Councilman won’t resign, but as a non-resident is ineligible to serve on Town Board
Guilderland Councilman Warren Redlich is now an ex-councilman, but not many public officials leave office the way he has.
The first-term Town Board member has sold his Guilderland home and is heading to Florida, as he’s acknowledged for months now was his plan. He said he isn’t formally resigning his post though.
I assume that my position on the board will be terminated, Redlich said today. `I’m not resigning, I’m not quitting. If they want me to continue serving I’ll be happy to continue serving.`
But since he’s no longer a resident of the town (or state, for that matter) Redlich has effectively forfeited his seat. That ineligibility is one of the few things Redlich and Supervisor Ken Runion have agreed on.
With an election coming in November, Runion said it’s unlikely the board will move to appoint a replacement.
`Currently, it’s my intention not to really do anything than to just leave it vacant,` he said. `We only have a few board meetings between now and January 1 [when Redlich’s term ends].`
Redlich said that if it was somehow found he could sit on the board and the Town Board wanted him to fly up for meetings, he’d do so.
Redlich had cited a number of reasons for his move south, including New York’s winters. He also said his experiences in Guilderland politics and with a run for governor in 2010 soured him to the political game and he would stay out of the public light until at least the time his kids graduate high school.
In the gubernatorial race, Redlich was targeted by mailers that falsely identified him as a sexual predator.
He plans to continue operating his New York law practice from afar.
In other town news, a special meeting of the Town Board has been called for the evening of Sunday, July 24, with the selection of a marriage officer on the agenda.
Last week, Town Clerk Rosemary Centi gave up the position as the state’s implementation of same-sex marriage approached. The marriage officer officiates marriages, but does not issue marriage licenses. Centi said she would continue to issue licenses to any eligible couple.
Runion said the town might appoint several officers, and he’s received many inquiries. To be a marriage officer, a person must be 18 years old and a resident of Guilderland.“