Steuben County Legislature Makes History

Steuben County is 228 years old…and in the year 2024, a woman will lead the county legislature for the first time.

Kelly Fitzpatrick was appointed to the role at the legislature’s organizational meeting last week. She defeated incumbent chair Scott Van Etten by a 9-8 vote. Fitzpatrick is a Republican who represents District Three, which is the town of Bath.

In 2022, Leslie Church became the first woman chosen to serve as chairperson of the Yates County Legislature. She was re-elected to another two-year term earlier this month.