There are politicians who chase titles.
And there are those who stay grounded.
When Marc Molinaro announced he would leave his post leading the Federal Transit Administration under President Donald Trump to run for a seat in the New York State Assembly, some in Washington called it unusual.
From a Hudson Valley perspective, it feels consistent.
Molinaro has never been a creature of the Beltway. His political life has always been rooted in town halls, county budgets, and kitchen-table conversations. Even while overseeing billions in federal transit funding, his reputation remained that of a local executive — someone who understands what property taxes mean to a retired couple in Hyde Park or what rising costs mean to a small business owner in Poughkeepsie.
Walking away from a powerful federal appointment isn’t a demotion. It’s a declaration.
It says that New York’s challenges — affordability, public safety, overregulation, population loss — are not abstractions to be debated on cable news. They’re realities lived out every day in our communities. And those fights are won or lost in Albany.
There is something refreshingly grounded about choosing to come home rather than climbing higher. In an era when too many politicians measure success by how far they can distance themselves from their districts, this move measures success differently: proximity to the people you serve.
Washington may offer prestige.
Albany offers responsibility.
And for a leader shaped by the Hudson Valley, responsibility to home may matter most of all.
The Valley Viewpoint 