Governor appoints John Misiti to fill vacancy on Shelby Town Board

Board has lacked a quorum since 3 out of 5 members resigned in July

File photo: John Misiti, chairman of the board for the Orleans Economic Development Agency, is shown during an EDA meeting in March.

SHELBY – Gov. Kathy Hochul today has appointed John Misiti to fill a vacancy on the Shelby Town Board. The appointment gives Shelby three board members, which are needed to carry out town business.

Three of the five board members resigned in July, leaving Shelby without a quorum on the board to conduct a Town Board meeting.

Governor Hochul issued this statement: “As a former Town Board member, I know firsthand how our local governments play a critical role in the daily lives of New Yorkers, and it’s absolutely critical for the Town of Shelby to have a functioning Town Board. After significant engagement with local stakeholders, I am appointing John Misiti to the Shelby Town Board to ensure the continuity of government.”

The board hasn’t been able to function for about six weeks following the resignations of Town Supervisor Scott Wengewicz and board members Jeff Schiffer and Stephen Seitz Sr., who is also the deputy town supervisor.

Misiti, a retired sales manager, currently serves as chairman of the Orleans Economic Development Agency. He has been a volunteer on the EDA board for 23 years. Misiti had one other needed criteria to be considered by the governor for the appointment: He is a registered Democrat.

“I’m not looking back, I’m looking forward,” Misiti said. “We got to move forward.”

He will be on the board until Dec. 31. Misiti said he only intends to serve on the Shelby Town Board for about four months with no aspirations of seeking elected office in the future. In his role with the EDA, he said he would recuse himself if there are any votes directly affecting a project in Shelby.

On Jan 1, the board should be at full strength with all five members. Two of the members will likely be Jim Heminway as town supervisor and Larry Waters Sr. as a councilman. They won a Republican primary in June and don’t face any opposition on the ballot on the Nov. 4 general election. Incumbent Eddie Zelazny also won the primary.

The next Town Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. Misiti will join a board with Linda Limina and Eddie Zelazny. Among the three board members, they are expected to pick an acting town supervisor.

The board will be busy as it tries to put together the town’s budget for 2026.

Zelazny said he supported having Misiti’s name submitted to the governor’s office for consideration. Misiti said it was about a four-week process of a background check and vetting process by Hochul’s team.

“He’s business oriented,” Zelazny said about Misiti. “I’m happy we can get things rolling again.”

The two years of the unexpired term of Schiffer also will be filled in the Nov. 4 election. The Republican Committee backed John Pratt III, a former Town Board member, while the Conservative Party nominated Mark Wambach for that election.

The terms for Wengewicz and Seitz both end Dec. 31. Those can’t be filled with a special election. Because Schiffer has more time on his term after this year that spot can be filled at the Nov. 4 election.

That councilman’s position will be on the ballot as a two-year term, along with the full terms for town supervisor and two other councilman positions.