BY JIMMY LAWTON

North Country This Week

NORWOOD – St. Lawrence County Legislator John Burke will seek a third-term as representative for District 12.

He’ll be running on the Democratic, Republican and Conservative lines.

Burke said he decided to seek another term because he believes the county has a lot of unfinished business he’d like to see through to the end.

Burke, a Republican who caucuses with the Democrats, has also been given the nod to run on the Conservative line.

He said St. Lawrence County faces a lot of problems and one of the most prominent issues is the opioid crisis.

Burke said the county has secured a substantial amount of money from a settlement with major drug companies and he wants to see a plan established to aim that funding at the region’s drug addiction problems.

“It’s a burning issue in my mind,” he said. “We really need to use (the settlement money) wisely and make sure that the money is directed at people who are addicted,” he said.

The county recently opened a methadone clinic in Canton, which he said was a major step forward, though he was disappointed that the project was delayed for nearly a year.

As COVID-19 took center stage for the public health department, Burke says other areas took a back seat, but with things settling down, it’s time to refocus efforts.

“It consumed a lot of our attention at every level of government, but there are many other things that are still endemic in our community including drug addiction, mental health, suicides among children and teens. We do not have sufficient numbers of professionals. We are lacking social workers and nurses to meet our needs,” he said.

Burke said those issues didn’t disappear while everyone was focused on dealing with the pandemic and that the pandemic likely exacerbated the problems.

Burke said he’d like to see the county move beyond treating the symptoms of these issues and focus on the underlying causes behind them and focus on prevention.

Burke said the county must also focus its efforts on the Department of Social Services.

He said the department has suffered from a lack of resources in past years, and, while the county has worked to bolster staffing, it’s been a difficult row to hoe.

“As we talk about poverty in our communities and the impacts of poverty this department is pivotal in ensuring that we are meeting the needs of children in the county,” he said.

Burke noted that high turnover in child protective services and the department of social services has made it difficult to keep staffing levels and experience at adequate levels to meet the county’s needs.

Burke said that high turnover is costly to the county’s taxpayers and even more costly for those who need the services.

“We need to find ways to prevent burnout. It’s not reasonable to ask workers in such a demanding job to do the work of another half-employee. I know there are attempts to hire more people now, but it it almost feels like we are attempting to bail water out the boat while the holes in the boat get bigger,” Burke said.

Burke said he’d like to have interviews with those who retire, resign or leave the department to pinpoint the factors leading them to exit so the county can address the problem at the source.

Burke said he’d also like to see the county invest more in preventative maintenance on roadways.

He said the upfront investment in preventative maintenance on the county’s highways could bring massive savings to taxpayers.

Similarly Burke would like to see the county work on long term planning.

“We need to look at the resources we have and see what we can do with them,” he said.

Burke also took the opportunity to fire back on claims made by his opponent in the Republican Primary Renee Azzopardi.

He said the implication that he’s not a supporter of the Second Amendment is altogether false.

“I’m a staunch support of the Second Amendment,” he said.

Burke pointed to his voting records on such issues including a recent resolution opposing a proposed tax on ammunition.

“I’m a gun owner and I’m not fond of the SAFE act. I think it was a huge overreach. When it comes to asking our legislators to repeal or fight for something I have no problem with that,” he said.

Burke urged voters considering who to support to look at his voting record.

“I’m a watchdog for taxpayer dollars. I’m a strong advocate for quality services and on top of that I realize we have to take care of our employees who provide those services.”

Burke and Azzopardi are facing off for the Republican designation in a primary election set for June 28.