COOPERSTOWN _ The Otsego County Republican Committee has endorsed Edward Keator Jr. of West Oneonta to be the county's next treasurer.
At a meeting held Monday night in the board room at the Otsego County Office Building, Keator received 43 votes to the 39 for incumbent Treasurer Myrna Thayne, who is in the fourth year of her first four-year term.
Keator, 46, the accountant in the Treasurer's Office, will have the committee's support when he circulates his nominating petition in June, committee chairwoman Sheila Ross said Tuesday.
``The committee will back our endorsed candidate,'' said Ross.
The close vote Monday shows the Republican Committee is divided over Thayne's performance and the party needs to come together before November, said Rep. Betty Anne Schwerd, R-Burlington.
In June, Thayne, 60, of Laurens, will have the option of circulating a petition as well, to force a Republican primary.
She could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Keator, who was nominated by former Treasurer's Office account-clerk typist Lucy Card of Cherry Valley, said he was gratified by the support he received.
``I guess that's the first hurdle and I'm getting ready for what comes next,'' he said during his lunch break Tuesday.
On the advice of county attorney James Konstanty, Keator is seeking an opinion on whether he needs to resign from his job to seek the office of treasurer.
James Johnson, chairman of the county's Administration Committee, said Konstanty was worried that by running for public office, Keator might run afoul of the federal Hatch Act.
That act prohibits federal employees and other officials who handle federal funds from seeking public office.
``Some federal money that goes to DSS (the Otsego Department of Social Services) does cross his desk, although he doesn't decide how it is spent,'' said Johnson.
An advisory opinion from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel is expected sometime soon, said Johnson.
Ross said Thayne was nominated by deputy Treasurer Carol McGovern of Cherry Valley, and the nomination was seconded by several committee members, including former county Sheriff Donald Mundy and Schwerd.
Schwerd said Tuesday that she believes Thayne has worked in the county's interest during her years in office, striving to save taxpayers money. Schwerd noted on Monday that Thayne had recently crafted a memorandum on services the county provides that are not mandated by New York state _ a document that may help representatives cut county expenses.
Edward Lentz, chair of the county's Democratic Committee, said the Democrats will have ``a very good candidate, and we'll be proud to support him in the fall.''
Lentz said the Democratic Committee may not announce its endorsement for weeks, as it is early in the 2009 political season.
``We'll certainly do it before June,'' he said.
The office of treasurer currently pays $62,741 a year, according to the Otsego County Personnel Office.
Keator, who has been working for the Treasurer's Office for about two years, is being paid $34,190 for his county job this year. He also operates Ed's Bookkeeping and Tax Service.
In his letter to committee member, he wrote, "I have proven my abilities not only to do the work, but also to show that there can be a team effort to better the county as a whole by working as a team.''
Diane Koffer of Cooperstown, who seconded Keator's nomination, said she didn't believe Thayne had done a good job during her tenure, which includes one budget that incorporated an errant tax hike and two that were not supported by the county board.
``I don't know Ed well, but he seems like a good man and I think he deserves a chance,'' she said.
