WESTPORT — The latest candidate to announce for Westport town supervisor is a former State Police captain and Essex County undersheriff.

Bruce Dunning, 59, is running for town supervisor on Republican and independent lines.

He will face fellow Republican Bruce Ware in the Sept. 15 primary.

Incumbent Democratic Supervisor Daniel Connell is also running for re-election and will be on the November general election ballot.

Dunning has lived in Westport since 1996, after 22 years with Troop K downstate.

He retired as a captain with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at Troop B after 30 years in the State Police.

Dunning later served a year and half with the Essex County Sheriff's Department as undersheriff.

He's currently active in local government, as a member of the Westport Town Zoning Board of Appeals.

"We decided Westport was a great community to be in," he said. "We wanted our daughter to go to school here."

He and his wife, Robin, have a daughter, Casey, who graduated from Westport Central School and is now in college.

"The teachers and staff at Westport are fantastic," he said. "They do everything they can for the kids."

He said he'd have several goals as supervisor.

"I'd like to see growth in the community. I'd like to see young families move into the community. We need an economy to support them."

The town has to do more to support businesses, he said, and he'd strive for that as supervisor.

"The most important issue is honesty in that position, strong leadership."

The town seems to have a lot of delegation of authority at present, he said, with too many committees and commissions.

"The supervisor has to spearhead things. That's where leadership comes in."

He said that, as a retired state employee, he already has health insurance and wouldn't need to take his insurance from Essex County.

There has been some recent controversy about free health insurance for the Essex County Board of Supervisors, with the board recently deciding its members should contribute to their insurance like other county employees.

Dunning said he's glad he and his family decided to make their home in Westport.

"Westport is an absolutely fantastic place to live."

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com