ALBANY — A Clinton town official is preparing to campaign hard next year in a rematch for Assemblywoman Didi Barrett’s seat after losing to the longtime incumbent in 2020.
Republican Dean Michael, 61, made his political debut last year in an attempt to unseat Barrett, D-Hudson, who has represented the 106th District in the lower house since her victory in a special election in March 2012 to replace Marcus Molinaro, current Dutchess County Executive.
Barrett ultimately won with 37,189 votes to 27,405 for Dean, or about 10,000 tallies separating them.
Michael recently announced his candidacy to get a head-start on campaigning.
The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting widespread shutdowns impacted Michael’s campaign, he said.
“We couldn’t go door-to-door, we couldn’t have events,” Michael said. “I don’t think I had a fair opportunity to really reach out to the voters to express the differences between us.”
Potential candidates cannot collect petition signatures until January and local political party committees will not vote on official nominees until later this winter.
Barrett has not announced her plans to seek election for a sixth term to continue representing parts of Dutchess and Columbia counties in 2022.
Barrett’s representatives did not return a request for comment about her intent to run or Michael’s campaign.
Michael is running to reverse the criminal justice reforms, stricter environmental regulations and other policies implemented under Democrats’ one-party rule of the Legislature and Executive Chamber, impacting public safety, agriculture and the economy, he said.
Michael is against the most recent COVID-19 vaccine mandates put in place by Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Democratic Party.
“I believe in civil liberties,” he said. “I’m not an anti-vaxxer, I just think it should be a personal choice. I absolutely support people and their right to choose
“[These mandates] are a broad brush without taking personal instances and medical conditions into consideration that can be detrimental.”
He has decided not to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, but had COVID-19 in December 2020. He has touted his natural immunity to the virus.
Legislative leaders will discuss COVID-19 vaccine protocols for the upcoming 2022 legislative session and the test-out option for members in both chambers, officials said.
The state Senate and Assembly each separately implemented rules late this summer requiring all lawmakers, staffers or members of each chamber’s workforce to have at least one COVID vaccine dose, or weekly negative coronavirus tests.
The test-out option could be amended, or removed, before session resumes in January.
“We are discussing the coming session and encourage everyone to get vaccinated,” Mike Whyland, spokesman for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, said in a statement.
The protocols will need to be updated, or clarified, as potential nominees declare their candidacy for the 2022 legislative races.
Officials did not respond to questions about amending the coronavirus vaccine for staffers and removing the test-out option, similar to New York’s vaccine requirement for health workers or other state personnel, or when leaders will make a decision.
Speaker Heastie, D-Bronx, announced the requirement for legislative employees in the lower house July 28.
“The recent spike in the COVID-19 pandemic shows that we still have more work to do in order to overcome this terrible health crisis,” Heastie said at the time. “In order to ensure the safety of the public and our employees, and consistent with CDC and state guidance, the Assembly will be requiring vaccinations or regular testing for those not vaccinated.”
Members of the Assembly or Senate workforce were required to upload documentation to verify their COVID vaccination status or a recent test results starting in mid-September.
Test results remain valid for seven days.
The Senate announced the details of its COVID-19 vaccine and test-out protocols Sept. 2.
“Each house is responsible for establishing their own policies,” Senate Democrats spokesman Jonathan Heppner said in a statement.
At least 91% of New York adults ages 18 and older have received at least one COVID vaccine dose as of Friday. About 80.8% of adults are fully vaccinated against the fatal upper respiratory disease.
If elected, Michael would advocate to change the state’s controversial bail reform and discovery laws in wake of recent spikes in violent crime in urban areas.
“You can call them unintended consequences, I call it bad policy,” he said. “Nobody should sit in jail. No one should sit in jail not being able to post $100 or $200 bail. But granted, I think we can come up for a solution for that. Judges should have the discretion if someone is going to repeatedly hurt themselves or someone else, this should be easier decisions for a judge to make.”
Michael ran on the Republican, Conservative and Libertarian party lines in 2020.
He graduated from John Jay High School in 1979 and holds an associate degree in communications from Dutchess Community College, bachelor’s from Marist College in integrated studies and applied business and accounting with a paralegal certificate, Master’s in Business Administration from SUNY Empire State College.
He owns and runs Hometown Premier Agency LLC real estate and insurance company in Pleasant Valley, and has been self-employed for more than 30 years. He also has experience in photography and television broadcast.
From 1997 to 2007, Michael served as the treasurer and co-chairman of SCORE, a nationwide network of business mentors, and chaired the accompanying Business Education Committee.
He is the director of the Mortgage Bankers Association, board member of Dutchess County’s Resource Recovery Agency and is a member of the Pirate Canoe Club and Son’s American Legion (Overlook 1302). Michael was a member of Clinton’s Zoning Board of Appeals in 2006 and 2007, served on the Board of Realtors Membership Committee from 2015-2019, on the Education Committee of the county Regional Chamber of Commerce from 2013 to 2015 and is a former Hyde Park Senior League coach.
Michael lives in the town of Clinton with his wife of 35 years, Susan. He has three children, Chris, Deanna-Marie, Matthew; and three grandchildren, Christopher, Ryann and Charliekate.
For the candidate’s event schedule, visit dean4ny.com.
*Editor’s note: Assemblywoman Didi Barrett would run for a sixth term if she seeks re-election in 2022. An earlier version of this story said it would be her seventh.