​BDC ENDORSEMENTS

The BDC is proud of our endorsed candidates for 2024. We on the BDC are prepared to dedicate the time, energy, and funds needed to support progressive Democrats – but we need your help, too!

Albany County District Attorney
​ELECT LEE KINDLON

Lee, an Albany native, attended Williams College, where he played football and graduated in 1998 with a degree in History. After graduation, Lee attended the University of Connecticut School of Law and concentrated his studies in Constitutional and Criminal Law. In 2023, Lee graduated, magna cum laude, from Albany Law School with an LLM in Financial Compliance and Risk Management.

After receiving his commission in the Marine Corps during law school, Lee returned to active duty in January 2003 and was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. During his three and a half years on active duty with the Marines, Lee worked as a Judge Advocate, first in Legal Assistance, and then as the prosecutor for Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. In September 2005, he deployed to Iraq as a Battalion Judge Advocate and was stationed in Fallujah until April 2006. Now part of the Marine Corps Reserve, he is awaiting promotion to Colonel and currently serves as the Deputy Head of the Preliminary Hearing Detachment.

In private practice, Lee has represented clients in some of the area’s most high-profile criminal cases. From those hard-fought courtroom battles and dozens of trial verdicts, he has used his experience to benefit clients across the legal spectrum. Lee has represented victims and witnesses, kids caught up in Raise the Age and has been a Special Prosecutor. 

As a practitioner, Lee understands that IT’S TIME for a new approach to fix the Albany County DA’s office.  He has the experience and know-how to get it done. It’s time to stop the pipeline of guns and drugs into Albany County. It’s time to put resources into alternative treatment courts. It’s time to stop making excuses and bring order back to the law in the Albany County District Attorney’s office.

Lee lives in the Town of New Scotland with his wife and three boys.  Active in his community, he’s coached youth baseball, basketball and the occasional flag football game.  He has been a board member of Tri-Village Little League, City Rocks Basketball and Veterans Connect Center. He is also a member of the American Legion, VFW and Ancient Order of Hibernians. 

NYS Senate District 46
ELECT PAT FAHY

First elected in 2012, Pat Fahy, in her role in the State Assembly represents the entire City of Albany, Town of New Scotland, and part of the Town of Guilderland. A leading advocate for job creation, environmental conservation, and quality education, Pat has been the prime sponsor of over 200 bills – more than 70 of which have been signed into law including: the nation’s first Gun Industry Liability Law to hold gun manufacturers accountable for their role in the gun violence crisis; the nation’s first Right to Repair legislation, establishing a 30×30 conservation goal in New York State to conserve 30 percent of land and water by 2030; and examining modification or replacement of part(s) of I-787 in downtown Albany to expand waterfront access and development.

Pat has also introduced legislation to help accelerate the state’s transition to clean and renewable energy; expand and modernize New York’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); and tackle the growing threat of plastic pollution and industry’s rising carbon emissions.

Pat was awarded Freshman Legislator of the Year by the New York State School Boards Association during her first term in office and the Advocate for Choice award by Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood. In 2017, she was awarded the “Promoting Excellence in Mandated Representation” Award by the New York State Bar Association for her Indigent Legal Services (ILS) legislation funding and creating caseload standards. In 2019, she received the New York Library Association’s (NYLA) Senator Hugh Farley Award for help securing a $20 million restoration of capital funding, and the New York State Industries for the Disabled’s (NYSID) Legislative Champion Award for work on behalf of individuals living with developmental disabilities. In 2022, Pat was named the Environmental Champion of the Year by the New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) and Legislative Champion by the Environmental Advocates of New York (EANY).

Pat is married to Wayne Bequette, a professor at RPI in Troy, NY. They live in the City of Albany where they raised their two children. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Northern Illinois University.

NYS Assembly District 107
​ELECT CHLOE PIERCE

"I am a life-long advocate, dedicated personally and professionally to being a proponent of positive, impactful change. I strive to do the most good I can for the largest number of people possible, working to support democratic principles and ensuring the protection of rights for all, with an emphasis on under-represented communities and those that need the support the most. Working as an advocate, I have seen just how much change can be made when experts collaborate with local and state officials to make strides in healthcare access, women's rights, child welfare, behavioral health and other fields. My experiences in life and in my career have led me to embark on this next step as a community leader, using the skills I have learned through my various advocacy to continue to fight for increased rights, protections and positive change in the issue areas that are crucial to the community and to the preservation of democracy and democratic principles. My ultimate goal in this endeavor is to be a leader that enacts legislation and takes action that truly makes the towns in AD107 a better place to live, allowing people of all generations, socio-economic levels and varied backgrounds to thrive in their communities and contribute together to a safer, greener, stronger future for us all."

Albany County Family Court Judge
ELECT JAIME CZAJKA

Jaime was born and raised in Albany County. She is a graduate of Bethlehem Central High School, the College of the Holy Cross and Albany Law School of Union University, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree. She is a lifelong resident of Albany County, and currently resides in Bethlehem with her daughter, Maren, who attends the United States Naval Academy, and her two sons Jack – who is a sophomore in high school – and Mac who is in 8th grade.

Jaime has worked in the Unified Court System for the past fifteen years, serving as a Principal Law Clerk for Court of Claims and Supreme Court justices. She currently serves as a law clerk to Justice L. Michael Mackey, of the New York State Appellate Division, Third Department. Jaime began her legal career as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Albany, and later became a Senior Attorney with the NYS Office of the State Comptroller.

Today, Jaime is running for Albany County Family Court Judge because as a single parent of three children, she has a deep understanding of the emotionally driven, complex challenges of Family Court. Most litigants who enter Family Court do so at one of the most difficult and emotional times of their lives. Whether they are seeking support, custody, an order of protection, or one of the many other services offered in Family Court, Jaime believes all families deserve a humane courtroom where their case can be considered efficiently and fairly. As a Family Court Judge, Jaime Czajka will always have the best interest of Albany County’s children and families at heart. She humbly asks for your support.

Albany County Family Court Judge
ELECT JILLIAN FAISON

Jillian Faison is a family law attorney with fifteen years of experience practicing in the areas of child welfare, mental health, and human services. Originally from the Hudson Valley, Jill is a graduate of UAlbany and has lived and worked in the Capital Region for twenty years. A former fellow with the Center For Women in Government and Civil Society, Jill graduated from UAlbany with a degree in Political Science from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy and a J.D. from Penn State Dickinson School of Law.  She currently lives in Delmar with her thirteen-year-old daughter.

Jillian Faison has dedicated her career to public service on the local, state, and federal level.  Not only has she served as both a prosecutor and defender in family court cases, she was also appointed as Assistant Counsel to the Governor for Human Services, Mental Hygiene and Non-Profits. In these roles, Ms. Faison has had the opportunity to make statewide policy, implement the law, and provide effective counsel directly to families.

Currently, she practices law in Albany County Family Court, representing children in custody, neglect, and juvenile delinquency cases in addition to running her own family law firm.

Albany County Surrogate's Court Judge
​ELECT DEBORAH KEARNS

Deborah Kearns is the Chief Clerk of Albany County Surrogate’s Court and has served the residents of Albany County in this role since 2015. She has more than twenty years of experience assisting individuals and families with their estate planning, tax, and estate administration needs. Throughout her career, Debbie has worked with individuals of varied income levels, backgrounds and experiences and appreciates the legal and non-legal challenges faced by people of all backgrounds. She is a teacher, having taught on the adjunct and full-time faculty at Albany Law School for more than a decade, a mentor to young lawyers, students and Surrogate’s Court clerks around the state, and a resource for the community. While teaching at Albany Law School, she directed the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic and was responsible for the coordinated delivery of pro bono legal services to Albany County residents through a faculty supervised clinical legal education program.

Debbie is the President of the New York State Association of Chief Clerks of the Surrogate’s Court and serves on several Office of Court Administration Surrogate’s Court Committees. She serves on the Board of the Albany County Bar Association, the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Trusts and Estates section and writes commentaries for McKinney’s Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act. She is a frequent lecturer and prolific writer on trusts and estates matters and is routinely called upon for her expertise and experience. She is a graduate of Siena College, Albany Law School, and New York University School of Law (LL.M. Tax).

Debbie lives in the Town of Bethlehem with her husband of 24 years, Ken Carlson, her two sons, and rescue pup, Stella. She has been active and engaged in the community, having served on the boards of Tri-Village Little League and Tri-Village Nursery School, the Bethlehem Democratic Committee and as a volunteer at many school programs and events.

Debbie is compassionate and honest and would bring decades of relevant experience to the bench if elected. She would be honored to serve as the next Albany County Surrogate’s Court Judge.

Bethlehem Town Justice
ELECT ERIN LYNCH

Erin is running for Bethlehem Town Justice. She has been a part of the Bethlehem
community for the past 15 years and lives in Glenmont with her husband and two children, grades 5 and 8.

Erin has dedicated the last 18 years to a career in public service. She worked as a prosecutor for the New York State Attorney General’s Office as well as the Albany County and Schenectady County District Attorney Offices, where she handled hundreds of criminal cases and vehicle and traffic matters in town and county courts throughout the state. She currently serves as Deputy Director of Ethics for the State’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government and has held leadership roles in state government.

Erin is an active member of the Bethlehem community as well as the legal community. She served as President of School Out, Inc., for the past three years and remains on its Board of Directors. She serves as Second Vice President for the Capital District Women’s Bar Association and as a member of the Third Judicial Department’s Character and Fitness Committee.

She received her J.D. from Case Western Reserve School of Law and a B.A., Honors in Sociology, from the University of Michigan. Erin hopes to bring her experience and commitment to community to the Bethlehem Town Court.