Aubertine to chair Agriculture (UPDATED w/ audio)

North Country Senator Darrel Aubertine has been tapped to chair the Senate Agriculture Committee. His position was the first announced at today’s press conference with leader Malcolm Smith. Aubertine, about to begin his first full term in the Senate, is a life-long dairy farmer from Cape Vincent.

We’ll have more on the appointment later today on All Before Five and tomorrow on The 8 O’Clock Hour. But if you want to see a truly bizarre political moment (not unusual for Albany), watch the way Smith abruptly left his own press conference. He later apologized and finished up.

Update: Here’s the audio of an interview with Sen. Aubertine yesterday.