Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin took to Twitter late last week to lambaste fellow Republican and North Greenbush Town Supervisor Louis Desso after Desso used a town board meeting to announce his own re-election.

McLaughlin disputed the perception that he is "at odds" with Desso because Desso last year supported McLaughlin's primary rival, former deputy county executive Christopher Meyer.

The county executive said in a tweet Friday night that "we are at odds because (Desso) is a hypocrite, a con man, and a liar who spent 6 months doing nothing but smoking cigarettes all day & threatening county employees while trying to destroy my life."

In other tweets, McLaughlin addressed the numerous ethical questions that are currently surrounding the supervisor, which has included Rensselaer County's contention that the town has not reported sewer hook-ups for billing in a timely fashion — including a hook-up to Desso's own home and the property next door that was transferred to Desso's son, who is spokesman for now outgoing District Attorney Joel Abelove.

"#LetsMakeADealDesso is delusional in blaming the county for failing to report sever (sic) hookups AS REQUIRED," a tweet from McLaughlin said Saturday. "You're in a hole De$$o. You should stop digging."

McLaughlin's spokesman, Richard Crist, would not provide specifics about how Desso was allegedly "threatening" to county employees, or how Desso supposedly sought to "destroy" McLaughlin's life.

"Steve stands by what he wrote in the tweet. He would be willing to discuss it more in-depth at a later time," Crist said Monday. But he added, "I think everybody who works in the county government is well aware of the truthfulness of what was said by Steve."

The tension between the two Rensselaer County politicians became apparent last year when Desso lost his county job as deputy commissioner of mental health a month after McLaughlin, a former state Assemblyman, won the general election.

Desso was appointed to the county job in 2013 during the administration of then-county executive Kathy Jimino. The educational requirements for the job were changed to accommodate Desso, then both a North Greenbush town board member and county legislator who had previously worked in addiction recovery services.

Desso, who is not on Twitter, said the town's comptroller printed out McLaughlin's tweets for him to read Monday but he said he didn't look at them.

"What Steve McLaughlin says about me personally really doesn't matter to me," Desso said Monday. "To have a county executive tweeting their anger at other elected officials is immature and a waste of time."

Desso said any suggestion he threatened fellow county employees during the heated run off between Meyer and McLaughlin is not true.

McLaughlin's tweets followed a North Greenbush meeting Thursday night in which Desso announced before a meeting covering the 2019 budget that he would be running for re-election next year. He asked supporters by email to come to the meeting and speak. "I didn't tell them what to say or anything, that's not what I do," Desso said. "I think people are tired of the beating I'm taking."

Desso said he doesn't know if the county GOP will run someone against him in a primary next year. But he decided to run for his third-term to counteract what he says are continued political attacks against him by town Democrats.

Sources have said State Police took statements in August from Desso's two most outspoken critics, Democrats Charles Smith and Ron Sinico, in the wake of a Times Union story in July that laid out numerous questions about Desso's actions since he became supervisor in 2016. Among the concerns include free fill Desso's received at his house that was arranged by a prominent Route 4 developer, and a March 2017 town fee for his sewer line extension that he didn't pay for until this past August.

Desso said Monday that State Police have not reached to him, and he is not aware that anyone else in Town Hall has been contacted by investigators.

"I believe the people of North Greenbush will be with me," Desso said, noting that he has put in town budgets that have reduced property taxes the last two years. "I am going to run on my record."