH CARE

Cooke said another issue he’d work on is health care.

“We have to do something about the debacle of health-care coverage for 45 million Americans who are uninsured. Health-insurance premiums are rising faster than people’s incomes.”

He said that if the industry followed best-care health practices, costs could drop substantially.

“Ancillary services are 60 percent of the bill. The prescribing physician uses too many of them. We need to be mindful of best-care health practices. We’ve got to reduce these costs by a lot. The economy would go a long way if health-care coverage was available.”



SMALL BUSINESS

Cooke said he and his wife, Sharon, operate four businesses, and he knows the problems and costs facing small-business owners.

“We need a system to help employers. The cost of running a small business is too much.”

McHugh has represented the 23rd Congressional District since 1993.

Franklin County GOP Chairman James Ellis is coordinating his party’s efforts at filling the position and plans four regional forums to meet with the candidates and make a selection.

Two other Republicans — Paul Maroun, a Franklin County legislator, and Douglas Hoffman, a Lake Placid accountant — have announced their candidacies.

Democrat Dan Francis is also interested in the job.



E-mail Lohr McKinstry at:

lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com

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