Political newcomer Rachele Grieco Cole focused on safety

MILLERTON — Rachele Grieco Cole, endorsed by the North East Democratic Committee, is seeking the Town Board chair in the upcoming election.

As a town resident for three years, Grieco Cole has been a community-focused resident by volunteering with North East Community Center, Habitat for Humanity, and Project SAGE, a nonprofit organization aiming to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Grieco Cole puts forward a background of grant management for criminal justice and law school nonprofits, where she brings budgetary and fiscal experience to the board.

“I know how to get things done,” Grieco Cole said. “I recently facilitated a move to reduce the speed limit on my road to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists. I rallied my neighbors to attend Board meetings to give support to these efforts and organized them to strategize on more ways to advocate for road safety.”

If elected, Grieco Cole’s top priorities are transparency and accountability, quality of life issues (making roads safer), environmental protection and economic growth. She wants to ensure residents are able to attend an annual forum that the board instilled five years ago but has yet to host. She is also pitching the idea of using brine instead of salts on roads to reduce groundwater toxins.

“I believe knowledge is empowering. I want to offer workshops in municipal budget literacy to help residents understand how their tax dollars are being spent,” Grieco Cole said. “I will encourage more residents to attend the monthly board meetings. I also want to push for an annual forum where residents can ask questions of the board. North East adopted a Comprehensive Plan nearly five years ago.”

The North East Democratic Committee has endorsed Grieco Cole over Chris Mayville by a vote of 21 to 8. Any town resident can request to be endorsed by the committee despite their party affiliation.

“My favorite part of North East is the people,” Grieco Cole said. “They welcome all into the community and are passionate about their town’s many gems. I pledge to be accessible and accountable to all North East residents. I love our town and will work hard to ensure that it continues to thrive.”