GREAT VALLEY — Great Valley Supervisor Daniel Brown is mulling a campaign for the 148th Assembly District.
Brown said Sunday that with Assemblyman Joseph M. Giglio’s decision not to seek re-election, he was considering running for the open Assembly seat.
Giglio, R-Gowanda, who is serving his 19th year in Albany, announced on Friday he wouldn’t seek re-election.
A Democrat, Brown said he planned to discuss the possibility of another run for state office with his family.
Brown ran against incumbent state Sen. George Borrello of Chautauqua County in the November 2022 election. He previously ran unsuccessfully against Giglio for the Assembly.
On Saturday, Joseph Sempolinski, Giglio’s chief of staff and a former congressman from Steuben County, announced plans to seek the Assembly post. Borrello and state Sen. Tom O’Mara of Big Flats, who represents the 58th District that includes Steuben County and much of Allegany County, announced their endorsement of Sempolinski for Giglio’s seat on Saturday.
The 148th Assembly District covers all of Cattaraugus and Allegany counties and six Steuben County towns including Canisteo, where Sempolinski lives.
No Democrats have announced they plan to seek the seat and Brown did not indicate when he and his family might decide whether to seek the Assembly seat.
The first day to circulate nominating petitions is next Tuesday, Feb. 27.
While Republicans enjoy a healthy voter registration majority in the three Southern Tier counties, a spokesman for Cattaraugus County Democratic Party Chairman Frank Puglisi said Monday that the state’s new Campaign Finance law that matches many small donor donations could help level the playing field for a Democratic candidate.
Kevin Burleson, the Cattaraugus County Democratic election commissioner, said there has been some interest from county Democrats in the open Assembly seat, but no one has declared their candidacy yet.
Meanwhile, Brown said he’s spoken with Puglisi and Burleson but made no commitment. He’s also spoken with Allegany County Democratic Party Chairman Mike McCormick.
He’s also met with the treasurer of his 2022 Senate campaign and sat in on a Zoom meeting on the state’s new Campaign Finance law.
“I’m quite shocked and surprised at the number of calls, texts and emails from people asking me if I was running,” Brown said in a Monday interview. “I’m going to weigh this out very carefully.”
Brown’s campaign theme when he challenged Borrello for the 57th Senate seat two years ago was “Send the Farmer to Albany.”
He and his family attended many events across Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Allegany and Wyoming counties with a restored farm truck. He and his family live on a farm in Great Valley.
The last Democrat elected to the seat was Assemblyman Daniel B. Walsh, who served from 1973-1987. He was also the first Democrat to be elected to the seat in over 100 years and later was named Assembly majority leader.
Democrats have supermajorities in both the Assembly and Senate.
”Whoever is going to do it should make their mind up this week,” Burleson observed.
Borrello, in endorsing Sempolinski’s candidacy, said, “I’ve known Joe for many years, and he is uniquely qualified for this important job. He knows Cattaraugus, Allegany and Steuben counties as well as anyone. He has already served them all well in his previous roles and will be a great partner in Albany.”
Borrello added, “I have the privilege of representing most of the people in the 148th Assembly District. During my time in the Senate, I have had the joy of working to serve those people with the great Joe Giglio. I’m sad to see Assemblyman Giglio retire and I wish him and his family all the best things in life.”
O’Mara said Sempolinski “has the experience necessary to hit the ground running for the constituents of the 148th Assembly District. We know he will vote in favor of our region’s conservative values.”
Of Giglio, O’Mara added, “I started in the State Assembly the same year as Joe Giglio. He has done fantastic work for his constituents. I wish him well and will miss serving with him.”
