BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

CANTON -- Two members of the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators have resigned following recommendations made by the county’s Board of Ethics.

Legislators Nance Arquiett, D-Winthrop, and Henry Leader, R-Gouverneur, will leave the board effective May 31, according to resignation letters they submitted to the county.

Arquiett says her departure is in response to a St. Lawrence County Board of Ethics determination that she cannot serve both as an elected legislator while working as an assistant public information officer with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

“The thought of stepping down from my seat on the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators greatly saddens me. However, I strongly believe that we have taken an oath to uphold the laws of the State of New York and to do so requires us to abide by the ethics laws that have been set forth,” Arquiett wrote. She also offered to “assist in either a voluntary capacity or on one of the many advisory boards” if the chance arises.

Leader’s two-sentence letter says he will leave office on the 31st of this month and says it has been “an honor and a privilege to serve the people of St. Lawrence County and particularly District 5.”

County Legislature Chairman Joe Lightfoot, R-Ogdensburg, said the ethics board determined Leader’s work as an attorney representing towns and villages is at odds with his elected post on the board.

“They asked the ethics board to take a look at their positions … Henry with his position representing several towns and villages vis a vis the county legislator position.” Lightfoot said. “[The ethics board] found [the legislators] couldn’t serve two masters.”

Lightfoot said the Democrats and Republicans will form respective committees to find temporary replacements for the two seats. The seats will be up for election in November, and whoever gets the most votes will be sworn in at the beginning of 2021.

Lightfoot said a local law requires the full Board of Legislators to approve the two committees’ respective recommendations.

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