Calhoun Says Goodbye: “Looking Back, 22 Years of Well-Spent Time in the State Legislature”

A legislative column by Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun (R,C,I-Blooming Grove)

For the past few months, I have been deliberating over what direction to take in my life. After so many years of serving the public and devoting my time and energy to my constituents, I have decided to focus on another aspect of my life, my family. I may not be representing the 96th district anymore, but I will continue to volunteer my time and energy to help my community, and spend time with my children and grandchildren.

I have had the privilege of serving with many accomplished individuals during my career, as we brought positive change to the Hudson Valley and the state of New York. I took great pride in serving my constituents. For me, my most notable accomplishments were the New York State School Tax Relief Program (STAR), which provides homeowners with two types of partial exemptions from ever-escalating school property taxes, and attending over 500 Boy Scout Eagle Courts of Honor.

Helping those who required help with health services, insurance questions and fiscal issues over the years has been one of my greatest joys. Ensuring that residents throughout the district are helped and protected from groups or individuals who could hurt or compromise our communities was something I gladly fought for, no matter who or what the obstacle was.

Sometimes you must take a stand against a group or groups to maintain the continued services necessary to our communities and taxpayers. I won’t deny that there have been some confrontations over the years, but I would do it again, knowing that the people of Orange and Rockland counties continued to be protected from both physical and fiscal harm.

I look forward to entering a new chapter in my life. While traveling these past few years, I have been reflecting more and more on when and what my retirement will be like. I’ll always want to work. I’m a worker; I doubt I’ll be able to just relax. I’ll want to volunteer alongside my husband — that ever-present itch of needing to help improve the lives of others will not go away. I pledge to continue to serve you to the best of my ability until a new representative is elected.

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