CORTLAND, NY, Jul. 15, 2024

The Cortland County Democratic Committee has been busy nominating candidates in
July. The committee has nominated Lawrence J. Knickerbocker for the City Court
Judge seat left vacant when Judge Elizabeth Burns was appointed to the Court of
Claims. Knickerbocker will be leaving his position as part-time City Court Judge which
he has held several times, most recently since 2011.

The committee also nominated Kristin (Kris) Valentine Behnke to the Legislative District
5 seat left vacant when former District 5 Legislator Susan Wilson (D) submitted her
resignation. Wilson served as a legislator for 4 years before resigning after moving into
the Associate Dean position for the School of Professional Studies at SUNY Cortland.
Behnke and her husband and two children have been active in the community for many
years. Behnke has stated she looks forward to continuing Susan Wilson’s solutions-
based approach to legislating, and as a working parent with two young children at
home, bringing a new and unique perspective to the legislature. Behnke is the former
Youth Programs Manager at Cortland Repertory Theater and has worked at Cornell
University since 2022.

The Cortland Common Council is set to vote on all three appointments on Tuesday July
16th.

Mr. Knickerbocker and Ms. Valentine Behnke will both be on the ballot in November
while their appointments would last until December 31, 2024.