Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor
“I’m zero for six, but it’s a good zero for six,” says Robin Barkenhagen, 56. He’s run six times for public office in Glens Falls without winning.
Mr. Barkenhagen lost, 284-342, to Bob Landry for the open Ward 2 seat on the Common Council in the Nov. 2 election. Mr. Barkenhagen ran on the Democratic and Working Families lines.
Republican Mr. Landry, the recently retired head of the Glens Falls Housing Authority, previously served as Ward 2’s member on the County Board of Supervisors.
“I met with my opponent,” says Mr. Barkenhagen. “I think this is a good time for someone with his experience, a housing specialist, to be on the Common Council, since we are facing a housing crisis in this area. Bob Landry has been around a long time.
“He said I remind him of himself 25 years ago, a businessman who is wanting to serve.”
Mr. Barkenhagen says, “I’m still a political junkie. I could see myself running again. I am sad I missed this moment. I knocked on every door in my Ward, but maybe I could have done it twice. There’s other races too. There’s always something coming up,” with retirements or other changes.
“I’m happy that my good friends Bill Collins and Ben Lapham (newly elected Glens Falls Mayor and Ward 4 Common Council, respectively) will be there.”
“Ben was upset,” says Mr. Barkenhagen. “We’ve been doing this together for a lot of years. I told him, I’ll still be going to the Common Council meetings. Just you’ll be up on the podium and I’ll be in the audience.”
Mr. Barkenhagen’s five prior races were all on the Green Party line: In 2001 and 2003 for Warren County Board of Supervisors in Ward 3, where he lived at the time; in 2002 and 2016 for New York State Assembly; and in 2017 for the city-wide at-large Common Council seat.
“I’ve always run on the issues, a positive race,” he says. “In 2001 when I first ran, no one thought marijuana would be legalized 20 years later, except me….
“I’ll keep moving forward. I have enough to keep occupied.”
Mr. Barkenhagen is an appointed member of the Glens Falls Urban Renewal Agency, president of the Glens Falls Collaborative, treasurer of the Warren County SPCA, and president of LAVA, Lower Adirondack Visionary Association food bank.
He runs 42 Degrees, a “Heady Glass and Smoke Shop” on Glen Street that recently opened the upstairs as a tavern with live music five nights a week. With partner Brian Bronzino, he aims to open a cannabis dispensary downtown once the city approves sale of marijuana.
Mr. Barkenhagen is hopeful that Mayor Collins might appoint him to another committee. “I have the time,” he says.
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