Dems pick Plattsburgh attorney

Plattsburgh attorney William L. Owens will represent the Democratic Party in the expected race for the 23rd Congressional District seat.

Mr. Owens, 60, secured the nomination after impressing the district's 11 Democratic county chairpersons during a full-day interview Monday at Minnowbrook Conference Center at Blue Mountain Lake.

He bested nine other applicants, including fellow finalists John T. Sullivan Jr., Green Island, and Brian McGrath, New York City.

"We believe that Bill Owens best shares the values of the communities across our district and will be an effective, independent voice for our priorities," the party leaders said in a unified voice through a press release.

Mr. Owens is now part of a trio of candidates seeking the seat, which has been held by Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, since 1993. The Republicans picked state Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, Gouverneur, as their candidate July 22. The Conservatives picked Lake Placid accountant Douglas L. Hoffman as their nominee Friday.

Mr. McHugh is expected to give up the seat if confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next Army secretary in September. Gov. David A. Paterson is expected to call for a special election, likely in November, if Mr. McHugh leaves Congress.

Mr. McGrath, a Lowville native and attorney, Mr. Sullivan, a former Oswego mayor and assistant attorney general in Watertown, and Mr. Owens were interviewed a second time before the chairpersons voted.

"The second interview was much more like a confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court justice," Mr. McGrath said before the decision was made.

He said the questions centered on each candidate's preparedness for what could be a hard-fought three-month campaign.

"They did ask a number of issue-based questions to make sure that the three of us were aligned philosophically with the progressive, Democratic principles," he said.

Mr. McGrath said the candidates and party leaders were in different lodges, so there wasn't a lot of fraternizing between the two groups.

It was unknown as of late Monday whether Mr. Owens received unanimous support from all the leaders and whether multiple rounds of balloting were needed to pick a candidate.

Neither the three finalists nor the party leaders' designated spokesman, Sean M. Hennessey, could be reached for comment after the vote was announced.

Mr. Owens is a managing partner at Stafford, Owens, Piller, Murnane & Trombley, where he specializes in business, estate and tax law. The firm is an offshoot of one founded by Ronald B. Stafford, a prominent Republican state senator.

Mr. Owens is not a Republican, but he's not a Democrat, either. The attorney is a registered independent.

A Brooklyn native, Mr. Owens stayed in Plattsburgh following his service in the U.S. Air Force. When the military abandoned the base in 1995, the leaders said, Mr. Owens helped create the Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corp., which recruited private companies to reuse the space.

The base is now home to companies such as Bombardier, a Canadian passenger railway car maker. The chairpersons said more than 500 jobs were created at the site since the military left.

"We did it by taking advantage of our regional assets - a well motivated workforce, good infrastructure, good schools and colleges, and access to outside investment and markets," Mr. Owens said in a statement. "We can do the same thing throughout the 23rd District if we work together with total dedication. That's what I will do in Congress."

Mr. Owens is a 1971 graduate of Manhattan College. He received his law degree from Fordham University in 1974.