Putnam County Legislator Chairman Paul Jonke, R-Brewster, will be running for Southeast town supervisor in the November election, and seeks to succeed retiring Supervisor Tony Hay.
“I plan to use my many years of experience working on town budgets for over 30 years, as well as six county budgets to continue the positive example of fiscal responsibility set by Supervisor Hay,” he said.
Jonke grew up in Putnam County, graduating from Mahopac High School before earning his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cortland. He has served as town assessor for the towns of Southeast, Carmel and Kent over the past 30 years. He moved into Southeast in 1999, and has served on the Southeast Planning Board, as well as the Board of Directors for the Hudson Valley Cerebral Palsy Association.
Jonke made a run for Southeast Town Board in 2015, in which four candidates were running for two seats, and lost by 22 votes to the two incumbents. He was elected to the County Legislature in 2016.
“My voting record on the Legislature demonstrates my fiscally conservative approach to responsible spending and finding ways to save the county money,” he said. “I have supported the Second Amendment, our volunteer firemen, the special needs community and senior citizens during my tenure on the Legislature. I plan to bring these ideals to the Town of Southeast.”
The Southeast Republican Committee unanimously endorsed Jonke’s candidacy during its Jan. 17 meeting.