Jim Smith has a philosophy for town government: “Crawl, walk, then run.” He recognizes that change is necessary in Pine Plains but that the town needs to “slow down unless the curtains are on fire,” he said on a cloudy September day on a porch overlooking Twin Island Lake. “People who have been here for a long time have stayed here, new people [have] come because of something. Let’s try to preserve that.”
For the last two years Smith has worked as deputy town supervisor, a non-voting managerial and administrative position to which he was appointed by Town Supervisor Brian Walsh. Smith said that in that role he has “gotten involved and heard good discussions—good bones, good intentions.” He is running on the Republican line for one of the two open seats on the town board, even though he described himself as “not a politician” and someone who “stays out of the limelight.” He said he now wants to be able to have a vote on the town board and have a say in what happens.
Smith named three priorities for Pine Plains: building a central wastewater system, relocating Town Hall and creating opportunities for young people. On the septic system, Smith said, “It’s important and we need to have it in the plan for growth in the town, but do we need it today? No.” Moving Town Hall from the eastern edge of town, Smith said, “trumps” the sewer issue, because “we’ve acquired the property” just north of the corner of Church and Main streets. “To turn our back on that would not be wise. Put the plan together. I don’t mean to put a shovel in the ground tomorrow. [Start] somewhere, start the process.” Taking on both the septic system and Town Hall would not be in line with Smith’s approach of taking things slowly, in spite of the fact that the projects have been under serious discussion and planning for years by more than one prior administration.
Smith said he would do what it takes to make young people feel “proud of this town, that they don’t have to leave.” When asked how he would accomplish that as a town board member, he responded, “It’s hard to say,” other than to “maintain the character of the town” for them. Smith said he recognizes that there are differences in opinions about the town’s goals and how to achieve them but trusts that “we are all on the same page—different roads but we’ll get there, in 10 years, we’ll be there.” When developing a coalition, he said, it’s not so much about party affiliation as it is “about the person, matter of character. Are they faithful to their heart in what they are talking about in this town?”
Smith served as a commissioner for the Pine Plains Fire District, beginning about 10 years ago. For four of those years, he was chair of the commissioners. Now, he remains active in the fire department. He said the department is central to the community and provides a natural “overlap, cross-over” with town politics. A pilot for 43 years, Smith has also been a manager for a large international flight department with a multi-million-dollar budget, in a global corporation. He said he understands budgets and how to assess “the long-term value of investments.” Running a town, “is a business,” he said, and as a town board member he will use his skills for “identifying the strengths of people… utilizing the resources of a community.”
Smith grew up in a small town in upstate New York and has been a full-time resident of Pine Plains for more than 30 years. He and his wife, Paula, have a daughter, Amelia, who lives in New York City.
The election is on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Early voting is from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5.