[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Marc Molinaro has declared he is running for Dutchess County Executive, increasing the likelihood of a special election for his Assembly seat, which represents much of Columbia County."][/caption]Get ready for a special election to elect a new Assemblyman for State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro's 103rd District now that the former Tivoli Mayor has declared that he is running for Dutchess County Executive. Molinaro, R-Red Hook, made his formal announcement on Monday and sent formal letters to the county’s Republican, Conservative, and Independence committees of his intentions, according to the Daily Freeman. Meanwhile, at least one possible Republican opponent has dropped away from the race, increasing the odds of a win for the man who was elected a village trustee at age 18 and currently represents about two thirds of Columbia County in the state assembly. Last week, longtime Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus announced he will not seek election to a sixth four-year term in office. Molinaro said he made the decision to run after speaking with party leaders, “reaching out to a significant number of business and community leaders and most importantly speaking with Christy (his wife) and the rest of my family.” Molinaro, 36, was tapped by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to serve on Cuomo’s transition team and as a member of the state’s newly formed Mandate Relief Redesign Team, created by Cuomo to examine unfunded and underfunded mandates imposed by the state onto school districts, local governments and other local taxing entities. He has also been making joint appearances around the region with freshman GOP Congressman Chris Gibson.