Senator Ritchie Hires Chief Advisor For Senate Ag Committee

State Senator Patty Ritchie has hired one of the State legislature’s top agricultural experts to serve as her staff person for the Senate Agriculture Committee she is chairing.

Theodore T.  Kusnierz, a principal analyst for the New York State Assembly on agriculture, environmental conservation, and tax and finance will join Senator Ritchie’s staff to serve as her chief advisor on agricultural issues.

“I am very excited to welcome Todd to my staff,” she said. “He brings more than 20 years worth of experience in analyzing the State’s agricultural programs. He is very familiar with the agribusiness community and the variety of agricultural producers across the Empire State.”  

Mr. Kusnierz will advise the Senate Agriculture Committee members, work with State agencies and the agricultural community, draft legislation, and assist at committee meetings, hearings, and conferences.

Mr. Kusnierz served as the Principal analyst for the State Senate from 2008 to 2009, supervising a staff of 12 research analysts within the Senate Research Office.

Since 1995, he has worked as Senior Analyst for the State legislature, specializing in agriculture, energy, utilities, and taxation and finance issues.

From 1991 to 1994, he served as Rural Affairs Advisor to the Assembly Republican Leader, advising on dairy and agricultural issues for the Assembly Republican leadership and the former Legislative Commission on Dairy Industry Development.

He joined the State legislature’s staff in 1989 as an analyst.

A Cornell University graduate, Mr. Kusnierz owns and operates a 155-acre family-run Christmas tree plantation and 50 head Registered Black Angus Cattle operation.

He is a three term council member of the town of Moreau and is the Second Vice President of the town of Moreau Local Development Corporation.

He is a member of Historic Saratoga -Washington on the Hudson Partnership, the Crandall Public Library Planning Committee, the South Glens Falls-Town of Moreau Chamber of Commerce, the New York State Christmas Tree Grower’s Association, New York Farm Bureau, American Angus Association, Cornell Alumni Association and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

His wife, Mary Ellen, is a science teacher  at Ballston Spa High School.

Their son, Ted, is a mechanical engineer at General Dynamic’s Electric Boat Division and daughter, Jacqueline, is a senior at Cornell University.