About Steve
Steven F. McLaughlin
Steve McLaughlin has worked as County Executive to transform and improve Rensselaer County, fulfilling policies to make the county more affordable and efficient, and a place to invest in and be proud to call home.
As County Executive, the seven budgets introduced by his administration and adopted with strong bi-partisan support have made the county a statewide leader in reducing taxes, with a combined property tax rate reduction of over 40 percent and the highest bond rating in county history. Taxes have been reduced while county facilities and offices have been modernized, and services expanded and improved at all levels. Major employers including Regeneron and Amazon have invested here and thousands of new jobs created from projects big and small, while economic activity has increased significantly during McLaughlin’s tenure.
Recognizing the need for improvement of county facilities, McLaughlin embarked on the ambitious Reimagine Rensselaer County Facilities project, which saw major components completed in months rather than years. At McLaughlin’s direction, the county obtained and renovated attractive new office space in East Greenbush to house executive, governmental and constituent services. The county also renovated the existing County Office Building to house social and human services and located the Probation offices in an adjacent building, reducing an overall long-standing reliance on rented space.
A significant investment in senior services has led to the construction of three new state-of-the-art and modern county senior centers in downtown Troy, Hoosick Falls and East Greenbush that are among the finest in the nation. Improvement of a fourth county senior center in Schodack is underway and a comprehensive renovation of the county’s highly regarded Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home is slated to start soon.
Steve fulfilled a promise with the completion of the county’s Emergency Services Training Complex, which provides the best and latest in training service for first responders in the county and surrounding region. The county has made an unprecedented investment in upgrading county roads, with nearly 300 miles of roads paved in just seven years.
The county responded with common-sense and compassion during the COVID-19 pandemic, with independent vaccination and testing clinics established and operated by the county at McLaughlin’s direction. He earned national recognition as the only County Executive in New York State to refuse then-Governor Cuomo’s deadly directive to force COVID positive patients into nursing homes, saving the lives of seniors.
Steve was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1963, the third of four children of Arthur and Winifred McLaughlin. He was raised in Wrentham, Massachusetts, attending public elementary school and Xaverian Brothers High School.
He attended the Florida Institute of Technology and earned commercial and instrument aircraft ratings. He then studied finance at Arizona State University. He earned a B.A. degree from Empire State College (State University of New York) and an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.
During a career in aviation, Steve flew for a number of different airlines and commercial clients. During his career as a pilot, Steve compiled over 12,000 of hours of flight time. He flew for America West Airlines and U.S. Airways, but along with many commercial pilots, was laid off after the September 11 attacks. He then entered the banking industry, and helped many families realize the dream of home ownership.
Steve was also called to public service and was a candidate for State Assembly in 2008 against an incumbent, winning election to the seat in 2010. He was re-elected to the Assembly in 2012, 2014 and 2016. As Assemblyman, Steve earned a reputation for his work to improve quality of life in upstate, fights against corruption in state government, opposition to infringements on the constitutional rights of state residents, and work on constituent issues. He was a tireless voice during efforts to restore clean drinking water to Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh in eastern Rensselaer County after contamination was discovered.
In 2017, Steve was elected as Rensselaer County Executive, on a pledge to revitalize and reenergize county government, continue fiscally responsible policies and advocate for the county and upstate residents. He was re-elected in 2021 with a strong plurality.