He’s stepping away from his position, but not community service, he says
By Stefan Yablonski
Years ago, a young Will Barclay didn’t take his father’s advice. The result was a decades-long political career.
“Interestingly, my father didn’t think I should run for the Assembly,” the Assembly minority leader recalled. “He was in the Senate; he thought the challenges might be too great. He knew what kind of lifestyle it was and he wasn’t too anxious for me to run for office. He gave me a lot of good advice, but this is one I didn’t take.”
William Anson Barclay, “Will,” has served in the New York State Assembly since 2003. He was elected to the position of Assembly minority leader in January 2020. In February 2026, he announced that he was stepping down from his leadership position and he wouldn’t seek re-election in the fall. Assembly Republicans named Ed Ra as the next Assembly minority leader. Ra represents the 19th Assembly District, which covers parts of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay in Nassau County, Long Island.
A Republican, Barclay represents the 120th District in the New York State Assembly. As of 2024, the 120th district includes Oswego County and portions of Cayuga and Jefferson counties.
He was named deputy minority leader in 2012.
After Assemblyman Brian Kolb resigned as minority leader, following a drunk driving arrest, Barclay, then age 51, was unanimously elected to the post of Assembly minority leader by his Republican colleagues on Jan. 7, 2020.
“I am not retiring … just stepping away from elected office,” he explained. “I’ll still be a lawyer, still practice law. I will probably spend a little more time there than I have in the past. We have the family businesses, too. We have the fishing in the [Salmon] river — I’d like to spend a little bit more time focused on that.”
He said he has nothing really on his immediate horizon.
His wife Margaret — who serves as the executive director of the Oswego Health Foundation, where she directs philanthropic support for the health system — is happy about his decision, he added.
“She has plenty of ‘honey do’ lists for me,” he laughed. “I think she may be the happiest about my decision. She is happy to have me around.”
Hit, run and hide
“One of the first significant bills that I did was, there was an incentive for criminals to leave the scene of the crime. When I first took office, the law unintentionally rewarded people for leaving the scene of an accident. Fixing that took years — but we ultimately closed that loophole,” he said. “At one point, an intoxicated driver who fled the scene could face less severe consequences than if they stayed and were tested for DWI — creating a clear incentive to leave. Once a driver fled, it became significantly harder for law enforcement to prove intoxication, meaning serious misconduct could go under-penalized.
“Over multiple sessions, lawmakers strengthened leaving-the-scene statutes — raising penalties, especially in cases involving injury or death and expanding felony-level consequences. Reforms also improved enforcement and evidentiary tools, helping ensure drivers couldn’t evade appropriate DWI-related accountability simply by fleeing. That was probably the first thing that I did of substance — of statewide substance.”
The time is right
“When I first ran, I never thought I would be an elected official; it never occurred to me and then the opportunity came up. I thought I would serve just six years and I am doing 23, it will be 24 by the end,” he said. “It has been a great honor. I have enjoyed every minute of it. But everything has a season and I am 57. So, I figured it is time to get out and just do other things, like focusing more on practicing law or working on the family business more.
“So that’s where I am. It’s been a great honor to be of service to the community. I will continue to do that, just not as an elected official.”
When Barclay first took office, his district was different than it is today.
“I’ve gone through a number of redistrictings. When I was first elected, I had parts of Oswego County and parts of Onondaga; went all the way down to Skaneateles. Then just a little bit of Onondaga County,” he said. “Now I don’t have any Onondaga. I have Cayuga County and Jefferson County and all of Oswego County, which I love. So that is good.”
No regrets, a concern
“I have no real regrets; that is why I feel very comfortable stepping away at this time. It just was a great honor to lead the Republicans,” he said. “It was a great honor. It gave me a joy to lend my voice.
“I am concerned about the direction of the state. I wish I could have done more to improve the business climate in New York state. But I think I was able to have an impact on policy and I think we moderated because of the voice we had. We moderated a lot of really bad policy.
“The New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA or Climate Act), the governor is backing off on that, I think because it is becoming politically unpopular because utility bills are going through the roof. As a public official she understands what her constituents want, so she’s backing off.”
New Yorkers’ energy bills are spiking and moving ahead with the state’s climate law is only going to make things worse, the governor told nysfocus.com recently. She cited a memo released by the state energy authority NYSERDA in late February, which claimed that some New York households could face $4,000 or more in increased upfront energy costs by 2031 if the state were to follow the law as written. (New York Focus is an independent nonprofit newsroom investigating power in the Empire State.)
“For us to meet the goals on the time frame that was set by the legislature, there’s going to be enormous costs to families. Enormous,” she said. “I just need a reality check.”
“That is just one example where it’s not always directly related but it is putting that pressure on the governor and the majority, we are able to move on public policy to some degree,” Barclay said.
Family matters
His wife, Margaret, will remain at Oswego Health, he said. As the Oswego Health Foundation’s executive director, she directs all aspects of philanthropic support, allowing the health system to fulfill its mission to provide accessible, quality care and improve the health of the residents in the community. This includes the cultivation of major gifts, new donors and events.
Before joining Oswego Health, she held fundraising positions in the nonprofit and educational sectors.
“Any of this [political] stuff takes an incredible amount of time and travel. I’ve been moving all around the state,” he said. “I am thankful for having Margaret by my side and giving me the ability and the freedom to be able to be in politics. I thank her for being there.”
Barclay announced his first run for office about 25 years ago at the Press Box in Oswego.
“When I first ran, I had two boys. Harry and George. Harry was 2 years old and George was just born. They have known nothing else but their father being in politics,” he said. “George, my younger one, works at the hardware store in Pulaski. He’s living with us. He is doing great. My older son, Harry, went to ESF and was in construction management and was working for an engineering firm but now has left that and is now working for us in the family here in Pulaski.
“I have lived in Pulaski around 30 years in the same house; the ninth generation in the same place,” he said. “It was four greats [grandfathers]; don’t think he actually built it. He bought it in 1840-something. I don’t know that for sure. It was built in 1840, that is what my mother said. I don’t know where she got that information.”
Community-oriented
As of April 2026, Barclay serves as the New York State Assembly Minority Leader (stepping down at the end of his term) and is a partner at Barclay Damon, LLP, based in Syracuse. He serves on the Assembly Rules Committee and has previously served on the Ways and Means, Energy and Judiciary committees.
“I am chair of the Pathfinder board of directors. I enjoy that. I also serve on the Countryway Insurance Board,” he said. “When I have free time, I do fish [bullhead]. I love to ski, that is one thing, cross-country skiing. I look forward to doing much more next winter. It’s good exercise. And going fishing in the summer. I haven’t done much snowmobiling now that I am older. I do go with my son from time to time.”
What did he want to be growing up?
“Probably like an astronaut or fireman or something,” he said. “I didn’t really know what law was about. Dad, obviously, was a lawyer. He made a go of it, so I said if he can do it maybe I should, too. Maybe it’s something I’d want to do. I enjoy practicing law. I am looking forward to doing it more. My law career was sort of put on the back burner when I was doing the political thing.”
His father, Hugh Douglas Barclay, was a state senator in New York for 20 years and chaired the GOP conference in the state Senate. During President George W. Bush’s administration, he served as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador.
Barclay said he was involved in politics before he got elected.
“I volunteered on some things in Onondaga County, more so than in Oswego,” he explained. “The reason I was able to run for the seat is because I had [political] relationships in both counties. People came to me and asked if I would be interested in running. It wasn’t really something that I sought out. But I’m happy for it; happy for the experience.
“I love Central New York. I love Oswego County. I love Pulaski and the fact that the constituents were kind enough to elect me to this office — I am incredibly grateful.”
Barclay earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University in 1992 and his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law in 1995.
After graduating from law school, he served as a clerk for Roger Miner, a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Barclay’s Proudest Accomplishments
1. Having the honor of serving the district for 24 years and helping constituents navigate state resources and solve problems that affect their daily lives.
2. Playing a role in saving the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant and protecting thousands of jobs in CNY.
3. Being unanimously elected by my colleagues to serve as Minority Leader four times.
4. Securing millions of dollars in funding for projects in the district.
5. Working in a bipartisan manner to pass approximately 100 pieces of legislation that have assisted constituents and the district.
What Barclay Wished He Could Have Achieved
1. Bringing greater fiscal restraint to Albany and slowing the growth of state spending.
2. Preventing the outmigration of people from NYS.
3. Preventing the closure of the Nestle factory in Fulton.
4. Strengthening child abuse and social services laws that may have prevented the Erin Maxwell and the Jordan Brooks tragedies.
5. Repeal the SAFE Act.
Read the side story: Community Leaders React to Barclay’s Retirement from Politics
