The year of unusual politics that has been 2022 offered up another unexpected plot twist on Sunday when Ulster Town Supervisor Jim Quigley made an at-the-wire announcement of his intention to take on Democratic nominee Jen Metzger for county executive. The winner of the contest will serve out the remainder of former county executive Pat Ryan which ends on Dec. 31, 2023.

The county executive race that began with Ryan’s election to Congress in last month's special election had been an all-Democratic affair until Quigley’s last-minute announcement. On Saturday, Metzger who currently serves on the state’s Cannabis Control Board, prevailed over fellow Democrats Deputy County Executive Marc Rider and County Comptroller March Gallagher in a convention held by the Ulster County Democratic Committee at Kingston’s City Hall. Metzger, who emerged as a front-runner after she secured endorsements from Ryan and Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, won handily with 64 percent of the vote.

“I am honored by the overwhelming support of the Ulster County Democratic Committee in nominating me to be the Democratic candidate on the November ballot for this important office, and hope to have the opportunity to build on Pat Ryan’s work here in Ulster County,” said Metzger in a press release announcing the win. “I want to express my appreciation for fellow candidates March Gallagher and Marc Rider, and welcome the opportunity to work with them if I am elected in November.”

But any hopes harbored by Democrats that their chosen candidate would cruise through Election Day unopposed were dashed on Sunday when Quigley, backed by the county’s Republican and Conservative party committees, announced his campaign. A CPA and longtime finance professional, Quigley has served as the Town of Ulster’s supervisor for 12 years.

Quigley said he plans to run on his experience in town government, including as head of the Ulster County Town Supervisor’s Association. If elected, he said, he plans to lean on that experience to enhance cooperation between county and town governments to address issues like what he called the declining quality of EMS services and increased costs of solid waste disposal.

“Looking at town government structure, it is probably the easiest office to judge the competency of an elected official based on the services they deliver,” said Quigley. “[In county government,] for the past 10 years there has been an over-focus on policy and not enough on the delivery of services.”

Metzger began her career in local government, serving on the Rosendale Town Board where she was deputy supervisor from 2010 to 2012. In 2018, she was elected to represent the 42nd State Senate District and chaired the Agriculture Committee. But in 2020, she was defeated by Orange County Republican Mike Martucci. Since leaving office, Metzger has served on the state Cannabis Control Board, which is responsible for building the regulatory framework for New York’s adult-use cannabis market. Metzger also served as executive director of what is now Communities for Local Power, a consumer advocacy group focused on energy issues.

Democrats hold a large enrollment advantage in Ulster County. With the exception of longtime County Clerk Nina Postupack — who has run unopposed and cross-endorsed by county Democrats — no Republican has won countywide elected office since former district attorney Holley Carnright was re-elected in 2015.

This is not Quigley’s first bid for countywide office. In 2008, he was the Republican nominee in Ulster’s first election for county comptroller. He lost to then-Ellenville village manager Elliott Auerbach by just 174 votes.

On Monday, Quigley said that despite the enrollment disadvantage, he saw a path to victory based on contrasting his experience in local government with Metzger’s. Quigley added that since he announced his run, Metzger had been calling Democratic town supervisors across the county to ensure their loyalty.

“She’s in a dogfight now,” said Quigley. “And she knows it.”

"I welcome a good, clean campaign of ideas," said Metzger Tuesday in response to Quigley’s announcement. "I look forward to sharing my vision and priorities with the people of Ulster County, and to working together to help build a sustainable, thriving economy that benefits all of us."

Metzger noted that Ulster County Dems overwhelmingly chose her at a convention of hundreds of committee members, open to the public and press, in contrast to Quigley, whom, she said “was chosen by a few party bosses behind closed doors.”

She also touted her “long record of leadership” in state and local government. That, as well as her executive experience leading the Ulster County-based non-profit Citizens for Local Power, distinguishes her from Quigley, she said. She added that she has “a long list of concrete accomplishments,” including winning the first-ever reduction in Central Hudson's fixed customer charges, passing the strongest climate protection legislation in the country, and working to set up the state’s new Office of Cannabis Management to enable, she said, “the most significant new industry that our area has seen in decades.”