HIGHLAND, NY — Glenn Pontier of Minisink Ford has been appointed deputy supervisor of the Town of Highland.

He follows town board member Kaitlin Haas, who had served in the role since the retirement of her predecessor, Jim Gutekunst, in October 2022

Supervisor John Pizzolato, who defeated incumbent Jeff Haas in November, said Pontier is “uber prepared to step into the role.”

He said he knows Pontier through their work together on the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, when Pontier was the chair, and the Ten Mile River Scout Museum in Tusten, which Pontier co-directs.

His experience also includes 11 years as executive director of Sullivan Renaissance and service on the boards of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County, the Sunshine Hall Free Library in Eldred and the Sullivan Renaissance Steering Committee, according to his LinkedIn page. He formerly worked as communications director for Sullivan County and news director for WVOS Radio. He was a longtime editor of the River Reporter.

In 2015 Pontier ran as a Democrat unsuccessfully against Republican Frederick Bosch for a seat on the town board.

State law allows unelected deputies

Pizzolato said Pontier will step in only when Pizzolato is unable to perform his duties. Pontier will not be a regular vote on the board, Pizzolato said.

Posted on the town page is the following: “The Deputy Supervisor assumes all the duties of the Supervisor in the event of the absence of, illness of or death of the Supervisor. In such circumstances, the Deputy shall conduct all of the duties of the Supervisor with the full authority of that office.”

The town page also says the deputy supervisor is an appointed town board member, but that does not have to be the case.

The deputy supervisor’s position is governed by Section 42 in New York State town law. It states, “Any person, including a town officer, official or employee, may be appointed deputy supervisor, provided that the person appointed shall possess the same qualifications as an elective town officer.” The deputy supervisor takes a constitutional oath of office before executing the duties associated with the role, and accepts compensation decided by the town board.

The town officers’ salaries, which were bumped up with the 2024 budget, are as follows: supervisor, $26,045.10; town clerk, $41,800.49; four town board members at $6,334.47 each; justice, $15,178.11; and highway superintendent, 50,000.

Change also came to the town attorney’s office, where Steven N. Mogel has replaced Michael Davidoff, who had served as town attorney for nearly 20 years. Mogel has successfully represented plaintiffs fighting development, including stopping a warehouse in Orangetown and a condominium development in Ramapo.

Editor's note: This article has been corrected from the original.