NORWICH – Chenango County Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard B. Decker, the Republican supervisor from North Norwich since 1994, will not seek re-election in November.
The long-held rumor was confirmed late last week when Decker, who has been county chairman since 1997, did not meet the July 14 deadline for filing a designating petition for a Republican Party government seat.
He could not be reached for comment this morning.
Robert E. Wansor, a North Norwich chiropractor, filed his Republican Party petition to run for the vacant town supervisor’s seat. Democrats caucus to select their candidates, as do the Republicans in the towns of German, Lincklaen, Otselic, Pharsalia and Pitcher. Caucuses must be held by Sept. 23, which is the last day to accept or deny a nomination.
This election year’s Republican Party primaries are scheduled for Sept. 13.
The Chenango County Board of Elections is anticipating primaries in the towns of Columbus, Coventry (for supervisor), Greene, Guilford, McDonough, New Berlin and Smithville (for supervisor).
The position of county board chairman could be filled by any number of supervisors whose candidacy could be announced as late as the government’s regularly scheduled organizational meeting held each January.
Finance Committee Chairman Lawrence Wilcox, R-Oxford, took a long pause before answering a question posed this morning regarding his potential candidacy for the post.
“I guess I can’t honestly say that I haven’t considered it, but at this point no decisions have been made,” he said.
Wilcox, a dairy farmer, has been the supervisor of Oxford since 1998. He has led the county’s most powerful committee since 2006.
Wilcox said his name came up within a recent caucus of the Republican Party, but no specific candidate resulted from the discussion.
“I would wait to see who jumped out of the woodwork and if I agreed with the direction the county would be going,” he said.
Town of Norwich Supervisor David C. Law said despite representatives from both political parties encouraging him to consider the position of chairman, he would most likely not seek it.
“It’s been recommended to me, but to be very frank. I’ve just been praying about it to see if I can get any peace. I’ve got a pretty big town and it takes up a lot of my time. I think I’ll stick with the town,” he said.
Town of Guilford Supervisor George Seneck took his hat out of the race for chairman earlier this month when he said “the numbers came up short.”
He said he expressed an interest in becoming chairman last May, and had attended numerous committee meetings ever since, trying to educate himself.
“There was a core group of Rebublicans who were supporting someone else. I could not count on them,” he said. “But I could change my mind still.”