Oswego County Clerk George Williams looks at a license plate at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Oswego. Williams announced Thursday that he would step down from his position as chairman of the Oswego County Republican Committee. He'll remain as county clerk, a position to which he was re-elected earlier this month with more than 99 percent of the vote.
Oswego, NY -- Oswego County ClerkGeorge Williams will give up his position as chairman of the Oswego County Republican Committee, he told committee members at a meeting Thursday night.
Williams, ,75, has headed the county committee since 2003 and said this month’s strong showing by the party – including the State Senate victory of Republican candidate Patricia Ritchie and his own re-election as county clerk with 99.3 percent of the vote - made this a good time hand the position to someone else.
Plus Williams said, he had health problems recently and landed in the hospital shortly before Election Day. His doctor, he said, told him to think about giving up something.
“The health isn’t the whole thing,” he said. “We’ve done what we can do.”
Williams has been involved in politics in Oswego for decades, including stints as Constantia town justice, town council member, member of the County Legislature and, since winning election in 1980, county clerk.
Republicans suffered some defeats while Williams was chairman. In 2008, Darrel Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, took the State Senate seat that represents the area. The next year Democrat Bill Owens took the seat in Congress that represents Oswego County and held the seat in this year’s elections.
“In two years we’ll probably take the congressional back,” Williams said and his announcement was made hours after Aubertine sent out an e-mail conceding his loss to Ritchie.
Williams said a battle among Republicans that pitted him against County Legislature Chairman Russ Johnson, R-Fulton, was probably his toughest time as chairman.
“I wish him well,” said Oswego County Democratic Committee Chairman Michael Kunzwiler. “I may not agree with him politically, but I do wish him well.”
Len Schick, chairman of the Oswego County Conservative Party, said he will miss having Williams as a counterpart. “We had a number of differences but always had a certain amount of respect and trust,” he said.
Williams said the county committee will vote in his replacement during a meeting in early December. He said he didn’t have a candidate in mind to succeed him but did say Republicans need to get younger people involved in the volunteer work of directing the party.
“Nobody gets paid,” he said of the committee members – sometimes as many a 100 – who show up for meetings.
Williams said he expects to be involved in his town committee – “that’s not heavy lifting,” he said – and wouldn’t disappear from the scene. “I’m not going away, I’m just stepping down.”
The Oswego County party leadership change will come two months after Onondaga County Republicans chose a new committee chairman. Thomas V. Dadey beat out four other candidates to succeed outgoing Chairman John DeSpirito in early October.
Contact Charles McChesney at cmcchesney@syracuse.com.