GREENE – In the Town of Greene, residents will be casting their ballots to fill the position of supervisor as well as two town council seats.
For the town’s top spot, Supervisor Jack Cook is running unopposed for what will be his third two-year term in office.
There will be more competition for the vacancies on the town council, where four candidates, including the incumbent Republicans Joe Henninge and Josh Browning, will be battling it out for two slots.
Councilman Joe Henninge will be trying to retain the position he was elected to four years ago.
In addition to his time on the town board, Henninge served for 10 years on the Village of Greene Planning Board and on the board of directors for the Labor Day Picnic Association. A lifelong resident of Greene, Henninge has spent 35 years with the Greene Fire Department, serving in a variety of leadership positions including fire chief. He has also spent 11 years as a volunteer with the Greene Emergency Squad.
Some of the accomplishments of which Henninge said he is most proud include his time working on the town’s Personnel committee and his involvement with creating a comprehensive plan for the municipality.
He is also proud of what the town has accomplished during his tenure on the board. “We have restored our highways after suffering 2 major flood incidents,” he explained, as well as developed and maintained a website which allows residents access to town officials and relevant town information.
Councilman Josh Browning, who has served a total of 6 years on the town board, is also seeking re-election.
Browning said he enjoys being involved in the community, the work associated with being on the town board, and the opportunity to have an impact during his tenure as a councilman.
Prior to serving on the town board, the long-time Greene resident was a member of the town planning board for 10 years. His community involvement has included being a part of the Greene Lions Club and coaching youth sports. He is also an active member of several state and national level professional associations in relation to Genbrook Millwork, the business he has owned and operated in the Town of Greene since 1991. He and his wife Beth opened a second business venture, a gourmet food and specialty gift store called The Goody Bag, in Greene last year.
Browning serves on both the town’s highway and ball flats committees during his time on the council. He said he is proud of what the highway department has been able to accomplish in his tenure, particularly in regards to improvements made to the town’s roads, as well as the town’s efforts in conjunction with the village, to turn the Ball Flats into a municipal park.
The two incumbents are being challenged by Democrat Stephen Page and Michael Flanagan, running under “Common Sense.”
“Greene is a great place to live and work,” said Page, 53. And as a 30-year veteran of Raymond Corporation who has lived in the community for the last 28 years, he should know.
Page, who is making his second run for a spot on the town council, said he would like to see the town make decisions based on the good of the community as a whole, and would strive to give residents more open access to information via the town’s website.
Some of his biggest concerns revolve around natural gas exploration, particularly when it comes to protecting the quality of life and water for Greene residents.
“It’s a big unknown,” he said.
He also believes more needs to be done to encourage the growth of business, especially small businesses, in the area.
Page, who has served on Greene’s Joint Recreation Committee for most of the last decade, said he feels his most significant contribution to the community relates to youth sports.
“For almost 10 years, I ran the youth soccer program here in Greene,” he explained. Under his leadership the program more than doubled in size between 1987 and 1996, he said, during which time he helped the organization buy new equipment, bring in college level coaches and increase fundraising efforts by starting a concession stand.
While Page could be considered a political newcomer, the same can not be said for Flanagan.
Flanagan moved to the Town of Greene six years ago from Smithville, where he had spent 20 years on the town board as town justice. He also served four terms as Smithville’s town supervisor, from 1991 to 1998. The first two of those terms, he represented the town as a Democrat, the second two as a Republican.
For Flanagan, taxes and the lack of job opportunities are the “most pressing concerns” facing area residents.
“You need someone in office that thinks outside the box,” he said, explaining that if elected he would try to save tax dollars by pushing for consolidation of town and village services. He said he believes his experience in local and county politics sets him apart from other candidates.
Flanagan currently operates two farms, one in Smithville and the other in Greene off East River Road, where he lives with his wife Christine. He also works with Catholic Charities as a residence counselor, working with at risk youth.
“It’s a very challenging job, but very rewarding,” he said.