Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman Saugerties native Democrat Michelle Hinchey has formed a campaign committee to explore a possible 2020 run for the state Senate seat in New York's 46th District. The seat is currently held by Republican George Amedore of Rotterdam. Hinchey, 31, is the daughter of the late former U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey. She is a graduate of Saugerties High School and New York's Industrial and Labor Relations School at Cornell University. Hinchey serves on the Board of Directors of the Catskill Center, which works to protect and foster the environmental, cultural and economic well-being of the Catskills region. She has worked with Environment NY to ban fracking and encourage clean, green energy upstate. “My father taught me the importance of how public service, hard work and collaboration can bring meaningful change, and it’s always been incredibly important to me to give back to the community that raised me,” she said in a prepared statement. "We've seen that the current office-holder does not fairly or accurately represent the people of the Hudson Valley or Capital region," she added. "He voted against making the property tax cap permanent, opposed record public school funding and has taken extremist positions on women’s health rights." Hinchey plans to begin a districtwide listening tour this week. The 46th state Senate District is comprised of part of Ulster County, all of Greene and Montgomery counties, and parts of Albany and Schenectady counties. Maurice Hinchey was a Democratic congressman from 1993 through the end of 2013. He served in the state Assembly from January 1975 until the end of 1992. He was a champion of environmental causes. Amedore is serving his third two-year term in the state Senate. He is the second-generation owner of Amedore Homes, a home-construction company. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.