LAKEWOOD — Nancy Bargar, a former Chautauqua County legislator, is considering a run for the open state Senate seat being vacated by state Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean.

A Chautauqua County native, she garnered the closest state Senate race in 1992, coming up short in the absentee count. Subsequent campaigns in 1994 and 2005 were unsuccessful. In 2010, she lost a bid for the state Assembly. For 10 years, Bargar served in the Chautauqua County Legislature, with leadership roles first in the minority, and then in the majority of the legislature.

“From my days as press agent for Assembly Majority Leader Daniel Walsh, and Assemblyman Rolland Kidder, my interest in making sure all voices are heard in Albany has never waned,” Bargar said. “I’m passionate about the area where I live, and about public policy,” she said. “I look forward to a thoughtful conversation with fellow activists about who might be the best candidate.”

With or without an elected title, Bargar volunteers to bettering her region through projects large and small.

For example, she has spent countless hours over the past five years working with Cattaraugus County legislators to help save a Civil War Memorial in Little Valley.

As a lawmaker, she is credited for championing the cleanup of county tire dumps and the ban on smoking in public places.

In 2015, Bargar was named Chautauqua County’s “Democrat of the Year.” She is a state judicial delegate, helping to select candidates for judicial positions in the district that includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties. Bargar serves on the board of the regional Democratic Women of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes, advocating for women leaders across Central and Western New York. She has served on many governmental, non-profit, and private boards.