MAYVILLE-County Executive Vince Horrigan announced he won’t seek reelection this year during his annual State of the County Wednesday evening.
“After careful consideration and close consultation from my wonderful wife, who has always supported me in any endeavor I have taken, I have decided not to run for a second term as Chautauqua County Executive,” Horrigan said. “At this time in our lives we need to be free to spend more time with our kids and grandkids who live in the panhandle of Florida.”
Horrigan said he is proud of the progress made during his time in the Chautauqua County Government.
“Throughout my two years as Chautauqua County Legislator and over three years as Chautauqua County Executive, I have been privileged to work closely with my fellow elected officials side by side with an incredible County workforce in order to improve the lives of the citizens of Chautauqua County,” Horrigan said.
“As stated in this, my fourth and final State of the County address, I am very proud of the tremendous progress we have made in so many areas. Of course the work never ends and there is still plenty of work to be done.”
Horrigan was sworn in as County Executive January 1st, 2014 after serving two years as a county legislator. Horrigan also spent numerous years as the Executive Director of the County Red Cross, as well as the Executive Director of the Southwestern NY Chapter spanning three counties.
The county executive, who also spent 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, said leadership change is imperative for new ideas.
“I am a firm believer that new ideas and new energy come from new leaders,” Horrigan said. “With that said, I want every resident of Chautauqua County to know that I will keep the throttles in afterburner pushing hard for continued progress until the last day of my term as your County Executive.”
Justin Gould contributed to this report. He’ll have more on the State of the County Address Thursday.