Daniel P. McCoy is currently serving his fourth term as the fourth Albany County Executive. Dan was born, raised and resides in the capital city of Albany where he has worked as a public servant his entire professional career. He was a firefighter and EMT for the Albany County Airport and the City of Albany, earning the rank of Captain, and is a founding member of the Albany Airport Firefighters Union I-65. Dan is currently a member of the New York Army National Guard, where he has earned the rank of Master Sergeant. Dan served in the United States Army and was deployed to Iraq in 2005-2006.

Before being elected as County Executive in 2011, Dan served twelve years as a County Legislator, as well as Chairman of the Legislature for two years. He served for three years as Chairman of the Albany County Democratic Party Committee, the youngest person at the time to be voted to that position. Last September, Dan was selected to serve as a Vice Chair of the New York State Democratic Party Committee, one of the few to represent Upstate New York.

As County Executive, Dan has focused on finding creative and innovative ways to improve the delivery of services, all while streamlining government and keeping property taxes flat for the last eight consecutive years. He has done this in part by prioritizing his shared services initiative that identifies cost-saving measures and eliminating redundancies between county and local governments. Dan has also focused on economic development opportunities that create jobs, improve wages and expand the county’s tax base. He led the effort to create the first local development corporation dedicated to Albany County, the Advance Albany County Alliance, in order to promote and coordinate economic development initiatives and attract the next generation of workers to the local job market.

County Executive McCoy has focused on maintaining and rebuilding some of Albany County’s key infrastructure. Aside from keeping county roads paved, plowed and safe for commuting residents, Dan has made historic investments in the county-owned MVP Arena and the surrounding area, as well as the county’s nursing home, now known as Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. The new facility is now a place senior residents and their families can be proud of. Other projects include the reopening and revitalization of Lawson Lake County Park and the completion of the Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail, both of which make the county a more attractive place to live and to visit. During Dan’s time in office, Albany County has invested $3 million in the Albany County Land Bank, which has helped address blight, make neighborhoods safer and raise property values. The Land Bank has resulted in nearly $20 million in assessed value of tax foreclosed real property.

County Executive McCoy’s policy goals are driven by the idea of equity and addressing key injustices that persist in Albany County and throughout the State of New York. Dan was the leading voice for historic indigent legal services funding reform, which mandated New York would now be responsible for funding public defenders across the state and ensuring ensure everyone has their day in court. He has also led the fight against the scourge of opioid addiction by forming the Albany County Opioid Task Force, offering free Narcan training and overdose prevention sessions and supporting the expansion of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in hospitals. With Dan at the helm, Albany County was one of the first counties in the state to file multiple lawsuits against both manufacturers and distributors of opioids to hold them accountable for the overdose and addiction epidemic.

Dan has continued to build on his commitment and legacy to make Albany County the greenest county in the state, while addressing long-standing environmental justice issues. He has championed the safe transport of crude oil by rail and stopped the expansion of a dangerous crude oil treatment facility at the Port of Albany because of environmental concerns. Dan continues call for air quality improvements in the South End and other underserved neighborhoods of Albany. County Executive McCoy has made progress transitioning the county’s vehicle fleet to hybrid and electric, has invested heavily in solar energy for county buildings, and helped with the successful advocacy of bringing the nation’s first wind turbine manufacturing facility to the Port of Albany. He has also partnered with the County Legislature on a number of initiatives that phase out single use plastics and polystyrene from the county’s waste stream.

Dan served as President of both the County Executives of America as well as the County Executives Association of the New York Association of Counties (NYSAC) during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In these roles, he coordinated the distribution of personal protective equipment among county leaders across the state, and helped establish walk up testing facilities that helped residents throughout the Capital Region, including in underserved communities. Throughout the public health crisis at the county level, protocols were quickly put into place for contact tracing and quarantines to stop the spread of the virus. Dan also established a food delivery program for those placed under quarantine through a partnership with the New York State National Guard. Additionally, County Executive McCoy established a Mental Health Support Hotline, provided financial relief to local businesses, and expanded broadband access to the Hilltowns with the partnership of Hudson Valley Wireless. Dan is currently President of NYSAC and serves as a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Counties (NACo).

For his steadfast leadership, Dan was named County Leader of the Year in November 2017 by American City & County Magazine. In May 2018, he received the Mary G. Roebling Distinguished Service Award from the Association of the United States Army 1st Region. In 2019, Dan had the honor of being the first County Executive to be named a Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellow, joining governors, attorneys general and congressional leaders to learn ways to address inequities in education and life outcomes. In 2021, Dan was named the first recipient of The Interfaith Alliance of Upstate New York’s Human Rights Award honoring his leadership during the pandemic and his steadfast commitment to equity in our community. He was also awarded the Italian American Community Center’s Italian Spirit Award for his work improving lives in our neighborhoods and honoring our diversity. Dan was elected in July to serve as a board member on the National Association of Counties (NACo).

Dan lives in Albany with his wife and has three children.