After seven years on the Gardiner Town Board, councilman Mike Reynolds submitted his resignation last week, effective March 11, “due to a change in my permanent residency status from Gardiner to New Paltz.” According to municipal law, elected officials are ineligible to serve if they move outside the town limits.
Town Supervisor Marybeth Majestic said that she would advertise for volunteers interested in filling out the remainder of Reynolds’ term, his second, which expires at the end of this year. Authority to appoint a replacement lies with the Town Board.
Reynolds, an information technology consultant, was first elected to the board as a Democrat in 2011, following several years of involvement with Gardiner’s Open Space Commission. His initial campaign platform emphasized long-term financial planning for the town, siting a cell tower, updating the 2008 Zoning Law and “better transparency through the use of technology solutions.”
When Reynolds declared his candidacy for reelection in 2015, town government was embroiled in a bitter clash of policies and personalities between then-supervisor Carl Zatz and recycling coordinator Wendy Toman, who later resigned. Reynolds incurred Zatz’s wrath by consistently championing Toman’s efforts to expand the recycling center at the Gardiner Transfer Station. The Gardiner Democratic Committee withheld support for Reynolds’ bid for a second term, so he ran as a Republican, also garnering endorsements from the Conservative, Independence, P4G (People for Gardiner) and Reform parties.
Reynolds’ 2015 campaign included a push for a solar farm to be established on the town-owned landfill site. He managed to keep his seat, edging out Warren Wiegand by a 17-vote margin. Wiegand was returned to the Town Board in the 2017 election, taking the seat vacated by Republican John Hinson, who did not seek another term.
“I have enjoyed my seven years on the Town Board and have seen the town thrive as a result of all the hard work the past and present boards have done,” Reynolds wrote in an e-mail announcing his resignation. “It has been an honor and privilege to serve the people of this unique community with you.”
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