KINGSTON, N.Y. (AP) - Upstate New York Democratic Congressman Maurice Hinchey is set to announce that he won't seek re-election.Most famously, Hinchey lost his temper and yelled for a reporter to "Shut Up!" after being questioned about a possible conflict of interest over a federally funded project in his district in 2010.
Hinchey's office says Wednesday the 10-term representative from the Hudson Valley will make an official retirement announcement Thursday in Kingston.
Hinchey is 73 and recently completed treatment for colon cancer. He has been declared cancer free by his doctors.
Hinchey represented New York's 22nd Congressional District, which stretches from the lower Hudson Valley across the Catskills to the Southern Tier and part of the Finger Lakes. Hinchey's district was considered 'safe' throughout most of his congressional career because it was so heavily gerrymandered by including a disproprtionate number of cities and colleges.
New York was set to lose at least two Congressional seats after the 2010 census. It was widely anticipated that NY-29 [covering the Western portion of the Southern Tier- NANESB!] was a prime candidate for the chopping block along with another yet to be determined district in New York City or Long Island. However, with news of Hinchey's retirement there is talk of eliminating NY-22 altogether.
While the new boundaries for New York State Assembly and legislative districts are expected to be released next week, the new Congressional district boundaries won't be finalized until after the State Assembly and legislative ones are agreed upon by lawmakers in Albany.
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