TROY — Martin Reid, a former Rensselaer County Legislature chairman who resigned and later pleaded guilty to a felony for stealing unemployment benefits, has quietly landed a job in the administration of County Executive Steve McLaughlin.

The Republican from Sand Lake, who also works in real estate, was recently appointed to a just-created $60,000 position as the county's property resource coordinator.

Reid's rise in county politics was derailed by his 2015 arrest and then conviction on allegations he concealed his $30,000-a-year government salary when he received $15,000 in unemployment benefits. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to first-degree offering a false instrument. He was ordered to serve three days in jail and pay a $5,000 fine.

The alleged fraud began when Reid applied for unemployment benefits after abruptly resigning from his $73,000-a-year job at the New York State School Boards Association "in the face of termination," the state attorney general's office said at the time. Neither the association, nor Reid, have ever disclosed why he left his position.

Reid's appointment to a finance post comes at a time when McLaughlin is facing an investigation of his financial dealings by the FBI and the attorney general's office.

In explaining Reid's hire, the county noted Tuesday that he worked as a real estate professional for 12 years.

"Over the past few years, we have noticed an increase in what some refer to as zombie properties in areas with older housing stock. Based on past practice, it can take the county six years to foreclose on a property, and that length of time can be extended when a bankruptcy proceeding is commenced," the county executive's office said in a prepared statement issued by Richard Crist, the county director of operations and spokesman for McLaughlin. Crist is also being investigated in the state probe of McLaughlin.

"We need to have flexibility to take properties that are abandoned and effectively get them back into productive use, and avoid decay and costly neglect. At the same time, the county will continue to work with families and property owners to keep their properties and avoid foreclosure."

The statement from the county makes no mention of Reid's arrest and conviction.

Earlier: Ex-county legislature leader Martin Reid pleads guilty

Martin Reid resigns as Rensselaer County Legislature Chairman after arrest

Criminal probe of top Rensselaer County officials nears end

Reid's appointment astonished county Democrats. At the same time, they said they weren't surprised.

"This is what we've come to. Until something changes with the leadership in Rensselaer County, the administration has a free hand," Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Peter Grimm, D-Troy, said.

The county Republicans control the patronage levers in nearly all of county government. Reid frequently attends Republican fundraisers in the county. Republicans say he is a fixture at such events.

"I'm very happy," Reid said about his new job. He started last week reviewing properties in Hoosick Falls for the county.

Reid said that when he saw McLaughlin in October was pushing to deal with the zombie properties he decided to seek the job. He said he had the experience in government, plus the required real estate license to fill the position. Reid said he would continue to work in real estate. He said that he does not have a large portfolio of business.

Reid briefly worked on McLaughlin's staff in the Legislature in 2015. Reid worked out of McLaughlin's district office in Troy.

Reid was prosecuted by the office of then state-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, which picked up the case when former Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove declined to investigate the allegations after being sworn in for his inaugural term. Abelove is a Republican, as is Reid, and Schneiderman is a Democrat. Schneiderman resigned amid allegations he abused women and Abelove, who lost his re-election bid two years ago, is being prosecuted by the state on criminal charges related to his handling of a fatal police shooting in Troy.

An ongoing criminal investigation of McLaughlin has examined whether he had given bonuses or pay increases to former staffers in the state Assembly in exchange for them returning some of the funds to him, or using the money to donate to his campaign account, according to multiple people who were interviewed by investigators.

It’s unclear whether the investigation has supported those allegations; McLaughlin, 56, has not been accused of wrongdoing. But a person familiar with the investigation said there is expected to be court activity in the case next month.