Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Cairo legislator William Lawrence has resigned as chair of the Greene County Legislature Public Safety Committee after 12 years of service. The committee maintains oversight of the sheriff's office, probation, public defender and emergency services. The committee, under Lawrence's direction, spearheaded the effort to build a new county jail, which is now under construction in Coxsackie. “I think there is a need for a fresh set of eyes,” he said. “I’m burned out by the jail situation. It took a large toll on my time and concentration.” With the project progressing on schedule, Lawrence said, he believed the timing was right for someone else to take over. Legislature Chairman Patrick Linger, the Republican representative of New Baltimore, announced Lawrence's decision at the legislature's reorganizational meeting, January 7. Republican Legislator Thomas Hobart of Coxsackie, has been named to succeed Lawrence as committee chairman. Hobart is a correctional officer by profession. Linger said the jail project has consumed a lot of the committee's time over the last several years, and he now expects its agenda to now be focused on issues related to bail reform. Lawrence was first elected to the legislature in 1980. He took a brief hiatus to serve as Cairo town supervisor from 1986-1988, returning to the legislature in 1993. Lawrence will remain a Cairo representative and the legislature's majority leader. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.