By Nick Mattera
With his wife by his side and the praise of colleagues past and future, Ronald R. Winkley took the oath and filled the vacated board seat at Monday’s Town of Lewiston work session.
Winkley’s work in the community and his lifelong dedication to public service were characteristics friends used to describe the town’s newest board member.
“Ron has been a tremendous asset while working as a village trustee,” Lewiston Mayor William Geiben said. “He is well informed on all issues and that expertise will be missed.”
Winkley served as chief of police for more than 25 years before being named a village trustee in 2007. He will fill the board position vacated by longtime councilman Mike Johnson, who left to become the town’s new part-time budget manager.
Councilman Ernest Palmer said he and Winkley went to the police academy 28 years ago and he is excited they are being reunited on the board.
“He has based his entire career on public service, I think he is someone who will represent the entire population of Lewiston,” Palmer said. “His service rises above politics and I look forward to working with him in this capacity.”
Winkley said there are some issues he would like to explore while getting up to speed with what the board is working on.
“I’d really like to explore the power authority further and decipher all the possibilities we have there,” he said. “It’s going to take a little time for me to catch up on what they are working on, but I’m definitely up to the challenge.”
Winkley’s position expires in November and he said he will seek re-election when that time comes.
Supervisor Steven L. Reiter said they interviewed a number of candidates but Winkley stood out and brought a new element to the table.
“Now we have two guys who worked with the village and it really helps bring a new perspective,” Reiter said. The other former trustee is councilman Michael Marra.
In other meeting issues, the town was briefed on a rezoning application for a proposed 12-acre customs and border patrol site located at 1098 Upper Mountain Road. The project would need approval for 13,000 square feet of office space, a 10,500 square foot indoor garage and a heliport. Palmer said the heliport would be positioned on the reservoir side of the plot, to avoid public concern and wouldn’t be used often. The site is expected to house 50 border patrol agents for a minimum of 20 years. The design and technical work has already been completed and is in need of the board’s approval to move forward. The application has been forwarded to the planning board for consideration.
After conducting several interviews, the town has moved forward in filling a vacancy on its police force as they approved the hiring of John Ripsen as a full-time officer. They also hired Alan Gansworth as a part-time officer.
