Rensselaer County GOP taps Zwack for elections post
TROY — Rensselaer County Republicans are moving to sort out the scandal-plagued Rensselaer County Republican elections commissioner post by having Henry Zwack, a retired state justice and former county executive, named to fill the seat Thursday.
The county Republican Executive Committee unanimously endorsed Zwack and sent his name to the Republican-controlled County Legislature to confirm as the GOP elections commissioner during a special meeting called for 6 p.m. Thursday at the county offices in East Greenbush.
Zwack of Stephentown will assume an office that has seen Jason T. Schofield resign from the position before he pleaded guilty in January to federal voter fraud charges and Corine Sheldon resign as acting commissioner effective Oct. 31 as a grand jury investigates her handling of ballots.
Zwack will lead the Republican
side of the bipartisan county Board of Elections in Troy as early voting is under way and the general election is held Tuesday, Nov. 7.
“Henry Zwack has an outstanding record of public service to Rensselaer County and New York state and brings considerable experience and ability to this important position. We look forward to Henry serving as Republican Elections Commissioner and helping guide the BOE through the upcoming elections and beyond,” county Republican Chairman Chuck Peter said in a statement Wednesday.
Zwack could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. He will receive an annual salary of $89,041 and serve from Nov. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2026.
Since Schofield left the appointed position, Sheldon has served as acting commissioner. County Republicans could not agree on naming a successor for Schofield, who had long been active in Troy Republican politics. Sheldon was not supported for the position even though she was a longtime chairwoman of the East Greenbush Republican Committee, from which she has resigned.
Schofield pleaded guilty to 12 counts of voter fraud charges in U.S. District Court. He admitted to fraudulently filing absentee ballots in 2021 by using the personal information of at least eight voters without their permission. Sheldon was the longtime second in command of Republican operations at the Board of Elections.
The Times Union reported Monday that the county grand jury is investigating Sheldon’s handling of voting certifications in the 2021 Working Families Party primary.
The Democratic and Republican elections commissioners are selected by their respective county political committees then approved by the County Legislature.
Zwack was a state Court of Claims judge appointed by former governors George Pataki and Andrew
Cuomo. He served 16 years as a judge, including as an active state Supreme Court justice with his chambers in the Rensselaer County Court House.
Prior to that, he was elected as county executive and
served from 1995 until 2001. He was chairman of the county legislature from 1993 through 1995 after also serving on the body from 1989 through 1995.
Zwack was acting commissioner, executive deputy commissioner and general counsel for the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. He also was
an attorney for Republicans in the state Senate as well as having a private law practice.
Zwack was acquitted in 2001 of felony charges in a no-show job scandal. In 2002, he was acquitted of 34 charges — 27 misdemeanors and seven felony counts — in an alleged patronage jobfor-votes trade case.