Snyder resigns from commissioners seat
WAYNESBURG – Greene County Commissioner Pam Snyder will take the oath of office as the district’s new state representative Jan. 1; however, her duties related to the position will begin much sooner.
On Tuesday, Snyder, a Democrat, was elected to represent the 50th Legislative District by defeating her Republican opponent, Mark Fischer.
On Friday, Snyder submitted her letter of resignation from the board of commissioners in the Greene County Court of Common Pleas, which will choose her replacement.
Snyder said she wanted to give the court as much time as possible to select a new commissioner to complete the remaining three years of her term.
Her last day with the county will be Nov. 30. The next day, Dec. 1, Snyder will be placed on the state payroll. New members are added to the payroll a month in advance, she explained, to give them time to prepare for the transition and organize their new offices.
“There will be a lot of emotion in the next three weeks,” Snyder said about leaving county government.
“I’m going to miss this place and the hardworking employees and department heads who I’ve watched work diligently every day during the last nine years to serve the people of Greene County.”
As state representative, Snyder said, she will continue to work for the people of Greene County and now also for those living in parts of the district in Fayette and Washington counties.
“It’s going to be a new challenge,” Snyder said. “And I’m looking forward to it.”
Snyder also will be in Harrisburg Tuesday through Thursday next week to participate in a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, at which the caucus will choose its leaders, and to attend orientation for new House members.
She said she will have to miss her last two commissioner meetings Wednesday and Thursday, something she regrets.
Snyder was elected to her third term as county commissioner last November.
Greene County President Judge William Nalitz said Friday he and Judge Farley Toothman will have to meet to discuss the process the court will follow to appoint a new member to the board.
By law, Snyder’s replacement must be a county resident and a registered Democrat.
The last time the court was required to appoint a commissioner was in 2010, when Dave Coder resigned to accept a position as deputy district director for U.S. Rep. Mark Critz.
At that time, the court first accepted letters of interest from those wishing to be considered for the post. The successful candidate was Chuck Morris, who completed Coder’s term and ran last year, winning a full four-year term on the board.
In assuming the new office, Snyder will replace Bill DeWeese, who represented the district for 35 years before being convicted in February of using his legislative staff and other state resources to bolster his election campaigns. DeWeese is now serving a 2 1/2- to 5-year prison sentence.
The district’s legislative seat has been vacant since April 24, the day DeWeese was sentenced and resigned from the House, which also was the day DeWeese was nominated for a new term.
DeWeese was later removed from the ballot by Commonwealth Court because of his felony conviction. In August, Democratic committee members in the 50th Legislative District met and selected Snyder to be the party’s nominee for Tuesday’s general election.