The Peru Gazette

From the Office of Assemblyman Billy Jones

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) was sworn into office to once again represent the people of the 115^th District in the New York State Assembly. The swearing-in took place on Jan. 3 and was administered by Clinton County Clerk John Zurlo and Franklin County Clerk Kip Cassavaw. Jones first took office in 2017.

“I’ve called the North Country home my entire life, and it’s been an honor to serve my neighbors, from my time as a correction officer and county legislator, and now as their Assemblyman,” Jones said. “I’ll always fight to make life better for our hardworking families and bring new opportunities to the region so more folks can stay and thrive here.”

The 115^th Assembly District is comprised of Clinton and Franklin counties, as well as a portion of St. Lawrence County. Jones previously served as chair of the Franklin County Legislature and mayor of the village of Chateaugay in Franklin County.

Jones has fought to create more local, good-paying jobs, by investing in education and workforce development funding. He secured $150,000 for the North Country Chamber of Commerce to help spur economic growth by fostering the New York-Quebec corridor initiatives.  He also secured a 3.5 percent increase in aid for local schools in the 2018-19 state budget and provided $20,000 for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery of Clinton County (SPARCC) Coalition to expand local opioid addiction prevention services.  He passed legislation to establish the Rural Health Council, to ensure that the unique health care needs of our region are addressed, and rejected a proposal to replace state payments on taxes on forest preserve parcels with PILOT payments. During his first term in office, Assemblyman Jones hosted 84 town halls, resolved over 400 constituent cases with state agencies and organizations, made 38 school visits, met with 173 businesses districtwide and drove over 45,000 miles to hear from North Country residents and help tackle their problems.