Tristan Geary for The New Pine Plains Herald
Tara Silberberg was unanimously appointed interim Gallatin Town Supervisor on March 24, stepping into the role for the remainder of John Reilly’s term at an emotional Town Board meeting that also marked Reilly’s final session leading the board after 13 years.
Silberberg, a Town Board member, was sworn in by Town Clerk Lisa DeLeeuw following the board’s vote.
“I gratefully accept the nomination to be the appointed supervisor,” said Tara Silberberg. “I have a great passion for the town, I think I’ve shown it over the years.”
Her appointment leaves an opening on the Town Board, and the town is now seeking a candidate to serve for the remainder of 2026. The Town Board is Gallatin’s primary legislative body, with each of the four board members and the supervisor holding an equal vote. A majority is required for the board to pass resolutions and local laws.
In addition to voting on town business, board members comment on and adopt the annual town budget, set tax levies and appropriate funds for town functions including the highway department and court system. They also approve expenditures, audit town accounts and set fee schedules, including permit fees.
Board members are public officers under New York law and are subject to the Public Officers Law. The board meets at Gallatin Town Hall on the third Tuesday of each month, with meetings subject to New York’s Open Meetings Law. In addition to its regular legislative and financial oversight duties, the board is currently working to amend and update the town zoning law. The position pays $3,000 annually, and training is available through the New York Association of Towns.
The meeting served as both a transition and a farewell, as Reilly closed out his tenure with a speech reflecting on his years in Gallatin government.
“I thank you for the privilege to serve,” said Reilly in a farewell speech in which he recounted his history in Gallatin politics.
“I had come into that position with an idea of fixing things and some things I thought needed to be reworked,” said Reilly. “In reality, what I found out was that I had passion for the position and for the people I was working with.”
Board members, town officials, and residents praised Reilly’s service and thanked him for his work as supervisor.
“A brilliant mind and a fine person, you are such an asset to this town,” said DeLeeuw.
Others pointed to Reilly’s ability to engage people across political differences.
“You’ve fought for the community and the things you care about in a way that makes a lot of people want to come to this room,” said former board member Michael Moran. “Whether we agree on things or not, they want to come to this room and be part of that dialogue.”
In other business, the board voted down Local Law No. 1 of 2026, which would have increased salaries for Town Board members and the supervisor to reflect what supporters described as the growing workload tied to zoning matters.
All board members voted against the measure except Ben Maron, who introduced the law in February. Reilly recused himself.
Maron, who estimated that he spends up to 20 hours a month on Town Board work in addition to meetings, argued that the added attention required for zoning justifies more compensation. Under the proposal, board members’ salaries would have increased from $3,000 to $4,500, while the supervisor’s salary would have risen from $10,000 to $14,000.
Maron also said higher pay could broaden the pool of people able to serve.
“If you keep the annual compensation very low, it can only allow people of great wealth to take on the role,” he said.
Members of the public and the board were not fundamentally opposed to the proposal, but said it would be more appropriate to revisit salaries during the budget process later this year.
On zoning, representatives from Hudsonia Ltd. appeared virtually to present newly drafted maps recommending development restrictions around steep slopes, streams, ancient forests and wetlands.
Reilly said the proposed protection overlay zones would not amount to outright bans on construction, but would instead help inform Gallatin’s rezoning process and discourage development in ecologically rare and fragile areas.
Gallatin contains historically untilled soil inhabited by sensitive ecological communities. The board’s next step with Hudsonia is to overlay the maps and develop a realistic protection zone that combines the identified features where development would be discouraged.
In other news, Highway Superintendent Todd Coons said Doodletown Road and East Klein Road are candidates for retopping. Coons said he received a quote from A. Colarusso and Son of $276,000 for 1.5 miles of blacktop. He said the higher cost reflects current oil prices, and that if prices remain at that level, the town will fall short of its annual goal of retopping four miles of road.
The next Gallatin Town Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 21. An additional meeting to review the maps in detail will be held on March 31.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the clerk’s first name which is Lisa, not Elisabeth.