Matt Doheny’s 2012 bid for Congress is official.

The Watertown businessman and registered Republican filed paperwork today with the Federal Elections Commission to become a candidate for Congress, where he will represent northern and Central New York’s interests in Washington.

“While my campaign may technically start today, I’ve been out listening to residents all over northern and Central New York since last November,” Doheny said. “People continue to worry about our country’s lack of forward progress. We need good paying jobs. But President Obama and his allies continue to stifle growth by pushing an agenda that leads to higher taxes and bigger deficits. That just creates more burdens for both average Americans and for our future generations.”

Doheny is an investor who managed the distressed assets division of a Fortune 500 company for eight years. He had an up-close look at why American businesses failed – and gained an expertise in finding ways to turn those troubled companies around. He’s now formed his own investment firm, North Country Capital, to help start-ups create jobs locally. Doheny also helps companies by using his expertise in turnarounds and restructurings, either by sitting on their boards of directors or through consulting.

The candidate believes Congress needs more businessmen who understand how our economy works and how we can reverse the current crisis of confidence that Americans feel. He will put the knowledge gained from his private sector career into a pro-growth plan that will create incentives for businesses to get back in the game. That plan will get our economy – and this great nation – moving in the right direction.

Like many Americans, the candidate also understands Washington does not have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem.

Doheny will be proposing reforms that ensure Washington will continue to provide a social safety net, but one that is within our country’s means and does not simply defer problems and put the burdens on generations to come.

The candidate expects his ideas to resonate with New Yorkers looking for real leadership.

While the state Legislature works on redrawing the congressional district boundaries for the 2012 election, Doheny will continue reaching out to local leaders, Republican officials and residents of the many counties who may be part of the eventual district.