By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer
January 27, 2009 04:00 am The only area resident who has announced a run for Kirsten Gillibrand's seat in the House of Representatives is a town councilman from Hamden. Republican Robert M. Bishop said in a media release Monday he is seeking the post that Gillibrand of Hudson wrested from then-Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park, in 2006. Gillibrand, who last year defeated Sandy Treadwell, a former state GOP chairman and state secretary of state, is to be sworn in today in Washington, D.C., as the state's junior senator. She was appointed Friday by Gov. David Paterson to fill the seat vacated by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. "I believe the path out of our current economic troubles is to put ingenuity to work by encouraging the participation of our residents who understand business development, the value of our government services and who know how to measure our successes and keep us accountable for our progress," Bishop said in the release. Bishop, the export and logistics manager for Larsen Farms in Dubois, Idaho, said he merged his business, Bishop Hay, with Larsen in 2002. Bishop said he has two congressmen in his family tree _ Joshua Clayton, who served for the state of Delaware in the 1790s, and Clayton's nephew John Middleton Clayton, who also served for Delaware in the early to mid-1800s. The county committee chairmen for the Republicans and Democrats will vote for candidates. They will face off within 40 days of Paterson calling for a special election. The scramble for Gillibrand's seat became more intense Monday with several candidates on the Republican side securing endorsements from county committees. The Republican committee chairmen were expected to meet today to narrow the field. There are at least 22 Democrats interested in the seat. The district includes all or parts of 10 counties, including Delaware and Otsego.
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