Supporters of a proposed referendum say they have gathered enough signatures to place a measure on the November ballot that would let Columbia County voters decide whether to create a full-time, elected County Executive to oversee the county’s $200 million budget and day-to-day operations.
Columbia is currently one of just four counties in New York still governed solely by a Board of Supervisors — a body composed of 23 town and city supervisors who divide their time between local and countywide responsibilities. The chairperson is appointed by members of the Board.
The advocacy group Columbia County Forward, funded by the Columbia County Democratic Committee, say the current structure is outdated and ill-suited to modern demands. They argue that the county needs a single executive accountable to voters and focused full-time on long-term planning, intergovernmental coordination, and professionalized management.
Opponents, however, warn that the shift would concentrate too much authority in one office and add unnecessary costs.
“I don’t agree with it,” said Matt Murrell, a Republican who serves as both Stockport Town Supervisor and Chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. “We’ve done very well in managing the business of the county. What this proposal is going to do is put the power into one person’s hands rather than 23.”
Murrell and other Republicans have characterized the proposal as a political maneuver by the Columbia County Democratic Committee. “They want a county exec who they can control,” he said. “This is absolutely a partisan issue.”
Democrats demur. “This is not about partisanship; it’s about modern governance,” said Linda Mussmann, a Hudson supervisor. “We are one of the few counties in our region that doesn’t have a County Executive. During COVID, we saw how valuable that leadership was elsewhere.”
Gallatin Supervisor John Reilly, a Democrat, is also in favor of the referendum. “I understand this issue is being presented as a partisan ideological battle,” he said. “As a long time centrist on the Board of Supervisors, endorsed at different times by both parties, I think the office of the executive should strive to be structured using elective and appointed positions to represent the county vision as a whole. If the referendum is passed, then perhaps the parties will come together and structure an office that has checks and balances knowing that the majority party in the county has switched multiple times over the last several decades and will likely do so in the future.”
According to Columbia County Forward, if the referendum is passed, the new executive would be elected in 2026 and take office in January 2027. The group also points to neighboring counties: Dutchess County adopted a County Executive in 1967, and Ulster in 2006. In each case, backers argue, the transition brought better planning, stronger state and federal relationships, and more effective services.
“In studying other surrounding counties’ legislative structures and their long term economic development plans; I think the time has come to move to a system that looks at a much longer term Columbia County vision,” said Reilly. “The growing size of our budget and the short and midterm economic realities around our countywide housing costs, decreasing student enrollment and aging population require a full-time and experienced executive and core staff to address large scale infrastructure, better state funding relations as well as county technology and real estate efficiency planning.”
Still, the change comes with questions. Who would hold the executive accountable? How much would the new office cost? And what powers would it have?
Under the proposed model, the executive would receive a full-time salary, propose the county budget, oversee daily operations, and serve as a public face for the county. The executive would also have veto power over Board decisions, though a two-thirds vote could override it — a threshold critics say would be politically difficult to meet.
“That would be very hard to do,” Murrell said.
Ancram Town Supervisor James MacArthur, a Republican, is against the initiative. “You’re going to increase government,” he said. “It’ll cost the taxpayers more money. There’s no need for it.”
Each supervisor’s vote on the Board of Supervisors is weighted; larger towns get more of the 200 total votes. Ancram and Gallatin each get five votes. The towns with the most power have Republican leadership: Claverack’s supervisor has 20 votes, Kinderhook’s 26, and Ghent’s 17.
Critics of the current system argue that it disenfranchises voters in places like Ancram and Gallatin.
“My supervisor has five votes out of 200,” said Tara Silberberg, a Democratic election district representative from Gallatin. “I’m paying the same taxes as everyone else, but I have no real say.”
Silberberg, who serves on the kitchen cabinet of the Columbia County Forward initiative, which is behind the petition drive, said her group has already gathered the 2,000 signatures required to put the referendum on the ballot and continues to collect more. “This is about representation,” she said. “It’s about fairness.”
If enough signatures are certified, the measure will appear on the November ballot, leaving the future of county government up to voters.
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