OTSEGO COUNTY (AP) – Republican state Sen. James Seward is being challenged by Democrat Howard Leib, an attorney, in next week’s 51st Senate District election.

Seward, 61, is running on the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines on Tuesday, while Leib, 54, will appear on the Democratic and Working Families lines.

The new 51st Senate District, the result of state legislative boundaries being redrawn this year, comprises parts of Ulster, Delaware, Herkimer, Chenango, Tompkins and Cayuga counties and all of Schoharie, Otsego and Cortland counties. In Ulster County, it includes the towns of Hardenburgh, Olive, Rochester and Shandaken.

Seward has served in the state Senate since 1986. He graduated from Hartwick College with a bachelor’s degree in political science and studied at the Nelson Rockefeller Institute at SUNY Albany. Seward is a former Milford town justice. He and his wife, Cynthia, live in Milford, in Otsego County, and have two adult children.

Seward said his priorities include job creation and economic development, as well as providing more property tax relief to residents.

He said there is a renewed emphasis on job creation and economic development in the state and that he wants to see the Senate’s “New Jobs-NY” initiative passed. The initiative includes targeted tax cuts for manufacturing and small businesses, as well as tax credits for businesses that hire new employees, Seward said. He said it also would further remove state taxes on energy.

New York needs to improve its business climate statewide, Seward said, while locally, he wants to be part of the Ulster County economic development team so he can bring resources from the state to help county initiatives.

“I want to be on the team there locally in Ulster County, as I am in my other counties,” Seward said.

Seward added that he wants to see further property tax relief, on top of the state’s 2 percent cap on raising property tax levies. He said that includes state mandate relief to help local governments reduce expenses.