Legislator Profile: Gil Ethier (D-Cohoes)
COHOES — Deputy Majority Leader Gilbert F. Ethier, a lifelong Democrat and resident of Cohoes, sometimes gets teased for being the longest serving member of the Albany County Legislator.
“I get ribbed about it all the time from the other members,” Ethier said recently. “But I enjoy it. Members will often ask my opinion on things.”
That’s because “Gil,” as he’s known, has accumulated a lot of institutional knowledge while serving decades in public office. Gil was first elected to the Legislature in 1979 and took office in 1980. “I ran to make sure the residents of Cohoes were properly represented,” he said. “It was exciting getting elected, something new for me.”
Gil represents the city of Cohoes — now Legislative District 18 — and part of Colonie. He serves as chairman of the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee and is on Personnel and Mass Transit committees. He’s been on virtually every Legislative committee over the years. As past chairman of the Public Works Committee, Gil advocated for scheduled maintenance and reconstruction of the county’s hundreds of miles of roads. Gil was appointed deputy majority leader in 2016, a title he was offered earlier in his career, but could not accept.
Gil grew up in a strong Democratic family. “I believe in what the Democratic Party has done for the average working person,” he said. He’s been a member of the Albany County and Cohoes Democratic committees since he was 21, and has served as chairman of the Cohoes Democratic Committee since 2002.
Gil is a dedicated elected official who helped build the economic growth of Albany County and Cohoes. On the county level, Gil takes pride in helping to create the Knickerbocker Arena — now the Times Union Center — and supported the expansion of Albany International Airport. He secured county support to revitalize downtown Cohoes and relocate the Albany County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Management to Cohoes from Albany. He is also proud of contributing to the county’s successful record of keeping taxes low, while maintaining quality services.
Gil says things have evolved since he first took office. One of the biggest challenges is meeting the constant financial costs of mandates handed down by the state, Gil said.
“The economy has changed so much,” Gil said. “We have more people turning to the county and relying on our services. We also see a lot more public involvement in what we do.”
Gil is extremely active in the community. He has been a member of the Advocacy Steering Committee of the Mohawk Towpath Trail Scenic Byway Project, the Athletic Board of Cohoes Catholic Schools, the Knights of Columbus Cohoes Council and the Order of the Moose of Cohoes, and is active as a Little League manager and Pop Warner organizer. Gil is president of the Cohoes High School Men’s Association and a volunteer at the Cohoes Community Center.
A retired Ford Motor Co. employee at the Green Island plant, Gil is a member of and former representative for United Auto Workers Local 930. He and his wife, Barbara, are the parents of four children. “I will stay in politics as long as I can, as long as the people of Cohoes support me,” Gil said. “I appreciate their support and work hard to keep their trust.”
