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Three candidates are vying for the Town of Cochecton Supervisor seat in this midterm election. Incumbent Supervisor Gary Maas has served in office since 2010 and will not seek reelection, making it the first open election in Cochecton without an incumbent supervisor running in more than 15 years.
Ed Grund is the Republican and Conservative nominee and current Deputy Supervisor, Leanna Ballester is the Democratic and Right to Farm nominee, and Scott Goodman is the Cochecton United Independent nominee for the seat.
On Thursday, all three joined a packed candidate forum hosted by local newspaper The River Reporter and Radio Catskill at the Arts Nest in Lake Huntington and discussed some of the biggest issues facing Cochecton residents.
The future of Cochecton’s housing, economy, and more
The discussion was friendly, with candidates focusing less on personal attacks and more on ways to improve the quality of life for Cochecton residents.
Balancing keeping housing affordable while also regulating short-term rentals was a top issue. Ballester said Cochecton lacked sufficient local housing stock. She said she’s focused on sensible regulations for short-term rentals and converting some of the town’s abandoned houses into new homes or short-term lodging.
Grund said the Town board is drawing up regulations for short-term rentals and proposed a local room tax that could generate $90,000 for the town in municipal tax revenue.
“We were told that if we charge a three percent tax on short-term rentals, we could generate $90,000 a year in this town. $90,000 a year is a lot of money for the town of Cochecton, and that isn’t paid by the town taxpayers. That’s paid by the people that come here to use the short-term rentals,” said Grund.
Goodman focused on information gathering, including identifying the exact number of short-term rentals in Cochecton and talking to the local fire department to ensure these homes are code-compliant. Sullivan County estimates the Town has 19 short-term rentals, but Town Supervisor Maas told The River Reporter that Cochecton likely has closer to 80 rentals.
All agreed that data centers must be discouraged from the town. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has enacted a one-year state data center moratorium, with Grund saying the current Town board is looking at regulations to discourage developers.
Goodman said the Town needs to consider the threat of smaller data centers (the state moratorium only applies to larger data centers that consume at least 50 megawatts of energy). Ballester said she’s organizing with state officials on long-term fixes.
“I am absolutely committed to this. I’m also organizing with assemblymembers in Mid-Hudson as well who are working to push and make sure that the moratorium is not one year, but forever,” said Ballester. “Farmland and our land isn’t just pretty scenery. It’s the families, histories, livelihoods of this town, and we need to push for protections that will outlast all of us.”
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When asked about new leadership changes, Grund said he’s eager to make Town Hall more open to residents, specifically opening a basketball court and other outdoor spaces at the Town Hall. Ballester said upgrading the town’s communications, like a regular newsletter, could help residents stay informed and older residents less isolated, while Goodman also called on making government more accessible for working families.
“We need to have more transparent and open government in the sense of making our town board meetings more accessible to people, so that might mean streaming it live or having it recorded and people being able to go and see it online,” said Goodman.
Election Day is tomorrow, November 3. Follow along for more election coverage in New York and Pennsylvania on Radio Catskill’s Election 2026 Guide page.
Editor’s note: We should note that Leanna Ballester is an employee of The River Reporter. The River Reporter did not moderate Thursday’s candidate forum and did not have access to candidate questions.