SMYRNA – The Smyrna Town Board swiftly and unanimously appointed local businessman Michael Khoury, a Republican, to fill the position of supervisor after the unexpected departure of Supervisor James Bays two weeks ago.

Khoury, 54, is a self-employed packaging broker for the printing industry. He ran for and was elected last spring to the Sherburne-Earlville School District Board of Education.

“It's a real privilege to be appointed to the position of town supervisor, replacing Jim Bays who has served our community so well for so many years. I look forward to working with the Smyrna Town Board along with our friends and neighbors to ensure that Smyrna remains a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Khoury said in a statement.

Bays, who is a Democrat, tendered his resignation after accepting the position of first deputy commissioner of the New York State Department of Agricultural and Markets. He served 16 years in government at the town and county level combined.