FRENCH CREEK - James Caflisch, R-French Creek confirmed Friday that he will step down from his position as legislator in District 21 to become the clerk of the County Legislature.
When the new Republican majority takes control of the legislature later this month, the party's caucus will appoint Caflisch to his new position. He has submitted his letter of resignation to the County Clerk effective March 17.
"The Republican Committee members from District 21 will meet on March 11 to start the process to interview prospective candidates for filling the vacancy to be created with my resignation," Caflisch said. "By rule of the Chautauqua County Charter, any registered Republican from District 21 who is interested in filling the vacancy should contact their local Republican committee person. There will be a special election in November for whoever fills the seat to complete the term."
The interviews on March 11 will be held at the Findley Lake Community Center.
At a loss for words when asked to reflect on his tenure in office, Caflisch said it has just "truly been an honor" to represent the people of District 21 in the County Legislature.
"I wish to thank all the wonderful people of Clymer, French Creek, Mina and Ripley for their support since first being elected to the legislature in 1991," Caflisch said. "That's probably the most heartfelt thing I can say. The people of District 21 are really great people and I'm hoping that my replacement will be of the same political persuasions that I am and represent what I call the rugged individuals who are in this area."
With close to two decades experience as a legislator, Caflisch said he looks forward to imparting his knowledge and known history of the institution to current and future members.
"Hopefully we can talk about things or I can talk to the legislators from both sides about things we've tried before and things that maybe didn't work," Caflish said. "I've looked at it as an area for more research. I have a keen interest in how county government operates and so I'm hoping that I have something to offer in a different area for everyone."
Making the switch from a part-time legislator position to being a full-time employee of the county will offer new challenges, Caflisch said. However, Caflish said he is hopeful that he can help all 25 legislators "grow and understand how complex county government is and how we work with state and federal resources to deliver services" at the county level.
"I'm going to approach the job and do everything I can to help move the county forward in a positive way," Caflish said. "We have tremendous challenges ahead, it looks like, from what the federal and state government is going through, and we know that we have a serious budget issue for 2011 ourselves. So hopefully we can find ways to move forward and work together."