Ontario County Clerk Matthew Hoose, who had been criticized by county officials recently regarding operations in his office, has died.
The Ontario County Administrator announced that Hoose died unexpectedly on Tuesday.
The sheriff’s department also put out a statement saying that they responded to an unattended death at a residence in the town of Canandaigua, and while they say the cause of death of the 54-year-old Hoose remains under investigation, it does not appear to be suspicious.
County officials also said they will have no further comment at this time and said that their thoughts and prayers are with the entire family of Hoose.
Last Friday, the Ontario County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution of “no confidence” in the county clerk, saying that in June of last year, county leaders were notified the clerk was significantly behind in remitting required reports and payments to various New York state entities.
The county statement had also said Hoose had consistently refused to report to the relevant oversight committees of the Board of Supervisors.
Hoose had been Ontario County clerk since 2012.
Officials announced that in the wake of Hoose’s death, the Ontario County Department of Motor Vehicles will be closed to in-person transactions through Thursday, Feb. 23.
Residents are still able to drop off registration transactions in the dropbox located at the Department of Motor Vehicle entrance for processing, but all other transactions will need to wait until the office reopens on Friday.
