Conesville Supervisor Bill Federice was re-elected to his third term as chair of the Board of Supervisors Tuesday and Harold Vroman of Summit was re-elected vice chair, also for the third time.
Supervisors also made a number of routine appointments at the 2024 organizational meeting and Mr. Federice made a handful of changes in standing committee assignments.
There will be no “special committees” in ’24, he said—in 2023 those were Economic Development & Tourism, County Buildings Security, Homeless Strategy, and Law Enforcement Merger.
Rather, with the exception of the Law Enforcement Merger Committee—its work is nearly done—they’ll become standing committees meeting on an as-needed basis.
Supervisors’ efforts to address homelessness in particular are something that will become even more important in 2024, Mr. Federice said.
“The more we look under rocks, the more work we find to do,” he said.
Seward Supervisor Earlin Rosa will continue to chair the renamed Homeless Committee; other members will be Don Airey, Blenheim; Peggy Hait, Jefferson; Alex Luniewski, Wright; and Mr. Vroman.
Tourism and O-Tax are also being spun off to their own committee to be chaired by Sandy Manko of Sharon.
“We have a lot to offer in Schoharie County,” Mr. Federice said. “We can work hard on economic development, but there’s also the low-hanging fruit that’s tourism.”
He called the county’s tourism partner Destination Marketing “fantastic”; “I’d like to explore more opportunities to attract people here.”
Ms. Manko remains chair of the Historical, Planning, Promotional, Youth and OFA Committee, which had also kept an eye on tourism.
“I’d like Sandy to chair it, because when you do good, you get to keep doing good,” Mr. Federice said.
“I won’t thank you,” Ms. Manko deadpanned.
Other members of the Tourism Committee will be Werner Hampel, Cobleskill; John Leavitt, Carlisle; Alan Tavenner, Schoharie; and Alicia Terry, Gilboa.
A new Employee Safety & Security Committee will be chaired by Ms. Hait, who chaired the special County Buildings Security Committee.
Other members will be Mr. Airey, Mr. Tavenner, Mr. Terry, and new Middleburgh Supervisor John Youmans.
In standing committees, Ms. Terry becomes chair of the Agriculture Committee, replacing Wes Laraway of Middleurgh, who didn’t run for a second term.
Mr. Hample is now chair of the Economic Development Committee, which had been chaired by Ms. Terry; Jeff Haslun of Richmondville will chair the Transportation Committee, replacing Mr. Rosa.
Other chairs—unchanged: Law Enforcement, Mr. Leavitt; Radio & Emergency Services, Ms. Hait; Highway, Mr. Tavenner; Buildings & Purchases, Steve Weinhofer, Broome.
Also: Solid Waste, Phil Skowfoe, Fulton; Human Services, Earl Van Wormer, Esperance; Public Health, Mr. Rosa; Personnel, Mr. Vroman; Finance, Mr. Luniewski; Flood, Mr. Airey.
Chairs of the remaining as-needed committees: Audit, Mr. Haslun; ARPA, Mr. Terry; Energy, Ms. Airey; Management & Policy, Mr. Weinhofer; Rules & Legislation, Mr. Leavitt.

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All of the County Board’s GOP supervisors voted to re-elect Mr. Federice chair; casting no vote were the only two Democratic supervisors, Ms. Manko and Mr. Skowfoe, and Ms. Terry, a Conservative.
The vote was the same for Mr. Vroman, with the addition of Mr. Haslun as casting no vote.
“Thanks you,” Mr. Federice said after being re-elected. “I will work with everyone.”