Craig M. Burridge, a 20-year veteran association CEO and 15-year executive director of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (PSSNY) announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the 21st Congressional District. Craig made his announcement on Friday, April 18th at 8:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (Ballroom C) in downtown Albany.

Craig was introduced by longtime friend and colleague Don Cantalino, RPh, owner of Uniondale Chemists in Uniondale, NY and current PSSNY President.

Among those present were friends, family, State Associaton Executives (including Penny Murphy, CAE of the Empire State Society of Association Executives and fellow State Association Executive Director Ernest Boyd, R.Ph., CAE from the Ohio Pharmacists Association) and many other loyal supporters.

Mr. Burridge is a life long resident of the 21st District having been born in Troy, N.Y. and schooled in Troy, Cohoes and graduating from Heatly High School in Green Island. Mr. Burridge achieved his Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from Hudson Valley Community College, his B.S. Degree in Political Science from SUNY @ Buffalo and his Masters of Science in Public Service from Russell Sage College. Mr. Burridge also achieved his national Certified Association Executive designation in 1998.

Upon receiving his Masters, Mr. Burridge went to work for the NYS Senate as a research analyst and later a senior legislative analyst for the Senate Minority Leader. Mr. Burridge represented the Senate Minority Leader on standing committees such as: Local Government, Cities, Housing & Community Development and Government Operations. Mr. Burridge stated that his most satisfying accomplishment while working in the Senate was working with Senator Stachowski (D.-Buffalo) in researching, writing and moving legislation through and into law that required hotels and motels to provide smoke detectors for the hearing impaired. "Today, 25 years later, I see these strobe light detectors in nearly every building I've visited throughout this country," Burridge said.

In 1987, Mr. Burridge was named the executive director of the NYS Association of Renewal and Housing Officials, Inc. This was a natural fit as Mr. Burridge was appointed as a commissioner to the Cohoes Housing Authority in 1981, a voluntary position he held until 1988 ending his tenure as Vice Chairman. Mr. Burridge also served on the Albany County Youth Bureau and the Cohoes Music Hall Board of Directors.

In 1993, Mr. Burridge joined the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York as their executive director. Mr. Burridge is nationally known in pharmacy for his work training pharmacists and seniors on the new Medicare Part D prescription drug program and in helping unions significantly reduce the cost of their prescription drug programs by cutting out the middle-man's hidden income that few plans knew existed. "I have a proven track record of helping union's stop the bleeding of their prescription drug funds. I'm still helping whenever asked," he said.

Mr. Burridge says that he wants to run a campaign that is volunteer based and is open to all the residents of the 21st District. "There is no better way to understand the needs of those in this always evolving and changing community then by working side by side. I want to get to know what's on their minds, their successes and struggles, their hopes and their dreams," he concluded. Mr. Burridge can be contacted at www.craigburridgeforcongress.com.