The Peru Gazette

Robert B. (Rob) Timmons is seeking reelection to office on the Republican Party Line to represent Area 7 in the Clinton County Legislature.  The Democratic Party did not name a candidate; therefore, Timmons is running unopposed.

The Peru Gazette is grateful to Mr. Timmons for responding to our questions and we thank him for his willingness to serve the public.

Robert B. Timmons

1.Summarize your educational background, primary employment, a little about your family and past community involvement

I am a lifelong resident of Peru, the son of Loretta and the late Bob Timmons. I graduated from Peru Central School in 1985 and graduated from Paul Smiths College in 1989. I was a volunteer firefighter with the Peru Fire Department for ten years. I live in Peru with my wife Michelle (Duprey), we have two daughters Lacy and Allie.  I have been a Clinton County Legislator since 2016.

2. What County Legislature committees do you serve on? Do you chair any committee (s)? 

I am currently serving on the boards of Cornell Cooperative extension and Clinton County Soil and Water. I am the Chair of the Finance Committee and serve on the following sub committees, Personnel, Economic Development, Buildings and Grounds, and Plattsburgh International Airport.

3.  What County issues concern you the most? How are you addressing these issues?

The county issues that concern me the most are making the County airport a thriving, true international hub that serves the entire north country. We just secured a new airline, Breeze; we are working to fill flights with them so they will add more destinations and help our airport to continue to grow. Another issue is keeping county infrastructure safe and in good condition; we just did a huge infrastructure upgrade for energy use to save money on power costs. I am also working to keep the tax levy at an affordable rate for the taxpayers. 

4. New York State’s population is declining, including in the North Country. Many of our most talented young people leave the area for college and don’t return. Do you know how to keep our young people in this area? 

I think the answer to keeping young people in the area is to increase our job opportunities. We need to be innovative and look outside traditional jobs to find the opportunities that our younger population is looking for. This is our hope for the C-BIG (County Business Innovation Gateway) property. We are in the process of building the road and utility infrastructure in order to sell parcels of land to companies to employ local workers.

5. The news media generally doesn’t cover the County Legislature’s meetings. Do you have any ideas about how you can regularly inform your constituents about the Legislature’s ongoing business?

Our legislative meetings are open to the public and all are welcome. The Press Republican attends most of our regular session meetings and reports on important issues.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my personal information and thoughts about our county. We are in a great financial state, and I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the Towns of Au Sable and Peru to make our county one that we are all proud of.