LITTLE VALLEY — Cattaraugus County lawmakers will meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the third floor Legislature Chamber at the County Center to reorganize for 2018.
The same faces are expected in both Republican and Democrat leadership posts as in 2017, although two minority Democrats will switch jobs.
Republicans control 12 of the 17 County Legislature seats.
Legislature Chairman Paula Stockman, R-South Dayton, said Republicans will retain their same leadership team in 2018: James J. Snyder of Olean, vice chairman; Donna Vickman of Farmersville, majority leader; Howard VanRensselaer of Randolph, assistant majority leader; and Robert Neal Sr. of Randolph, majority whip.
Minority Leader Susan Labuhn, Democrat of Salamanca, said John Padlo of Olean will serve as assistant minority leader and David Koch of Salamanca will be the minority whip. The two men switched posts from 2017.
Stockman said 2017 “was a whole lot better than 2016, my first year as chairman.” The deaths of two legislators in 2016 left county lawmakers in shock. It also led to two changes in the committees during the year.
“You never know what will come up,” Stockman said in a year-end interview Friday. “Last year it was C.A.M.P. (Citizens Advocating Memorial Preservation) who had fought long and hard to save the county’s Civil War Memorial and Historic Building at Court and Seventh streets across from the County Center. C.A.M.P. submitted the lone bid for the memorial last year and is currently planning fundraising activities and grant writing for its restoration.
There is some unfinished business from last year, most notably contracts with several unions representing county employees, which expire Dec. 31, 2017.
“We need to finish up the negotiations,” Stockman observed. “Donna Vickman (Labor Relations Committee chairman) says they are making good progress.”
Also on the County Legislature’s 2018 agenda are renovations at the Community Services PROS (Personalized Recovery Oriented Services) Building in Olean and new Community Services offices in the former Olean Child Development Corp. site adjacent to the First Presbyterian Church of Olean.
Stockman said she was also very pleased the “Cornell Cooperative Extension is up and running and doing a fantastic job in a short period of time.” Two years ago the county created the new Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cattaraugus County after splitting off from a joint group with Allegany County.
With Deputy Public Works Commissioner Kathleen Ellis taking over as interim commissioner after the resignation in November of Commissioner Joseph Pillittere, Stockman said the county had time to make decisions about what direction to take.
“If we want to make some structural changes, now is the time,” she added.
The Legislature is also expected to have to appoint a new public defender if Mark S. Williams retires this year as expected. “We need a smooth transition there,” Stockman said.
The county Legislature chairman said she doesn’t anticipate any changes in the committee chairmen. “They work fine,” she said.
There may be some changes in committee memberships based on requests from legislators.
“I think the committee structure has been good,” Stockman said. “It seems to be working well.”
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
