Darrel Aubertine
/ file photo
ALBANY -- Governor Andrew Cuomo has nominated a former upstate New York state senator to be the new commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Darrel Aubertine recently served the 48th Senate district in central and northern New York, which is comprised of Oswego, Jefferson and part of St. Lawrence counties. Before joining the Senate in 2008, Mr. Aubertine represented the 118th New York State Assembly district for five years.
"Darrel's experience and expertise in agriculture is unparalleled," Cuomo said in a statement to the media Thursday. "He fought for years on behalf of farmers in the state legislature and delivered real results. New York's agricultural community will thrive with Darrel at the helm of this critical department, and I thank him for his service."
Aubertine lost his seat in the state senate in the last election. He had served as chair of both the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Rural Resources Commission, and as the ranking majority member and vice chair of the Energy & Telecommunications Committee.
"We are pleased that Governor Cuomo appointed an individual who has long standing connections to agriculture and our farm families. Darrel Aubertine, a fellow farmer, has strong roots in the agricultural community and has proven to be a staunch ally through the years," said Dean Norton, president of New York Farm Bureau.
Pending confirmation by the state senate, Aubertine will, among other things, be responsible for overseeing the New York State Fair. The Fair has been under intense scrutiny by state investigators because of alleged wrong-doing by former fair director Peter Cappuccilli.
