Queensbury at-Large Supervisor Rachel Seeber was elected chair of the Warren County Board of Supervisors on Friday, the first female chair in the board’s history. Seeber is also the first atlarge supervisor elected chair in 30 years.
Seeber pledged bipartisan leadership, and to share responsibilities with her fellow county legislators from around the county, as she takes the helm of the board for 2021.
She said she plans to work with supervisors to restructure the board’s committee system and ensure that all on the board are heard and involved in the legislative process.
“We are ready to rise to the challenges and come together as a board as we never have before,” Seeber said. “We won’t be defined by the political letters next to our names, and we will establish leadership teams that are reflective of both the urban and rural parts of our county. We are a strong team when we work together and are politically diverse.”
Seeber, a Republican, is starting her 6th year on the Board of Supervisors. In addition to being the first female chair of the board, she is also believed to be the first former Warren County employee to ascend to chair of the Board of Supervisors.
She worked as a crime victims’ specialist for the Warren County District Attorney’s Office between 2000 and 2004 before promotion to a similar post with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, overseeing the Victim and Witness Unit for a 32-county region in the Northern District of New York.
She was elected to the at-large supervisor position after leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office post.
Seeber has small business experience, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in criminal justice and is a 2021 doctoral candidate in education and leadership. Seeber is also an adjunct criminal justice professor in the SUNY system.
Seeber succeeds Stony Creek Supervisor Frank Thomas, who chose not to seek a second year as chairman.
“We are grateful for the leadership and guidance Supervisor Thomas provided during an unprecedented year,” Seeber noted. “His years of budgeting experience have helped Warren County weather this difficult time.”
Seeber received 756 weighted votes to Chester Supervisor Craig Leggett’s 244 weighted votes.
Committee and leadership assignments have not been determined pending collaborative discussions among county legislators. The Board of Supervisors next meets on Jan. 15 at 10 a.m.