Republican “River District” Assembly candidate John Byrne says his opponent is hypocritical in her recent call for funding for non-profit care providers for the developmentally disabled.

Byrne says Democratic incumbent Addie J. Russell’s recent call for increased funding for non-profits like NYSARC that were negatively impacted by the minimum wage hike is in direct contrast with her vote to increase the minimum wage.

The 116th “River District” includes all communities along the St. Lawrence Seaway in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties, as well as Potsdam and Canton.

"Why is she being allowed to do one thing down in Albany, then say the opposite in the North Country when it’s politically expedient for her to do so? Where is the accountability and why isn’t she being held to it?” Byrne said in a recent press release.

“My opponent tells us all the time she’s in the Majority and can get things done. She didn’t speak up, she didn’t stand up, and she didn’t fight back for us."

Byrne attacked Russell for supporting a budget bill that raised the minimum wage to $15 without adequate carve-outs or funding for direct support providers and the developmentally disabled community.

“In fact, the head of the state ARC said that they would have to absorb $266 million in additional labor costs – in the first year alone – because the state only gave them $4 million to offset costs,” Byrne said in a news release.

Byrne says Russell was aware of the impact it would have on non-profit care providers when she supported the wage hike.

“In March, when she’s in Albany with Assembly Democrats, she knowingly voted for a minimum wage bill that would impact direct care staff negatively by an increase in the minimum wage,” Byrne said in a released statement.

“Then just yesterday, when she’s in the North Country and running for reelection, she says, ‘It's absolutely a crisis we need to deal with in next year's budget. We have vacancies and high turnover, and we know the demand is only going to continue to grow.’ Ms. Russell had the opportunity to address it in this year’s budget, and she failed.”

Byrne says groups like NYSARC deserve better.

“They take care of our most vulnerable community and they earn far less than what they deserve to be paid. This deserves to be a priority when we develop the state budget, not a continued rallying call after-the-fact. It’s disgusting, embarrassing, and my opponent owes them an apology for cutting funding to them, then not adequately funding them when she raised the minimum wage – and for talking out of both ends of her mouth. There are some things that should be above politics, and this is one of them.”