There are five positions open in Gallatin — Town Supervisor, Town Board (two seats), Town Clerk, and Town Justice — and none of the races are contested. The Herald interviewed the five candidates for office.
Town Supervisor
John Reilly (D)
John Reilly, a Gallatin resident since 2005, has served as its Town Supervisor since 2013 — following two years on the Town Board. In an email to the Herald, Reilly wrote, “After 12 years in office, I have [achieved] many of the long-term goals I set out to accomplish.” He cited the restructuring of the town budget; a 10-year road and highway equipment plan; and the five-year transition of town employee benefits to the New York state retirement system. “I would’ve liked to have been able to revamp the Town Hall structure,” he added, “but construction costs since the Covid era did not make the timing work within a budget I felt reasonable for the taxpayers, so we will be content with smaller upgrades.”
Reilly said in this email that he is currently a registered Democrat, endorsed by Gallatin’s Democratic Committee. He ran on the Republican ticket in his first Town Supervisor election; he has also been a No Official Party (NOP) candidate in the past. “There is really no place for partisan politics at the small town level where unity of the community should be the priority,” Reilly wrote.
Because new state legislation is moving county and town elections to even-numbered years, Reilly would serve through 2026. “I agreed to serve the unique one-year term as Town Supervisor to help mentor new Town Board members and those who will serve as the next Town Supervisor.” He plans on completing long-standing projects, including revamping the town zoning codes. “I also want to be part of the potential transition of the county government structure, which I think would greatly help the long-term vision of the county, both in its economic and technological goals,” Reilly said.
Reilly said that his “day job” is chief legal officer and executive vice president at Talkspace (an innovator in online mental health care). He has lived in Gallatin since 2005. “Gallatin is above all else, a town of beautiful vistas, quiet neighborhoods and dedication to both a community spirit where we can create one and the preservation of our natural resources that reaffirms the moniker of ‘a great little town.’”
Town Board (two seats open)
Benjamin Maron (D)
A Gallatin resident for 23 years, Benjamin Mason works as a dry stone wall instructor with the Stone Trust. “Gallatin is a wonderful community with many natural resources — the woodlands, the wildlife, and Lake Taghkanic,” he told the Herald. “I love the people here, and the quiet, rural character of our town.”
Mason served on the Gallatin Board of Assessment Review and is a longstanding member of the Conservation Advisory Committee. “These two groups really helped me to get to know the people in this town,” he said. “I thought about running for Town Board a number of years ago, but I didn’t do it. Now I’m ready.”
One of Mason’s top priorities is to end the disparity between public and private roads, which he described as Gallatin’s dirty little secret. “There are 22 private roads in Gallatin, and 10 to 20% of the population live on them,” he said. “But our [2023] Comprehensive Plan labels all of our roads as town roads; there’s no mileage even listed for private roads.” Mason said the Town of Gallatin needs to assume responsibility for these streets, to keep them consistently accessible and safe. “I’ve been to the Town [Board] to try to get them take our roads over, but I got nowhere. They said it was too expensive,” he said. “I maintain the private road I live on, and my neighbors help plow it in the winter. It’s a lot.”
Another goal for Mason is to protect Gallatin’s woodlands. “Animals migrate deeply into our forests to get all the way north,” he said. “The area is protected, but this needs to be permanently enshrined.”
Tara Silberberg (D)
Tara Silberberg bought her Gallatin home in 2016, and became a full-time resident in 2020 after retiring from her 50-year Brooklyn jewelry business. “I grew up in Plainfield, Mass. — a town with 350 people,” she said. “I always knew I wanted to move back to a rural area, and live at a slower pace.”
Silberberg volunteered to help the town’s business directory, and served on the Gallatin Comprehensive Plan Committee. “It was a great education on how the town worked,” she said. “I also go to all the Town Board meetings — I’m especially interested in budgeting.”
A member of Gallatin’s Conservation Advisory Council, Silberberg works on its subcommittee, the Climate Smart Task Force. “We’ve raised $100,000 in grants for the town’s green infrastructure. Now we’ve applied for our Bronze Certification,” Silberberg said, referring to New York State’s award to green communities. She also is the president of the Gallatin Residents Program, which works to improve community life.
“I want to bring back community policing — Gallatin hasn’t had a town constable since 1970,” Silberberg said. “Right now you have to wait for 30 minutes or more when you call the county Sheriff.” Silberberg suggests collaborating with Pine Plains law enforcement: “Or we could have the county Sheriff’s department operate a substation: They could serve Ancram, Taconic, and Gallatin.”
Silberberg’s priorities also include improving the town’s email communication, encouraging volunteerism, and renovating the Town Hall. “We need to help and protect the historic Gallatin Reformed Church, too [established in 1748],” she said.
Passionate about creating a town dog park, Silberberg hopes to secure grant money and a small piece of donated land. “The closest one is 20 miles away,” she said. “It would be a great place for our community to gather.”
Town Clerk
Lisa DeLeeuw (D)
Lisa DeLeeuw has been Gallatin’s Town Clerk for 24 years. “I’m running again because I love my job,” she said. DeLeeuw’s administrative responsibilities include collecting taxes, preserving town records, issuing marriage licenses and death certificates, and paying Gallatin’s bills. She also writes and administers grants for the town — and for the Hudson Valley Rail Trail.
“My first responsibility is to the needs of the town residents,” she said. “I’ll help anyone, even if all they need is the phone number of the nearest pharmacy.”
Town Justice
Matthew Gold (D)
Matthew Gold has served as Town Justice since being elected in 2021. A retired attorney, Gold wants to continue using his legal skills to help the community. “I enjoy the work,” he said. “I like interacting with the public.”
Gold grew up in New York City and visited the Hudson Valley regularly as a child. He bought his Gallatin home in 2007, becoming a full-time resident in 2020.
One of Gold’s goals as Town Justice is to continue running an efficient court room. During his first term, Gold reorganized the office and caught up on old cases — with the help of his court clerks. “I’ve been lucky to have a series of excellent clerks; currently it’s Madelyn Dafoe,” he said. “She’s great!”
Gold is looking forward to going back to judge school after the election. “Taking the Bench” is a state-required online course for novice justices. “The first time [I took the course] it was a firehose of information,” he said. “Now that I have experience, I have an idea of what I need to pay attention to. I don’t have to take it again, but I will.”