NORWICH – Town of Greene Supervisor Jack Cook was named a member of Chenango County government’s Finance Committee as well as chairman of the Safety and Rules Committee yesterday at an organizational meeting of the Board of Supervisors.
Board Chairman Richard B. Decker announced the appointments Monday.
Cook, who is a Republican, brings a background in business and experience as an assessor to his position on the Finance Committee. Before entering politics, he owned and operated a tree service in Greene for 24 years and was town assessor for 10. Cook also pointed to the town of Greene’s record of good management practices that have kept the town’s economy solid.
Cook is also a member of the Chenango Industrial Development Corporation.
Cook has been a member of Safety and Rules since being elected a supervisor in 2006. The committee has the responsibility of overseeing the Chenango County Sheriff’s Deparment, among other duties.
Town of Norwich Supervisor David C. Law replaced Linda E. Natoli as chairman of Planning, and was also appointed vice chairman of Safety and Rules. The fourth-term Republican was elected in 2004 and has served as a member of Safety and Rules and Public Works. He is the only supervisor who has experience working as an employee for the county full-time, having previously been head of Central Services and Printing.
Natoli, also a Republican, was appointed chairwoman of Public Works, a position that was long held by Harry Conley of Sherburne, who retired from public office last year. Natoli will also resume her membership on the Ag, Buildings and Grounds Committee.
Town of Pitcher Supervisor Jeffrey Blanchard, a Republican, was newly appointed to the powerful Finance Committee.
The following chairs and committees were set for 2010:
Finance - Lawrence Wilcox, R-Oxford, chairman; Dennis Brown, D-Pharsalia, vice chairman; Wayne Outwater, R-Lincklaen; Richard Schlag, D-German; Blanchard; and Cook.
Personnel - Outwater, chairman; Jerry Kreiner, R-Plymouth, vice-chairman; Allan Johnson, R-Smithville; George Coates, I-Columbus; William Craine, R-Sherburne; and John Phelan, R-Coventry.
Safety & Rules - Cook, chairman; Law, vice-chairman; Kreiner; Coates; Arrington Canor, R-McDonough; and George Seneck, R-Guilford.
Ag, Buildings & Grounds - Robert Briggs, R-Afton, chairman; Brown, vice-chairman; Wilcox; Peter Flanagan, D-Preston; Natoli; and Craine.
Health & Human Services - Blanchard, chairman; Briggs, vice chairman; Ross Iannello, politically unaffiliated-New Berlin; Schlag; Johnson and James Bays, D-Smyrna.
Planning & Economic Development - Law, Chairman; Iannello, vice Chairman; James McNeil, D-City of Norwich; David Messineo, D-Otselic; Phelan and Dolores Nabinger, D-Bainbridge.
Public Works - Natoli, chairwoman; Flanagan, vice-chairman; McNeil; Messineo; Bays; Canor; Seneck; and Nabinger.