I, Joseph D. Keenan, am a nominated Conservative Party Candidate for Town of Montgomery Councilman. I have decided to run for councilman as Dan Dempsey concludes his long and faithful service on the Town Board this year. I first met Dan when I was 8 years old when he and my Dad both joined the Coldenham Fire Company.

As time passed, I too joined the Fire Department and remain an active member 45 years later. Many of you may ask, who is Joe Keenan? What does he bring to the table? What are his values? What qualifications does he have to best represent the Town of Montgomery? Fair questions indeed. I am not a career politician, nor do I currently belong to a political party. In fact, I have been a registered independent (now called Blank) since 1976. I am honored to have received the Conservative Party endorsement. I believe my knowledge, skills and abilities, coupled with my values of honesty, integrity and commitment will guide me to be an effective councilman.

I have held many positions within the Coldenham Fire Company. I have served as President for many years, as well as a Lieutenant and Captain. I currently serve as Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Fire District. I value the trust and faith the membership has given me over these many years. I have had a great military career with the U.S. Air Force and the Air National Guard. I retired after a 32 plus year career where I held many leadership positions.

My last assignment was as the Wing Command Chief Master Sergeant for the 105th Airlift Wing at Stewart. As the Wing Command Chief, I had the distinction of being entrusted to represent the nearly 1,000 enlisted members on countless issues and programs. After retirement I returned to work for the Air National Guard to help with the difficult task of mission conversion from the C-5 Galaxy to the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.

I have worked as a Claims Representative for the Social Security Administration dealing with people on heartfelt issues affecting their disability and retirement claims. I left the Social Security Administration for the position of Air Wing Integrator for the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. In this capacity I had the honor of organizing support themed events for Airmen and their families preparing for deployment, during deployment and after they returned home. I had the primary responsibility for three Air Wings in New York State including the 106th Rescue Wing on Long Island, the 109th Airlift Wing in Scotia, as well as the 105th Airlift Wing here at Stewart. I had the privilege of serving the Town of Montgomery as Chairman of the original Town of Montgomery Ethics Board thanks to then Supervisor Susan Cockburn. I currently serve as the Chairman of the recently resurrected Ethics Board thanks to current Supervisor Rod Winchell.

I have interacted with business and community leaders, civic and military organizations and politicians on many levels. I have researched, prepared and briefed reports to military General Officers and other officials on programs and issues affecting our military personnel. I have prepared budgets, analyzed data, made suggestions and implemented programs to improve existing processes and launch new ones across the spectrum of my professions. I have grown from a junior firefighter to chairing the Coldenham District working on ways to improve fire protection for our community and modernizing equipment for our firefighters. I am an alum of Valley Central High School and SUNY Orange. I am a self-motivator and took the initiative to further my education as an adult student and in 2008 graduated from Nyack College with a degree in Organizational Management.

I have amassed a lifetime of skills dedicated to serving others. I am an independent thinker, a self-motivator and a doer. I believe in open and honest government and fiscal responsibility. I believe the Town must be safety and health conscious for all our residents and employees. We need to ensure working conditions for our Town employees are not compromised. I believe in balanced economic growth. We must not abandon our history, families and current businesses. At the same time we must encourage smart business growth while being considerate to our neighbors and the environment. We need to safeguard that progress does not negatively impact our precious watershed areas and aquifers ensuring our community has access to safe drinking water. I believe the Town Master/Comprehensive Plan needs to be reviewed and updated with input from Town businesses and residents.

The only promise I can make to you is that I will do my best to serve the Town of Montgomery; our residents, businesses and employees. If there is one thing I would like people to remember about me is this: “It’s not about me.” I am running to represent you with integrity, honesty and commitment. I want to know what your concerns are, and what your ideas are for the betterment of the Town. I have nothing to gain except the self-satisfaction of representing my community as your councilman.