I don’t have a magic wand and many problems are complex,but service and leadership are part of who I am and I care”

Ginger Storey-Welch

BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

CANTON — Ginger Storey-Welch says her decision to run for St. Lawrence County Legislature grew out of the death of a Piercefield man who, she believes, did not get the support he needed from county services.

Storey-Welch, a retired teacher, is running for the District 7 seat, which includes the towns of Colton, Hopkinton, Parishville, Pierrepont and Piercefield. She said learning about the death of Bob Ashton changed the direction of her life and led her to seek public office.

Storey-Welch said Ashton developed bedsores after he was unable to get help with a needed IV. She said his family was told by agencies that they did not serve Piercefield because it was too far away.

“No one deserves this,” Storey-Welch said.

Storey-Welch taught for 37 years and adopted three children from the foster care system. She said working with needy families and becoming the sixth home for her adopted children gave her a firsthand understanding of the need for well-managed services.

She said she told Ashton’s wife she was running in honor of her husband.

“I don’t have a magic wand and many problems are complex,” Storey-Welch said, “but service and leadership are part of who I am and I care.”

Storey-Welch said she has contacted more than 2,100 homes during her campaign, attended town and county meetings, met with department heads, discussed a countywide EMT program and attended a conference on resilient infrastructure.

Her top priority, she said, would be bringing fairness and support to residents and communities she believes have been overlooked.

Storey-Welch wants to  bring representation to those who have been underserved. She said the Piercefield town supervisor told her county legislators had not attended a Piercefield Town Board meeting for years. With one recent exception, she said, the town also has not received the monthly reports distributed to the other towns in the district.

Storey-Welch said Piercefield also was not notified about $500 available for local celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence until she contacted the town.

She cited figures from the town clerk showing Piercefield contributed about $1.3 million to the county in 2025. The town has roughly 350 year-round residents and about 800 properties, including seasonal homes, she said.

Storey-Welch said the disparity between what Piercefield contributes and the services it receives needs to be examined.

“This is essentially taxation without representation,” Storey-Welch said. “If I am elected they will have representation.”

Storey-Welch also wants to explore a mobile neighborhood center that could bring services to remote parts of the county. She said a Community Development Program director told her about the concept, recognizing that people who need services, including elderly residents who need food, may not have transportation.

Storey-Welch said she would like to see if a unit could also include a public health nurse who could reach residents who otherwise have difficulty accessing care.

She acknowledged that a mobile program would have continuing costs, including insurance and maintenance, but said the county should consider whether it could provide more services to isolated communities.

On the campaign trail, Storey-Welch said parents of autistic or mentally ill children, mothers experiencing postpartum depression, and foster and adoptive parents have shared their struggles with her.

She said she would like to see support groups for those parents and possibly a newsletter addressing challenges facing local families.

On county finances, Storey-Welch said the county has done well recovering from the Great Recession and pointed to bipartisan votes during that period as an example of lawmakers working together.

She said the county’s decision to use its fund balance rather than borrow money for a new $19 million highway building was also a move she supports..

Storey-Welch said the county  does need to be more proactive, particularly when changes in federal programs could affect local residents.

She pointed to changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and said concerns about the program were known in 2025 as Congress considered changes.

Storey-Welch said county officials could have used Department of Social Services data to determine how many local residents would be affected and prepare for the financial consequences. 

She also raised concerns about anticipated Medicaid reductions and their potential effect on already stressed hospitals.

“The failure to be proactive forces us to be reactive,” Storey-Welch said.

Storey-Welch said her campaign has given her the opportunity to hear from residents across economic, political, religious and other backgrounds.

She said those conversations have helped her better understand the people she hopes to represent.

Storey-Welch said she does not expect a seat on the County Legislature to provide simple solutions to complex problems.

She said she is running because she believes county government can do more to ensure rural and underserved communities are not overlooked.

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