My name is Rick Montes and I have been a resident of New York all my life. I have lived in beautiful Putnam County for over a decade. I am married, and our children have attended local public and 
parochial schools. My wife and I have over the years volunteered our time with various local nonprofit organizations. We work,shop and play in Putnam. I belong to local civic organizations, play softball, and bowl in our wonderful county. I belong to the Putnam County Fish and Game Association and know the value of preserving our open space.
I am a Fiscal and Social Conservative who believes in limited government and that ultimate power belongs to the people. I will not be beholden to any special interest. I am a hard working, middle class, family guy who is tired of business as usual. I want our towns to be safe. The illegal alien problem needs to be addressed and corrected. Our local business community needs to be valued and supported so "Shop Putnam" actually means something. Our senior citizens and children need to know that our community supports them by offering services that cater to them like community centers, recreation centers and accessible ball fields. Our property taxes are one of the highest in the entire nation! We can not survive as a community if we continue to tax our citizens out of Putnam.
Often times elected officials lose track of the reason they are in office. They forget that they are elected to serve the people. I can promise you, I won't forget. I want to make sure that Putnam County will be a beacon to all other communities. I want our residents to continue to be proud that they reside here. I want to be your voice in the legislature, a voice of the people and for the people. I am running as a Republican because I feel that the Republican Party platform is closer to my ideas and philosophy. However, this does not mean that I will not be a voice for all of the people, regardless of Political affiliation.
I would like your input, so please contact me with your ideas, so that together, we can make Putnam the greatest place to live, work and raise a family.
Thanks for visiting my web site and please contact me with your ideas and concerns. 
