Below is the article that ran in the Rome Sentinel on August 3rd. It is a great disappointment, however, Richard feels that he, or anyone else, does not need to hold a formal position to become actively involved in their community. We encourage everyone to get involved and make a difference. Richard is a man of integrity and strong ethics....we have not heard the last from him.



By DAVE GYMBURCH Staff writer
RICHARD Smith
TOWN OF LEE — Richard Smith, who was the Republican candidate for town supervisor, has withdrawn from the race because he is subject to an act prohibiting public office candidacies by people whose employer receives federal funding.
Smith, a case manager for the local Neighborhood Center, said in a statement Friday that "it has come to my attention that I fall under what is called the Hatch act."
The act, dating to 1939, places restrictions on political activities of federal employees. It also applies to employees of private nonprofit organizations "if the statute through which the organization receives its federal funds...states that the organization shall be considered" for purposes of the act, according to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
Smith’s withdrawal leaves no declared candidate in the November election to challenge incumbent Lee Supervisor John Urtz, a Democrat who has held the position for 34 years.
Smith, a Wager Drive resident who had declared his candidacy in May, said an initial interpretation was that he was not affected by the Hatch Act, "with the understanding that it applied to federal employees." But he said that after conferring with the Office of Special Counsel and speaking with Michael Billard, majority analyst for the county Board of Legislators, "I learned that the Hatch Act did apply to me." He said he then spoke to David Pangbourne, chair of the town Republican committee, and "took steps to withdraw from the campaign."
Smith noted "a great disappointment that I cannot continue the race," adding that he appreciated the efforts of "everyone who supported me." A Rome native and former commander of the Rome Salvation Army, Smith had not previously held a publicly elected office.
Pangbourne, asked whether the Republicans would seek another candidate for supervisor, said "to my knowledge, it’s too late." He said he believed the paperwork filing deadline had passed for the party. County Democratic Election Commissioner Kathleen M. Perez said she was checking with state officials on whether the date for substituting a candidate had expired. County Republican Election Commissioner Pamela N. Mandryck could not be reached for comment.
A supervisor candidate from a non-established party still conceivably could come forward. The deadline to file independent petitions to run for an office is Aug. 11-18, Perez said.
Pangbourne said of Smith’s withdrawal that "we’re obviously disappointed, of course."
The town supervisor job in Lee is for a four-year term. The salary is $18,500. Urtz, a retiree of Revere Copper Products, took office in January 1976.