Background
Saland, Stephen M. was born on November 12, 1943 in New York, New York, United States.
politician member of the New York State Senate
Saland, Stephen M. was born on November 12, 1943 in New York, New York, United States.
University of Buffalo (Bachelor of Arts, 1965). Rutgers University (J. Doctorate., 1968).
His district includes all of Columbia County and most of Dutchess County. Saland lost his 2012 re-election bid to Democrat Terry Gipson in a very tight race decided by less than 2,500 votes. Conservative Party challenger Neil DiCarlo, who made a campaign issue of Saland"s vote in favor of same-sex marriage, received 17,000 votes and was regarded by many as the spoiler in the race.
A native of Poughkeepsie, Saland earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University at Buffalo in 1965 and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School in 1968.
He maintains a law practice in Poughkeepsie, where he is of counsel to Gellert & Klein, Professional Corporation
He began his own career in public service as a town councilman in Wappinger. In April 1980, Saland was elected to the New York State Assembly (99th Doctorate), to fill the vacancy caused by the death Emeel South Betros.
His first action as a state legislator was to introduce a bill requiring the state to reimburse school districts for interest debts they incurred from borrowing money because of New York"s budget crisis. He was elected several times, and remained in the Assembly until 1990, sitting in the 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th and 188th New York State Legislatures.
Saland was the decisive vote on June 24, 2011 for New York"s Marriage Equality Acting, legalizing same-sex marriage in New New York
He defined his vote as a matter of conscience during a stirring legal defense of an amendment exempting religious organizations from the law. “I have defined doing the right thing as treating all persons with equality. And that equality includes the definition of marriage.
I fear that to do otherwise would fly in the face of my upbringing”, Saland stated.
Saland announced that he would vote "yes" on June 24, 2011—the same day that the bill came to the Senate floor for a vote. Saland had previously voted "no" on same-sex marriage in December 2009.
He was a Republican member of the New York State Senate, representing the 41st District from 1990-2012. He was a member of the New York State Senate (41st Doctorate) from 1991 to 2012, sitting in the 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 193rd, 194th, 195th, 196th, 197th, 198th and 199th New York State Legislatures.
Married Linda Horowitz. Children: Jason, Joey, Jeremy, Jesse.