He said he would be an advocate for military veterans if he gets the job.

Cooke served in the U.S. Army from 1960 to 1966 as a combat engineer with the 502nd Engineer Company and spent 33 months in Germany during the Cold War.

He graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in agriculture economics and from Cornell University as a doctor of veterinary medicine. He has a PhD in environmental engineering from Kennedy School of Environmental Studies.

His previous political experience includes mayor of the Village of Port Henry and member of the Village Board of Trustees and Village Planning Board.

HEALTH CARE

Cooke said another issue he’d work on is health care.

“We have to do something about the debacle of health-care coverage for 45 million Americans who are uninsured. Health-insurance premiums are rising faster than people’s incomes.”

He said that if the industry followed best-care health practices, costs could drop substantially.

“Ancillary services are 60 percent of the bill. The prescribing physician uses too many of them. We need to be mindful of best-care health practices. We’ve got to reduce these costs by a lot. The economy would go a long way if health-care coverage was available.”

SMALL BUSINESS

Cooke said he and his wife, Sharon, operate four businesses, and he knows the problems and costs facing small-business owners.

“We need a system to help employers. The cost of running a small business is too much.”

McHugh has represented the 23rd Congressional District since 1993.