In a split vote, the Pine Plains Town Board moved to reshape its leadership structure on June 18, replacing the traditional deputy supervisor role with a new interim supervisor post reserved for sitting board members.
The change marks a departure from the longstanding practice of allowing the town supervisor to appoint a deputy from outside the elected board. Supervisor Brian Walsh and board member Robert Ambrose voted against the measure, while Jeanine Sisco, Kevin Walsh, and Matt Zick supported it.
“We had discussed that for various reasons… the majority of the board felt it would be better for continuity if the deputy supervisor, when stepping in, is someone who regularly attends meetings and is intimately involved with the town,” said Town Attorney Warren Replansky. He added that executive session access was also a factor, since unelected deputies cannot attend those meetings, while board members can.
“What I did was create a new position — interim supervisor,” Replansky said. “The law would dissolve the current office of deputy supervisor and create a new office that’s essentially the same, except for one caveat that we put in there that it has to be a member of the town board.”
The board first proposed this change in December 2024 and reaffirmed it in April 2025. A public hearing took place in May. The most recent deputy supervisor, Jim Smith, was appointed by Supervisor Walsh.
In other business:
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Highway Superintendent Carl Baden reported an emergency situation on Woodward Hill Road, where erosion near a new culvert may have been caused by the release of several upstream beaver dams on private property. “We’ve lost six inches of the embankment,” said Baden. He received a $25,000 estimate from A. Colarusso & Son for repairs and is soliciting more. Emergency repair rules allow the town to forgo the bidding process and accept the lowest bid.
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The Beautification Committee received approval to purchase two additional garbage cans for the town park. The committee also raised concerns about unsightly dumpsters in the downtown area. Zick said he would coordinate with the town’s enforcement officer to address the issue using existing code.
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Sisco, who has led the town’s effort to secure state funding for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), said she will attend an orientation on June 30 to learn more about the latest developments regarding distribution of funds from the Plus One ADU program.
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LaBella Associates is developing a preliminary sketch for the new Town Hall.
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The Dutchess County Office for the Aging will host a senior picnic at noon on July 16 at Stissing Mountain High School. Reservations are encouraged at 845-486-2555 and capped at 300 attendees.
The next Pine Plains Town Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on July 17.