WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – One of the longest-serving members of the Jefferson County Board of Legislators has died.
Jennie Adsit was elected in 1977 to what was then called the Board of Supervisors.
Adsit was the first woman elected to the board under her own name. Other women served their husbands’ terms after they died or went to war.
She remained a lawmaker for 42 years, retiring in 2019.
Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush worked alongside Adsit when he was board chairman and says he never had to guess her stance on an issue. He says Adsit was outspoken about what she liked, and never hid her feelings when it was something she didn’t like.
Legislator Scott Gray calls her a “tough cookie.”
County administrator Bob Hagemann says he’ll always remember her big smile.
“I worked for Jennie for a long period of time, but it still pales in comparison to the number of years she worked for her constituents in Jefferson County as a board of supervisors individual or a board of legislators individual. Combined, it was 42 years and that’s something that speaks highly of her commitment to her community,” said Hagemann.
When she retired in 2019, then-Mayor Joe Butler proclaimed October 1, 2019 as Jennie Adsit Day.
Adsit passed away Saturday.
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