Schenectady County Legislature fills vacancy
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Schenectady County Legislature voted on Tuesday to appoint Holly Vellano to fill the vacancy created when Legislator Brian McGarry passed away last month. Vellano was sworn-in after the vote and will represent the towns of Rotterdam, Princetown, and Duanesburg for the remainder of the term, which expires on Dec. 31, 2023.
Under the County Charter, a special meeting must be called within 45 days of a vacancy occurring. During the special meeting, the full legislature takes nominations and then votes to appoint someone to fill the vacancy.
“Holly Vellano was the natural choice to fill the vacancy from District 4. She shares the values of the residents of District 4 and having previously served twelve years on the County Legislature, Holly was uniquely qualified to hit the ground running to ensure the residents of Rotterdam, Duanesburg and Princetown are well represented,” said Anthony Jasenski, Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature. “We welcome Holly back to the Legislature and look forward to working with her.”
Vellano is a resident of Rotterdam and previously represented residents in District 4 in the County Legislature from 2010-2021.
While in the legislature she served as Chair of the Committee on Environmental Conservation, Renewable Energy and Parks Committee, the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, and the Vice Chair of the Committee on Labor and Civil Service. During that time, she worked to move Schenectady County closer to energy independence, reduce its carbon footprint, and protect the county's aquifer and other environmental assets.
Vellano has also been a strong advocate for the county's veterans and has fostered many efforts to recognize and support them, including the expansion of the Veterans Memorial in Veterans Park, assisting in the purchase of a van to transport veterans to medical appointments, proclaiming Schenectady County as a Purple Heart County, and most recently the construction and dedication of a new memorial honoring the county's Vietnam-era veterans at SUNY Schenectady.