Paul Smart is reporting in the Woodstock Times Woodstock resident Jeff Collins has announced his plan to win the Democratic Party endorsement and challenge incumbent Republican state Senator George Amedore in 2020. Amedore will be looking to get re-elected to his fourth two-year term. Collins said he is driven to run based on a “desire to make a difference in what’s happening in our New York legislature.” Collins declared his candidacy for state Senate in 2018, but withdrew from the primary when Pat Courtney Strong entered the race. He also unsuccessfully ran for a Woodstock town board seat. Collins said he will focus on the issue of health care, and particularly home health services. He is also concentrating on the need for increased broadband infrastructure in Greene, Montgomery and large parts of Ulster County. He also acknowledged the numbers of towns and villages in the district with aging water systems. “Upstate needs more prioritization in state budgets,” he said. In discussing Amedore's track record in the Senate, Collins said his opponent is vulnerable given how far from the mainstream his positions are. “He was one of four people in the senate who voted for conversion therapy. He’s also voted against reproductive rights, voter access, the child victim act,” Collins said. “He’s pretty extreme but it’s hard to get people focused on an incumbent’s voting records.” Collins grew up upstate, graduated from Cornell University and enjoyed a productive business career. He is one of the founders of the Hudson Valley Sudbury School. Read the full story at hudsonvalleyone [dot] com.