MILLERTON — Chris Mayville, who filled a vacant seat on the North East Town Board, is running to keep his seat in the upcoming election against Rachele Grieco Cole.
Mayville, a Republican, was appointed to the board after filling an empty seat left by Griffin Cooper in January, where he stayed present for the last ten months. Mayville has experience as a Webutuck Central District school board member and Vice President from 2013-2023, a youth sports group coach, a member of the Village of Millerton Recreation Commission, and has been with a New York State human service agency overseeing subsidized and affordable housing projects for individuals with disabilities for 32 years.
“I am a very goal-oriented person,” Mayville said. “I think it is important to have clearly defined goals established so the public has a metric in which to measure the effectiveness of its governing body.”
Mayville identified four main issues to shed light on in his next term. First, to focus on providing needed infrastructure to the town’s retail district, most importantly a grocery store and needed businesses. Second, to seek cost-effective shared service solutions with immediate concern for ambulance services. Third, to support the creation of coordinated calendars of community events. Finally, to attract new housing opportunities for “young and old alike, especially those working to provide services to our community.”
“I advocated for a special town board meeting which was held in the spring of 2024, where we reviewed that plan to see what goals we have accomplished and what remains to be completed,” Mayville said. “If elected, I would like to see the board pull some targeted goals from the comprehensive plan and have them posted on the town website. This would help make the board’s mission transparent and give the public a clear reference point to hold its elected leaders accountable.”
As someone who has worked and lived in the Town of North East for over 20 years, Mayville claims to prioritize community outreach while running for office.
“I raised my family in this community and I have voted in local elections on candidates and proposals in this community,” Mayville said. “I believe my experience on the school board for 10 years has given me experience in governance.”
“I base my goals and priorities on the feedback I receive from outreach to the residents of the town of North East as well as my own experiences,” Mayville said. “I interact with all to gain perspective and insight as to their thoughts and ideas on what the needs are for our town. I do so regardless of any political affiliations as I believe local politics should not interfere or be a divisive deterrent to conversations and governance.”
Dave Jones, owner and chief mechanic at Lakeville Auto. Laurie Fendrich
The board’s job was to find savings — it found a school to close instead