WAMPSVILLE — Madison County’s Board of Supervisors honored outgoing county attorney S. John Campanie in a brief ceremony after its monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Campanie, who has served as county attorney for 30 years, is retiring and will be replaced by his law firm partner, Tina Wayland-Smith. The position pays $101,500 per year.

“I am grateful for all the support I’ve received over the past twenty-nine-and-a-half years,” Campanie said. “I had to be approved for the position 16 times.”

Campanie served as Oneida city supervisor before being named county attorney at age 33. He admitted to being headstrong, and shared the day he was given a dose of humility.

“I was called into the county chairman’s office and told two things,” Campanie said. “I was to speak only when spoken to, and the only opinions I had were legal ones.”

Oneida native Campanie earned a history degree with honors from Colgate University in 1974. He later earned a degree in business administration from Syracuse University and a law degree from the University of Albany.

Campanie has served on the Tri-Valley YMCA Board of Directors and chaired the City of Oneida Planning Commission. He also served as director of the Madison County Industrial Development Agency and director of the Mansion House Service Corporation.

He has served as Sherrill city attorney since 2001, and managed the export and military divisions of flatware maker Oneida Limited.

The two attorneys formed Campanie and Wayland-Smith, a general practice law firm, in 2000. They represented the Oneida Public Library as it sought funding for its expansion from the five towns it represents last year.