OSWEGO – Oswego County Legislator James Weatherup will take on a second term as Chairman, fellow house members unanimously voting for him to preside over the Legislature in 2021 during today’s meeting, January 7.
Legislator Terry Wilbur nominated Weatherup, with Legislator Marie Schadt seconding the motion. There were no other nominees selected. The vote passed by a margin of 25-0.
“Thank you, and thanks to all. I’m very humbled,” Weatherup said.
Legislator Linda Lockwood was voted in as Vice-Chair, with Betsy Sherman-Saunders voted in as Clerk of the Legislature. All votes were unanimous. Weatherup went on to announce the leadership positions within the Legislature for the 2021 year:
Majority Leader: Legislator Terry Wilbur
Majority Whip: Legislator Patrick Twiss
Minority Leader: Legislator Marie Schadt
Minority Whip: Legislator Thomas Drumm
Before the start of the meeting, condolences and moment of silence were given for the passing of former Oswego County Sheriff Ray Miller. Miller served as Sheriff from 1978 – 1983.
The Legislature them moved on to unanimously vote in a block of resolutions that would support and move the workings of the body going forward over the next year. The resolutions are as follows:
- Designation of Newspapers for publication of Official Government business.
- Designation of Oswego County Treasurer.
- Adoption of a Oswego County Investment Policy with the designation of banks as depositories for county funds.
- Awarding a Professional Services Grant Writing Contract.
- Authorization of Real Property Tax Services.
- Renewal of lease for Board of Elections with Operation Oswego County, Inc.
- Budget Modifications for the Departments of Community Development, Tourism and Planning, and the Cares Act Rural Transit Funds.
All resolutions were unanimously passed by the Legislature, with the exception of two. The first resolution was a tax agreement with Solar Park Energy, LLC. concerning a Solar Park Project in the town of Volney. The resolution was passed by a vote of 18-5.
The next resolution was a Professional Services Contract for the Oswego County Attorney’s Office. The contract is for a study that will be conducted by the Bonadio Group out of Syracuse. The order was not to exceed $100,000 in service fees.
An amendment to the resolution was put forth, asking to obtain funds from another source. The amendment did not pass, with the original resolution passing by a margin of 21-2.
Majority Leader Wilbur took a few moments at the end of the meeting to express his thoughts, thanking the Legislature for their work in appointing new leaders.
“I just want to congratulate my colleague on the other side of the isle – Legislator Schadt, I look forward to working with you in the 2021 Legislative session. To my colleague on the Republican side, I appreciate the support for myself and the leadership team today that was put into place by your vote,”Wilbur said. “I’m hoping that 2021 will be a much better year and I look forward to all of us working together just as well as we all have, to provide for a better Oswego County.”
To view the complete meeting agenda, please click here. All County Legislature meetings are held the second Thursday of every month. February’s meeting date is still to be announced.
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The Presidency, the Senate and House majorities are now where they belong at this time of reckoning. After the shameful events at the Capitol Wednesday, and the last four years of RUMP’s reign, it remains to be seen if the rural backwaters can improve their moral standing and truly embrace the Constitution. With dangerous majorities in vulnerable populations, their words and actions can do furthur harm to the people they swore to protect. Every person who stormed my Capitol needs to be tried and convicted according to the Rule Of Law and be held fully accountable for their criminal actions. Our standing in the world stooped to a putin-like level, and he was smacking his lips when our Democracy devolved with RUMP’S TERRORIST’S riot. Impeachx2 to insure the survivabilty of the United States Of America.