They welcomed him… now he’s representing them: Etherington sworn in as new Greenbush Mayor

Eric Etherington, his preschool-aged daughter Kamber, and his wife Nicole pose for a photo together. Beginning his employment at Central Boiler right after Memorial Day in 2011, Etherington and his now wife of six and half years, Nicole, decided to stay in Greenbush, as Etherington considered it “a nice, safe place to start a family.” (submitted photo)

Eric Etherington is officially sworn in as the new Greenbush Mayor on January 4, as City Clerk Anita Locken (right) looks on. Etherington looks forward to being more proactive in the city’s daily operations, actively responding to any residents’ concerns, and being more involved than he was as a council member. (photo by Ryan Bergeron)

Right after Memorial Day in 2011, Eric Etherington started working at Central Boiler. His now wife Nicole moved into town with him shortly after he began working at Central Boiler.

“(I) noticed when I first arrived in town that everybody was very welcoming to me,” Etherington said. “And so that was kind of a very good first impression that they were I guess… eager to learn more about where I came from… and what I was doing in town. And so that was nice.”

They soon discovered that Greenbush was where they wanted to plant their roots.

“We just thought that staying in Greenbush was a good fit for us,” Etherington said.

Living in Greenbush and raising his preschool-aged daughter, Kamber, together with his wife (Nicole) of six and a half years, Greenbush City Council member Eric Etherington decided to run for Greenbush Mayor this past November following Mayor Brenda Sather’s decision to not run for re-election. Running unopposed, Etherington earned 395 votes (96.81%) in the November 3 election and was officially sworn in as the new Greenbush Mayor on January 4. The mayor position is a two-year term.

A council member since May 2016, Etherington highlighted the reasoning for running for city council and later the mayor position, the work of his predecessor, and the issues or areas of focus for the city moving forward. He also discussed what he looks forward to most about representing the city as mayor and what makes the City of Greenbush special, and also talked a little bit about his hobbies and interests.

Etherington mentioned to his coworker and city council member Dennis Filer to let him know about an opening on the council. Filer told him of a spot on the council— once occupied by Sandy McFarlane— that had come open. Etherington filled out an application and was approved by the council to serve as a council member in 2016. He was on the council for a few months before the next election came around and he was officially elected into the council member position.

“Visiting with Dennis and kind of learning about different things going on around town, I thought it would be interesting (to join the city council),” Etherington said, “and I thought my background between schooling and everything else would be a good asset for the council.”

Attending high school in Forest City, Iowa, Etherington earned his Finance and Management bachelor’s degree and his MBA from Bemidji State. He works as the Finance Manager at Central Boiler. Being on the council, he explained, would give him another opportunity to put his finance and accounting background to work. He also pointed to his involvement with various different projects at Central Boiler— working with the sales department one day and production the next— as another asset.

As for running for the mayor position this past November, he made this decision after Greenbush Mayor Brenda Sather informed him that she was not going to run for reelection and asked him if he would be interested in the position. At the time, he said he would consider it.

“There was a few people around town that had heard that she (Sather) was not going to run again and asked me if I would be willing to run and fill the position,” Etherington said. “So I guess that’s kind of how it all got started.”

Etherington visited with Sather on the background of the position, including duties outside of the council meetings.

“(I) thought it would be beneficial for the city to have someone running for that position who has prior history with serving on the council,” Etherington said. “and has an ongoing knowledge of different projects that have been going on and the status of those projects and kind of some of the procedures that we follow.”

Greenbush presented Etherington with more than a place of employment. It provided with a warm welcome, a home, and a place to raise his family. Now, he is going to represent that same town as its new mayor.

To see the complete story, read the January 6 issue of The Tribune in print or online.