Why I am running for Town Supervisor
East Greenbush is a great place to raise a family because it is safe, has excellent schools and a strong sense of community. But over the years I have witnessed a significant decline in the way our Town is governed. The Town's fiscal health has been jeopardized and we currently have no plan to improve and sustain fiscal stability. Our taxes are too high. The roads need paving. Our parks have been neglected. Columbia Turnpike is still in decline. The water in Hampton Manor is virtually undrinkable. Not enough recreational opportunities exist for young people. We can do better.
I meet so many people who want to do what’s right for our Town but their best intentions are swallowed up in a system that’s slow, inefficient and far too costly. I watched a democratic majority and then a republican majority and, quite frankly, couldn’t tell the difference between them. They both play the same game for the same reason: to take care of friends, family, business associates and political allies. The people are interchangeable but the system carries on, choking us with high taxes, giving preference to insiders, running our finances into the ground. What we need is a fundamentally different way of doing things.
About Me
Jo Ann and I moved to East Greenbush in 1988 to raise our family. Our sons Brian and Kieran are alumni of the East Greenbush school system and productive members of society. Brian lives in Latham with his wife Carissa and their daughters Kayla and Julia. Kieran and his fiancé Ashley live in Albany. This past June, Jo Ann and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. We live in Hampton Manor with two cats and multiple water filters.
After earning degrees from Quinnipiac University and the University of Arizona, I completed a doctorate in Anthropology at Brown University with a dissertation on the relationship between municipal finance and community development in Kilkenny City, Ireland. In Arizona I worked for the Bureau of Ethnic Research for two years monitoring federal aid to the Hopi, Havasupai and Gila River Indian reservations. While completing my doctoral studies I taught at Rhode Island College, Bryant University and the Rhode Island School of Design, and held a position with the Roger Williams Park Museum where I organized folk festivals and published a monograph on East European Folk Arts.
EAST GREENBUSH First
...is a strong and innovative team, and we have chosen to run an independent campaign that is not associated with existing political parties. We are determined to represent all residents, and to change the way our town is managed. An effective change process requires good ideas, and a collaborative approach to shape and implement change. Tina Tierney, Tom Grant, and I are committed to working together to improve our community through transparent, honest, and proactive government.