By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

Tom Anderson is a retired veteran and recently experienced working as a Veteran Intern with the City of Geneseo and not only did he express his appreciation for the experience and for the support of the staff, he also added, “As a now fully retired veteran, they (City of Geneseo staff) helped ease the transition from Active Duty service to life back here in our great town!”

“After getting the chance to see the inner workings of our city staff, I feel a particular obligation to report on the incredible expertise and professionalism of the Director of Electrical Operation, Eric Rowold, and the Director of Public Works, Chad VanDeWoestyne,” Anderson said. “Eric and Chad are dedicated advocates for the citizens of Geneseo, and we’re very lucky that they continue to serve Geneseo rather than taking their talents and experience to more lucrative opportunities elsewhere.”

Anderson continued, “Similarly, I personally observed Casey Disterhoft make wise, thoughtful decisions in his role as Geneseo’s Chief of Police. He is a steady leader who, I believe, will work hard to shield our town from the impact of some of the recent decisions at the state level. We’ll need to be innovative and proactive to ensure the continued safety of Geneseo, and Casey will do whatever it takes to keep us and our children safe.”

“While serving on the internship, I was happy to help put together the state grant application to fund creation of the Pedestrian Bridge and Historical Landing (https://www.cityofgeneseo.com/pedestrian-bridge-and-historical-landing -project/), which, with the help of the Geneseo and Miller Foundations, should be able to happen without the use of local tax funds,” he said. ‘It seems to me that we should do everything we can to ‘get our money back’ from the state and federal levels, so I would be very interested to see the City of Geneseo compete for more state and federal grants. Brandon Maeglin, our new City Manager, has the youthful vigor and intellectual rigor. Most importantly, a new Strategic Plan is desperately needed from the City Council so that the staff can prepare for and seize grant opportunities when they arise.”

He said, “As I learned more about local government through this internship, I think an easy way to score our Mayor and City Council each year is by asking - 1) did our taxes go up when considering inflation? 2) did we get a significant amount of money back from the State/Fed on top of the standard distribution? And 3) was our town safe and also inviting for businesses?...These are all issues that the staff of the City of Geneseo can readily impact, given the appropriate direction by the Mayor and City Council.”

“Once again, I am so grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the Veterans Local Government Management Fellowship with the City of Geneseo, and I am so happy to be able to call Geneseo our home,” Anderson added.

After graduating from Geneseo High School, Anderson was a student at the United States Military, Academy at West Point, where he graduated from in 2002. He was in active service until his recent retirement.