At the Lloyd Town Board’s last meeting of the year on Wednesday, Dec. 18, the resignation of councilmember Herbert Litts, effective Dec. 31, was accepted. Former Town of Lloyd councilmember Michael Horodyski was appointed as his replacement, effective Jan. 1.
It’s a bit of turnabout, in some sense, because when Horodyski resigned from the Lloyd Town Board in 2011, it was Herb Litts who replaced him then.
Litts is resigning his seat on the board now because he was elected to the Ulster County Legislature in November, where he will represent portions of the Towns of Lloyd and Plattekill for District 9 beginning in January of 2014.
“It is with some regret that we accept this letter [of resignation],” said Town Supervisor Paul Hansut. “Herbie has always given 100 percent to the taxpayers and to the Town Board, and his experience and wisdom will be missed.”
Town clerk Rosalie Peplow said that Litts was always a pleasure to work with and commended him on his “thoroughness and fresh approach to things.”
Litts said he has mixed emotions about leaving, but the position with the county Legislature is “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
An engineer by profession, Litts has a long history of civic service not only with the Town Board but with the Lloyd Town Planning Board from 1977 to 1981. He served on the town’s economic development committee and sat on the Zoning Board of Appeals for 28 years.
Litts told the board that he was surprised when he started looking at the dates of when he started his civic activities and realized it was 36 years.
Councilmember Michael Guerriero questioned the process of selecting Horodyski as Litts’ replacement. Hansut said there were three letters of interest for the council seat, and after interviewing the candidates, the majority of the Town Board selected Horodyski.
“Who did the… I wasn’t there for the interviews,” said Guerriero.
“The majority of the Town Board,” repeated Hansut. “At a Republican Committee meeting.”
“Oh,” said Guerriero, a Democrat. “A Republican Committee meeting.”
Horodyski first served on the Lloyd Town Board in 2008. He resigned in 2011 after receiving a promotion at work, he said, unsure of what the new position’s obligations would entail and how his schedule would affect his work with the board. Horodyski is president and CEO at Wallkill Valley Federal Savings and Loan.
Horodyski says he’s confident now that his schedule will permit his activity on the Town Board and looks forward to returning and being a part of the decision-making for the Town of Lloyd.
“I hope to continue the work that I started back in 2008,” he said. “I do look forward to serving with everybody; I look forward to getting back. I love this town, I’ve lived here my entire life and serving on this Town Board is truly an honor.”
Horodyski is also chairman of the board of the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency (UCIDA) and a board member with the Walkway Over the Hudson organization.
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