Chairman of the Legislature

District One - Troy

As Chairman of the Legislature, Neil Kelleher has worked to protect county taxpayers, supported major efforts to protect quality of life and brought about openness and accountability in the operations of the County Legislature.

During Kelleher's tenure as Chairman, major county facilities, including the Court House, Family Court and Van Rensselaer Manor have been improved or constructed.    The county has received an upgrade in the county's credit rating and despite huge increases in state mandates, Neil won approval for a 2009 county budget that does not increase property taxes.

Recognizing the need to keep residents informed, Neil organized cable broadcasts of legislative meetings, a legislative website, and additional public forums for public comment. Spending for legislative operations has been kept well below the rate of inflation and is comparable to spending levels from nearly two decades ago.

Neil has worked to protect quality of life in the county, helping protect several historic structures and properties by placing them on the National Register of Historic Places, protecting thousands of acres of farmland and open space through the adoption of a Farmland Protection Plan, an effective recycling plan throughout county government and the opening of the 156-acre Papscanee Island Nature Preserve along the Hudson River.

The son of the former Assemblyman and Troy Mayor Neil W. Kelleher, Neil has continued his family's public service to Troy and Rensselaer County. Neil was first elected to the Legislature in 1993 and elected Chairman in 1995.