All Over Albany

It's official: Stratton leaving for Cuomo admin

The Cuomo administration officially announced this morning that Schenectady mayor Brian Stratton has been tapped to head up the the New York State Canal Corporation.

The announcement came bundled with three other appointments -- the relevant portion of the release is after the jump.

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ALBANY, NY (02/09/2011)(readMedia)-- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the following appointments and nominations to senior positions within the state government.

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Mayor Brian Stratton will be recommended as the Director of the New York State Canal Corporation. Currently, Mayor Stratton serves as the Mayor of the City of Schenectady. Prior to being elected Mayor in 2004, he was represented District 2 in the Schenectady County Legislature for two years. From 1992-2002, Mayor Stratton was a Schenectady City Council Member At-Large. In addition, he served as the Economic Development and Small Business Liaison to the New York State Senate Minority leader from 2000-2003. Prior to joining the Senate, Mayor Stratton worked at Empire State Development in the Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research for 13 years. After graduating college, Mayor Stratton began his career at General Electric in 1981. There he worked in Cable Television and Broadcasting Department in Schenectady, and later moved to the Corporate Government Relations Department in Washington D.C. Mayor Stratton has a B.A. from State University of New York at Oswego.

Michael Fleischer, Executive Director of the Thruway Authority said, "Mayor Stratton is an excellent choice to lead the Canal Corporation. He is a respected local official with a wide range of knowledge and contacts along the Canal Corridor, and will serve Governor Cuomo and the Canal Corporation well in maintaining and promoting this unique state asset as a source of tourism and economic development across Upstate."

Thomas X. Grasso, President of the Canal Society, said, "The choice of Mayor Stratton as Director of the Canal Corporation is an excellent one. He is a well-respected community leader and a strong supporter of New York's State's storied waterway. Therefore to have a man of his stature and leadership abilities in this role bodes well for the future of the canal and I am very confident he will robustly advance the goals and objectives of our magnificent canal system not only for the betterment of the canal system and the State but for the people of New York State as well."

Congressman Paul Tonko said, "I applaud the Governor's decision to recommend Mayor Brian Stratton as Executive Director of the New York State Canal Corporation. As resident and Mayor of a City that was shaped by the Erie Canal, Brian understands the history and tradition of the canal system and its immense impact on the state's economy and quality of life. Brian would be the ideal partner for my Mighty Waters task force to lead development and preservation efforts along the canal to spur economic development and showcase the rich heritage of our state's canal system."