When Meyer was courting his girlfriend, Linda, in the 1960s, his friend said that he told Meyer to stop pursuing her because, to his knowledge, Linda was already spoken for.

But Meyer was determined to win her - and that he did. Linda Meyer eventually became William's wife, and the couple now have a splendid marriage that has lasted decades.

That tenacity has served Meyer quite well. Now residing in Cicero, Meyer has been a member of the Onondaga County Legislature since 1990, serving on numerous committees during that time.

And apparently, the organization recognized Meyer's focus and determination, as the Legislature recently elected him chair of the institution.

“Actually, I got a unanimous vote, which was great,” Meyer said.

“I was very, very happy ... it's a great honor.”

Meyer's time previously spent as a legislator, he continued, has given him “a pretty diverse resume.”

Meyer has served as chairman of several committees, including planning and economic development, transportation and facilities.

“My last assignment before being (elected) chair was as chairman of the ways and means committee, which handles all the money and personnel items,” he added.

Meyer said that his new position has given him plenty of issues to tackle.

“Obviously, water is a big issue,” he explained. “We're involved in a lot of water projects right now... not only for residents, but we have some companies that are big (water) users like Anheuser-Busch and Pepsi-Cola, so we're working closely with them, too,” he said.

Meyer also mentioned that the legislature works closely with Onondaga Community College on job training and work force development.

“Of course, I have a little bit of a fondness in my heart for community colleges, because I went to Auburn Community College in the '60s,” he noted.

Meyer attended the school now called Cayuga Community College before enlisting in the Army Reserve, where he served for more than 20 years.

He has numerous ties to Auburn. His wife, Linda, is an Auburn native, and he said that many relatives and friends still reside here.

One such friend, whom Meyer has known since his college days, is Auburn resident Jerry Wetherby, who willingly supplied the anecdote about Meyer pursuing his wife.

“I'm not surprised,” Wetherby said when asked about his friend being elected chair. “Bill is a really honest, likable, ‘people' person,” he said. “He's a diligent guy, so I'm sure he'll do a great job.”