MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Officials are rapidly preparing for a change in leadership and eyeing potential nominees to succeed Montgomery County Executive Mathew Ossenfort after he announced his plans to resign to take a private sector job at the end of this month.
“Matt has done a great job in his tenure,” Montgomery County Legislature Chairman Brian Sweet said Friday. “We’re kind of in uncharted waters so we’re going to have to figure out what's going to happen next.”
On Thursday, Ossenfort announced he will leave office on April 30 for a position with global insurance company Arthur J. Gallagher. He will be the Albany-area vice president working on public entity and nonprofit insurance.
Ossenfort, a Republican, became the county’s first executive in 2014 and was re-elected twice. Facing a three-term limit, the 42-year-old began searching for his next career opportunity prior to the expiration of his final four-year term at the end of 2025.
Well-wishing officials lamented Ossenfort’s impending departure, but said he fostered an atmosphere of teamwork and organized an accomplished staff that is well prepared to continue moving the county forward after he leaves office.
“If he’s excited and happy, I’m always going to be behind him and supportive of those decisions,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Matthew Beck, who first got to know Ossenfort as his lacrosse coach.
The vacancy will initially be filled by the department head designated by the county executive to act in his absence until the Legislature appoints a qualified candidate to the role for this year. The remaining one-year unexpired term will be filled during the next election in November.
NEXT IN LINE
Ossenfort previously designated Beck as his acting county executive. Beck said he’s prepared to perform the duties for as long as needed.
“I have no sense of how long that might be. I'm fully supportive of whatever decision the [Legislature] makes,” Beck said.
Ossenfort has yet to submit his formal letter of resignation. He expects to do that sometime before the next Legislature meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Even then, Sweet said legislators can’t appoint a new county executive until after Ossenfort leaves office. He said officials haven’t started discussing potential candidates and he expects a special meeting will be called to do so when the time comes.
“It’s something we need to decide as a whole. That’s where the discussion should happen, in the meeting,” Sweet said. “It’s going to have to be someone who is going to be able to hit the ground running day one.”
The timing of a potential appointment and their knowledge of county operations is crucial to Sweet as budget season approaches. The chairman had hoped to begin the process in June, a month earlier than usual.
“Budget season always creeps up on us and we always know when it's coming, but we always seem to be behind the eight ball. I wanted to start earlier and get more in depth with it,” Sweet said. “To save where we can … and just do the best we can for our constituents.”
Still, Sweet is confident there are suitable candidates for appointment. He indicated someone other than Beck should be selected due to his present responsibilities leading DSS and preparing for the relocation of more staff to the renovated Health and Human Services building in Amsterdam.
“He’s doing a great job here, he’s really brought that department around, we’re very pleased with how he's handling things,” Sweet said of Beck. “I don’t know how anyone could expect him to do his job and the executive’s job together. That just doesn't seem like something that would be good for the county.”
Although he’s leaving the decision to legislators, Beck is confident he could manage the dual roles and additional work throughout this year due to the capable team of county staff.
“If they decide to appoint someone else, there won't be any hard feelings. If they want me to try to shepherd the county, that’s what I’ll do,” Beck said. “Even if it's for a day, I’m going to do the same thing Matt was doing, letting the department heads run their departments and, if anything comes up, we’ll address it as a team.”
POTENTIAL NOMINEES
Since the petitioning period will conclude by the time Ossenfort leaves office, political party committees will nominate candidates to appear on the ballot to run for his unexpired one-year term in November.
Although the nomination process will not formally commence until Ossenfort’s resignation has actually been submitted, a potential Democratic candidate and two possible Republican candidates have come forward.
Terry Bieniek, chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Party, said preliminary discussions have centered on District 9 Legislator Robert Purtell. He isn’t aware of any other possible candidates at this stage.
“He seems to be pretty interested in it, so we will throw our support behind him,” Bieniek said. “I think he’s prepared himself to take the reins. I think he would bring a level headedness to the position and I think he would be an excellent candidate.”
Purtell said Ossenfort’s exit will leave a void in the county and expressed interest in furthering the advancements made in the county under the departing county executive’s leadership. Purtell has been a legislator since 2014 and served as chairman last year. He is active with various local organizations.
“I have an agenda to move Montgomery County forward and I think my involvement in economic development and the county’s budget would help us move forward,” Purtell said.
Brittany Kolbe, chair of the Montgomery County Republican Party, said Pete Vroman and Ray Tylutki Jr. have each announced their intent to run. She expects the party will hold a convention and start the nomination process after the June primary in accordance with state election law.
“It has been a privilege to work alongside Matt. His natural leadership ability combined with his vision of what Montgomery County is and can be, will make him an incredibly hard act to follow. He will certainly be missed, and I wish him success as he pursues new opportunities,” said Kolbe, who is also the county clerk, in an emailed response to a request for comment.
Vroman is the present supervisor of the town of Canajoharie. He was appointed to fill the vacant seat of former Supervisor Benny Goldstein by the Town Board in November. He is a retired U.S. Marshall and former Montgomery County undersheriff. He has served on various local boards.
“This is my home and I’ve always been interested in helping out my community and done what I can to do it,” Vroman said. “I think this is just a perfect extension of my whole career and I know I have a lot to offer Montgomery County.”
Tylutki runs Tylutki Family Farms in Palatine Bridge with his wife and son. He serves on various agricultural boards and has been involved in fire and emergency services for over 20 years. He previously worked in municipal equipment sales.
“I love Montgomery County. I am raising my family here, my wife and I run a small farm and I am dedicated to ensuring others have the opportunity to do the same in this beautiful area,” said Tylutki in a prepared statement. “I am motivated to improve this area for our residents. I have a vision to help lead Montgomery County forward and am excited about this opportunity.”
TRIPLE THE ELECTIONS
Due to the race this year to fill the vacancy and a state law moving local elections to even-numbered years, Bieniek said the county executive’s office will actually be up for election three years in a row.
“It's just the way it worked out,” said Bieniek, who is also the Democratic commissioner on the Montgomery County Board of Elections. “It’s quite unique.”
The state is moving town and county elections to even years to boost voter turnout by aligning those races with state and federal elections. The law set the timeline for shifting election years.
In 2025, Bieniek said the county executive’s office will again be up for election for a one-year term to get on the even-numbered year schedule. In 2026, the office will be up for election for a full four-year term.
“At some point you’re going to be shortening one term because you’re trying to get on an even year,” Bieniek said.
It’s something parties may take into consideration as they weigh possible nominees.
“That’s going to be a factor,” Bieniek said. “You could have somebody running three times, which is quite a bit. It’s definitely something you can’t take too lightly.”