Moser kicks off Assembly campaign, faces GOP primary

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

Gerard Moser of Malta officially launched his campaign for 113th Assembly District seat on Thursday, vowing to take on intrenched interests in Albany and in his own Republican Party.

“The system seems to be that we have the same old people over and over again, and the people don’t really have a choice,” Moser said before his announcement. “I believe there should always be a primary.”

Moser, 49, of Malta, will be running in a Sept. 13 primary against Christopher Boyark of Mechanicville, the preferred candidate of the county Republican Committee.

The winner will then take on Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner of Round Lake, a Democrat completing her first two-year term.

This is Moser’s first bid for public office.

Moser has a background in the hospitality industry and management, and said the public is looking for more people with a business background to enter politics.

“We need to have more choices,” he said during an announcement at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Saratoga Springs. “One of the things that has driven me is that there aren’t too many primaries. Any time there’s a challenge, it keeps you on the straight and narrow.”

Issues he said he wants to emphasize include ethics reform in Albany, making government more friendly to small business, opposition to the NY SAFE Act and other Second Amendment gun restrictions, unfunded mandates and what he sees as an over-emphasis on college preparation in secondary education.

“Pushing [students] to college isn’t necessarily the right choice,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with being a plumber, an electrician or a welder.”

The 113th District includes much of eastern Saratoga County and a larger part of Washington County.

The 113th District has 24,402 enrolled Democrats and 35,393 Republicans, according to the state Board of Elections. Those not enrolled in any party — potentially key swing voters — total 20,610.

Reach Gazette reporter Stephen Williams at 395-3086, [email protected] or @gazettesteve on Twitter.