One of the longest serving members of the Onondaga County Legislature has his sights set on higher office. Dave Knapp is seeking the 126th district assembly seat being vacated by fellow Republican John Lemondes.
Knapp said he’s been testing the waters since August, when Lemondes announced his bid to challenge Democrat John Mannion for the 22nd district Congressional seat. And that was long before Democrats won the majority on the county legislature. He said feedback has been positive.
“My family's been here farming since the very early 1800s. We've got deep roots in the community," he said.”
Knapp is also army veteran who previously served on the Lafayette town board before he was elected to the legislature 14 years ago.
“My experience at the town and county governments are very, very, very important, for this.," he said. "And, the work I've done on the agriculture council about educating folks about where their food comes from and how important it is to support our local farms.”
He said agricultural self-sufficiency is essential for national security and for the state’s economy.
Affordability and state mandates are also key issues for him, adding they go hand-in-hand with the now- paused mandate for all-electric new homes.
“I'm concerned that our infrastructure isn't there yet to support what they're trying to do in Albany," he said. "We can't generate enough power yet, and we can't deliver it. A lot of our power lines are 75 years old or more.”
Knapp said major infrastructure upgrades are needed before mandating all-electric homes or cars.
If elected, the Republican would be in the minority party in the state assembly. That would be a first for him, with the exception of the coming year on the county legislature. He said one of his proudest moments was when colleagues unanimously elected him as chairman back in 2018.
“So I'm known as somebody that can work with others. work across the aisle," Knapp said. "I still think we've got more in common than we don't. And a lot of this is conversations, education, from both sides.”
So far, no other Republicans and no Democrats have declared their intent to seek the 126th district assembly seat.
