Calling the Board of Regents process a sham, Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush voted no on a slate of candidates for the board.

He also expressed dismay at the fact that none of the candidates is from the North Country.

“The board members are, essentially, single-handedly chosen by the downstate controlled Assembly Majority, and made public moments before legislators cast their votes on the nominees,” the 122nd District Assemblyman said.

“Today’s session to elect members to the 17-member State Education Board of Regents serves as a prime example of what’s wrong with Albany and I refuse to rubber-stamp candidates I know nothing about.

Blankenbush explained that election of Regents requires 107 votes cast by Assemblymen and Senators. “The 99 member Assembly Majority only need a handful of accommodating downstate senators to ramrod in their chosen Board Members and take control of the sprawling agency. This differs from the leadership of almost every other state agency, which are managed by Governor appointees.”

“Not one candidate is from the North Country, so how can I be confident they will serve the best interests of the students and families in my district. Additionally, we know very little about the qualifications of these candidates and are only informed just moments before the vote. I am sure given the opportunity to review their credentials I would understand and perhaps would agree to elect many of them to the board, but this is just not the reality. All this accumulates to a very flawed process, which I cannot support with my vote.

“As I clearly stated last fall in running for Assembly, I believe these candidates, like any other candidate, should be scrutinized by the public and elected to their position by the voters. It’s time place the future of our children’s education in the hands of concerned parents and voters.”