Town Supervisor Brian Walsh will seek reelection after Pine Plains Republicans selected him as their candidate at the party’s caucus on Tuesday, July 14, setting up a November contest with Democratic Town Board member Trevor Roush.
Walsh has held the office since January 2022 and is seeking a fourth term. A lifelong Pine Plains resident, Walsh works in the school district’s maintenance department, serves as chief of the volunteer fire department, and coaches youth sports. He said last month that he remained uncertain about another campaign but told the Herald on Wednesday that he decided to run after Republicans approached him before the caucus.
“We had a lot of unfinished stuff that we’re in the middle of that we need to get accomplished,” Walsh said.
The decision puts Walsh back before voters less than a year after he won reelection by eight votes. He defeated Democratic challenger Kevin Walsh, who is not related to him, 427 to 419 following a state-mandated hand recount in November.
Walsh’s current term, which began Jan. 1, was shortened from two years to one as New York shifts many local elections from odd-numbered to even-numbered years.
Walsh identified a proposed overhaul of sidewalks and pedestrian infrastructure in the center of Pine Plains as one of the principal projects he wants to see through. In March, the Town Board authorized an application for nearly $3.95 million through the New York State Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program.
The proposal would replace sections of sidewalk along North Main Street, South Main Street, Church Street, and East Church Street. It would also add pedestrian lighting, crosswalks, drainage improvements, and related infrastructure. If the grant is awarded, Walsh said Pine Plains would pay for 20% of the work, or $790,000, over three years.
“It’s going to require a good budgeting,” Walsh said.
Walsh has tempered his support for the town’s long-discussed plan to construct a new Town Hall at 8–12 North Main St. A 2024 estimate prepared by the architecture firm LaBella Associates placed the cost of a 6,000-square-foot building at $4.5 million. The town has since continued with conceptual planning and design work but has not established a funding plan.
“Can we afford it right now? Absolutely not,” Walsh said. “I continued on with that project because that was talked about previously. When we got actual figures and everything, right now it is not feasible. It is not affordable at this point in time.”
Walsh’s reelection bid comes months after a controversy over a Flock Safety camera installation that he advanced without a Town Board vote or public discussion.
Walsh wrote “Yes move forward” in July 2025 in response to a request to begin installing cameras at three locations while the company awaited approval for a fourth. A former police sergeant had separately signed a two-year, $80,000 contract covering 11 devices without board authorization. Walsh said he had not known about the contract and believed he had approved only a demonstration.
Walsh directed the company to halt the work after the plan became public in February but told Flock representatives in a recorded call that “it’s gonna get done.” He later said he was referring to cameras the county might install, not a town system.
Walsh addressed the matter at a February Town Board meeting. “I apologize for any problems this has created,” he said. “It was simply an exploring opportunity for the town to demo a small system at no cost to the town. I take full responsibility for the issue as everything stops at the supervisor’s office.”
About 60 residents attended a March Town Board meeting, where several called for Walsh’s resignation. The board ultimately adopted a resolution requiring its approval and a governing policy before any town-controlled license plate readers or networked public safety camera systems could be activated.
Asked what he would say to residents who remain concerned about transparency in town government, Walsh said they should address officials directly.
“If you have a question, or you have a concern, you want to know about something, ask the question,” he said.
Walsh framed his campaign as an effort to continue working toward the town’s goals while limiting the financial burden on residents.
“We’re moving forward with our goals,” he said. “We got a lot more goals to accomplish. But once again, it all comes down to dollars and cents. We can only do what we can afford.”