Dennis is new Yates County chairman

YATES COUNTY—The Yates County Legislature selected Tim Dennis as the new county chairman during their organizational meeting Thursday, Jan. 2. Dennis will be filling the vacancy left by the former county chairman Taylor Fitch, who was unsuccessful in a reelection bid in November, 2013.
“I’m excited,” Dennis said. “There are a lot of opportunities for the legislature. We have a lot of new blood, new ideas. I’m excited for the future of the county.”
The “new blood” Dennis refers to are the newly elected officials Robert Clark, Margaret Dunn, Elden Morrison, Leland Sackett, James Smith, Gary Montgomery and Bonnie Percy. Thursday’s meeting was their first meeting serving as legislators since being sworn in during a Dec. 30, 2013, ceremony.
“We are going to hit the ground running on Monday,” Dennis said. “We need to get to work. There is a lot to do.”
The legislature also appointed members to fill other positions during the meeting. Longtime Legislator Douglas Paddock was selected as the vice chairman of the legislature. County Administrator Sarah Purdy was reappointed to a two-year term. Purdy was also reappointed to her position as budget officer during the meeting.
County Clerk Connie Hayes was reappointed to her position, along with County Attorney Scott Falvey and Public Defender Ed Brockman. The legislature also appointed new chairs of their legislative committees during the meeting. Paddock was selected as the chairman of the finance committee, with Legislator Mark Morris as the vice chairman. Morris was appointed as the chairman of the government operations committee, with Legislator Jim Multer as the vice chairman. Legislator Leslie Church became the chair of the human services committee, with Paddock as vice chair. Legislator William Holgate is now the chairman  of the public safety committee, with Vice Chair Dan Banach. Banach will remain the chairman of the public works committee, with Multer as vice chair.