Joe Pete Wilson Jr. stands on the campus of North Country Community College in Saranac Lake, where he currently works as coordinator of the Learning Assistance Center. He will leave that job, as well as his post on the Keene school board, to become Keene town supervisor full time. (Enterprise photo — Antonio Olivero)

KEENE — Joe Pete Wilson Jr. has been selected as the supervisor of this town, replacing Bill Ferebee, who resigned last month to take a position with the state Environmental Facilities Corporation.

Wilson, 52, is currently the coordinator of the Learning Assistance Center at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake and serves on the Keene Central School District Board of Education. He will resign from both positions to assume the role of town supervisor full time.

Under the leadership of Acting Supervisor Paul Martin, the town board interviewed six candidates in recent weeks for the position and selected Wilson earlier this week. Eight candidates originally expressed interest: Wilson, James Figg, Devon Holbrook, John Hudson, Dennis Gallagher, Wendy Knight, Angela Murphy and Paul Vincent.

Wilson is a graduate of Lake Placid High School and has lived in Keene and Lake Placid for most of his life. His father was an Olympic skier who laid out the nordic ski trails at Mount Van Hoevenberg and founded the Bark Eater Inn in Keene.

Wilson said he believes there is a strong overlap in his duties on the school board and what he will be tasked with as town supervisor.

“The macro issues are very, very related,’ he said.

“I think what tipped it for me to make the choice (to apply for the supervisor position) is I’ve been doing this same type of (educational) work for a long, long time, and the idea of learning something new and a new challenge really hooked me,” he added. “And what I hope to accomplish — I haven’t mapped out any small concrete goals, but the biggest one is finding ways in the town of Keene to deliver things that will benefit all the different populations in the town: second home owners, young families and those who have lived here their whole life. What are the ways to work with a broad spectrum of community members in ways that will improve the community?”

Wilson will begin his tenure at the town board’s organizational meeting on Jan. 10. He said he will also attend the board’s next meeting on Tuesday. His tenure will run through the end of 2017, completing the term Ferebee was originally voted into. If interested, Wilson would run again for another term as supervisor; an election will take place next fall.

Despite the shortened term, Wilson is eager to start.

“I think after that first town board meeting, the board will have a list of priorities they want to work on, and we will start scheduling the transition,” he said.

Wilson is an avid skier who has two children who attend Keene Central School. He said as he begins he will focus on building off of the infrastructure improvements Ferebee achieved during his tenure, looking to take advantage of Keene’s location between Interstate 87 and the Lake Placid and Saranac Lake corridor.

“Location is key,” Wilson said. “And the environment, not just physically but the people of Keene as well, it’s a welcoming place to be. We have a great school. But to keep the school, keep young families — and young families need jobs, not only within Keene but within a short drive. Within the context of the county, how (do we) strengthen our school and town? I’ve been thinking about that a lot while on the school board. How do we keep things at the heart of our community strong?”

Ferebee was the chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors until his resignation. Wilson will also serve on that board, which governs the county. Wilmington town Supervisor Randy Preston recently was appointed as Ferebee’s replacement as chair of the county board.

Wilson is registered Democrat. Ferebee is a Republican. Due to the face-to-face nature of governing in Keene and the county, Wilson said partisan politics will not affect his decision making.

“I don’t think it’s ideological,” Wilson said. “It’s about, ‘Can you do a good job with the community’s resources and do things the community wants?’ To me, that’s not an ideological task. It’s about if you can weigh things on their merits, get input and make the community better stronger and healthier — all those things. We’ll see if that’s naive, but that’s my approach to this.”