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Langdon resigns from Albany County Legislature

Apr 06, 2021 6:00 am

Steve Hughes is reporting for the Times Union that Albany County legislator George Langdon IV resigned April 5, less than a week after a video surfaced of his homophobic remarks made at a seminar in New Scotland. In a statement, the Coeymans representative thanked friends for supporting him and apologized again for suggesting that if gay people went to an island they wouldn't reproduce and would disappear. "It was never my intention to single out or target anyone. I truly believe every individual should have the right to life and liberty in their pursuit of happiness." The county legislature planned to censure Langdon at its April 12 meeting, making him the first lawmaker to be censured in its 52-year history. It is unclear if that censure will still happen now that Langdon has resigned. The Albany Common Council intends to pass a resolution in support of that censure effort at its meeting on April 5. Legislature Chair Andrew Joyce, called on Langdon to resign last week, saying those comments went against the county's responsibility to represent communities that value diversity, inclusion and tolerance. The county legislature has 40 days to vote on an appointment to fill the remainder of Langdon's term. Majority Leader Dennis Feeney said he looked forward to working with Langdon's replacement. Langdon made the remarks at Camp Pinnacle, a Bible camp and retreat just south of Thacher State Park, which hosted a seminar titled "A Return to Liberty under the Constitution." Langdon was in his first term in the legislature after serving on the Coeymans Town Board. His family runs a financial consulting business in Latham, and he is an elder and usher ministry leader at Abounding Love Christian Fellowship in Ravena. Read the full story in the Times Union.