By CRAIG FREILICH

Retired union leader Ernie LaBaff is in hot water over a remark he made when speaking at the opening of the St. Lawrence County Democratic headquarters Friday night.

During his brief remarks, Labaff said, "We do not need a Congresswoman like Elsie Stefanik, or Elsie the Cow, whatever you want to call her.”

The Stefanik campaign called the remark "unacceptable and inappropriate."

But he said it surprises him that the object of his comment, North Country Rep. Elise Stefnaik, R-Willsboro, is supporting GOP nominee for president Donald Trump, considering the things he has said during his campaign.

“The comments made by the Derrick campaign surrogate during the program at a Mike Derrick campaign event are simply unacceptable and completely inappropriate," a statement from the Stefanik campaign said.

"Equally unacceptable is the fact that Mike Derrick stood silently by, and failed to immediately repudiate the personal slur. This individual should be reprimanded and asked to resign from his leadership position, and Mike Derrick should immediately ensure he has no future association with his campaign."

"Mike came right over to me and said immediately I shouldn't have said that, and I understood that," said LaBaff, president emeritus of the Aluminum Brick and Glass Workers International Union, former St. Lawrence County Legislator and a vice-chairman of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency.

"I joke a lot. That's me," he said.

Hammond Mayor Shelly Youngs is quoted in the press statement from Stefanik's campaign, “I just heard the outrageous comments made about Elise by Mike Derrick’s campaign associate. Personal slurs against women – or anyone for that matter – have no place in our civil discourse. I hope and expect that Mr. Derrick will take swift action to ensure this never happens on his campaign ever again.”

"But what's so bad about it when she supports Trump. What about all the things he's said. That doesn't bother her?" LaBaff said.

Derrick, a Democrat from Peru, is challeneging Stefanik for the 21st District seat in Congress, as is Matt Funiciello, a Green Party candidate from Glens Falls.

The moment LaBaff made the comment can be seen at https://youtu.be/ydd4pLM5X_g at 1:55 into the recording.