Greg Carlson

Greg Carlson is running for Chautauqua County Clerk.

Carlson is a 1995 graduate of Southwestern Central School who then entered the United States Air Force. He spent the next 21 years as both an enlisted man and officer retiring from active duty in 2016. While serving Carlson earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Master of Science Degree in Aerospace Administration and Logistics from Southeastern Oklahoma State. He served in a variety of operational and support roles, with deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. After retiring from the Air Force, Carlson started a second career in veteran advocacy as the director of Veterans Services for Chautauqua County, and has been serving in that role for the last nine years.

Carlson’s wife, Trisha, is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Jamestown Pediatrics. The family lives in Lakewood with a blended family of five teenagers.

“I’ve always been interested in public service and the political process, and I firmly believe holding office at the local level is the best way to have a direct positive impact on my community,” Carlson said. “When the opportunity to run for County Clerk arose, I jumped at it. Whether it is one of the three DMV locations, the clerk’s office in Mayville, or weights and measures, nearly all of our county’s 130,000 residents rely on our services. It is a big job, but if elected a challenge I’m excited to take on.”

Carlson said his efforts, if elected, will be to focus on easier access to services, decreased wait times, maximized return on the taxpayer’s investment and “being a force multiplier to governmental and organizational partners.”

Carlson said leading a governmental agency is different from the private sector because agencies have to provide mandated services, though Carlson said the government needs to provide those services as efficiently as possible.

“My 30 years of experience working within these types of parameters has helped me form a systematic approach to problem solving, and the ability to recognize and prioritize areas where we can achieve measurable positive change,” Carlson said. “Good governance is not a destination, but rather a commitment to continuous improvement.”