The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running in the Nov. 3 election, offering readers an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, Editor-in-Chief Noah Eckstein interviewed Angela Galindo, the Republican challenger to Democratic incumbent Barbara Mansfield for Shandaken town supervisor.

Galindo, 74, lives in Phoenicia and serves as Shandaken’s deputy town clerk. She founded and operated a medical billing business for 29 years before recently closing it. Her professional experience also includes managing an accounting firm, serving on a municipal hospital’s executive staff, and working as a nursing home purchasing director.

Born in the Bronx and raised in Yonkers, Galindo moved with her husband to Delaware County in 1993 and to Phoenicia about 10 years ago to help her father maintain the family property. She and her husband now own the property, which she says includes six affordable long-term rentals.

Galindo is a Rotary member and an officer of the American Legion Auxiliary in Phoenicia. She enjoys gardening and spending time with family. She and her husband have a blended family of five children and five grandchildren.

The following has been lightly edited for clarity and concision.

What do you see as the most pressing issue facing Shandaken?

Galindo: I really don’t think there’s one single biggest issue because the major ones would be the flooding and affordable housing. And they’re intertwined, if you will.

And the housing situation, we have young people that can’t afford to live here anymore and they’re moving away. We have seniors who are living in these larger homes. Their families have grown and they’re having a hard time keeping up with their homes, the taxes and the cost of living. 

Do you support housing at the former Phoenicia Elementary School? What would you do as supervisor to move that project forward and create other housing options for workers, young people, and seniors?

Galindo: And I’ve heard so many different suggestions from people as I meet as many Shandaken residents as I can.

And yes, we want affordable housing. A place where we can maybe have a senior center. Or maybe even something like a trade school to help the kids that we do have here.

But most importantly, I want to meet with the residents and I want their suggestions. I want to see what they want. The town of Shandaken is their town. It doesn’t belong to the town board and the supervisor. It belongs to the people here, and they have to put their input. I think that’s the most important.

Would you change Shandaken’s short-term rental restrictions? How would you balance residents who rely on rental income with workers and families who need year-round housing?

Galindo: It’s funny you should ask that question, because I manage the short-term rental licenses for the town of Shandaken, and we had our non-resident cap at 150, and then the board reduced that to 100.

But interestingly enough, I think we’re down to 127 non-resident owners now for the short-term rentals, because they’re not making the money they were making before. And a lot of them are selling off.

The problem with that is when these people came in and they bought these homes, they renovated them high-end. So now it’s out of the reach of the people who live here. The young people.

I would like to really work with the town, with the residents and see what they think, what would be their suggestions.

They’ve also talked about changing the zoning code so we could have more accessible dwelling units, and that would be a way to help some of these elderly people that are having a problem keeping up with their homes if they can make a separate apartment or something on their property so that they would have a little bit of rental income coming in. And I would like to see that go forward.

Which flood-protection project would you prioritize, what is preventing it from moving forward, and what could residents expect to see completed during your term?

Galindo: I would like the residents to become familiar, if they’re not already, with all of the regulations that FEMA has put in place and also especially the Community Rating System, because the town of Shandaken right now is rated number eight, and that means our residents will get a 10% discount on their flood insurance premiums.

The town of Walton, for example, in Delaware County, just achieved an eight rating. And I would really like to take a good look at what they did. 

But really looking at the regulations that are in place that we have to abide by and also to see what we can do to lower that, get our rating down to a seven or a six, because there are only a handful, not even a handful of towns in the system that have achieved a rating of one, and a rating of one equates to a 45% discount on flood insurance premiums.

So it behooves all of us to look at all of the things that we can do to enhance our rating. The cost of living going up, taxes going up, but if there’s one way that we can improve our flood management so that we can make it better here, of course, but also reduce those flood insurance premiums, that’s a win-win.

Given the town’s budget constraints, where could it operate more efficiently, and where would you like to see taxpayer money better spent?

Galindo: I would like to see taxpayer money spent on programs that are helping our residents.

And as far as any improvements, I’ve managed businesses during my career and I always look at the people on the front lines and I ask them, how can you make your job better? What would you like to see to make your job better so that you can function more efficiently? What suggestions would you have that we can reduce our budget, reduce our expenses, but yet improve the availability of services to our residents?

Why do you think members of the public are qualified to weigh in on those decisions?

Galindo: Because they’re very intelligent people.

What concrete action would you take in your first 100 days to improve residents’ lives?

Galindo: I would meet with the staff and go over what I just said before on how we can improve what we’re doing and do it less expensively.

And then I would want to have meetings with our residents to remind them, to insure them, make them feel comfortable with the fact that I’m here to listen to them. I want to know what they have to say. What do they need? I think that’s so important.

And I want to create an atmosphere where people will feel that they are respected, that they’re listened to. Because when you get a group of people together in an atmosphere where there is mutual respect, and there is a true love for the well-being of all concerned, people start talking and then ideas come forward and one person will say something, and then another person will say something. And that’s where we build solutions. That’s where we can find our solutions to our problems.

Do you think that is not happening now?

Galindo: I can’t say it is. And I can’t say it isn’t because it depends on the situation and with whom you’re speaking.

But I feel that people need to be listened to. Like, for example, when they’re having public hearings, they’re giving people only three minutes to speak. And you’ve got, for example, the comprehensive plan that has been in the works for how many years now, and somebody cannot really get across all their points in three minutes.

And I can understand that you can’t give everybody an outreach. We’d be there for 24 hours, but have some kind of forum where people can write down what they want, send it in, and then have all of those suggestions available to everybody to read.

I want to push you on specifics. Residents are struggling with high food costs and a lack of jobs, and some feel they may have to leave. Beyond gathering suggestions, what could you actually do as supervisor to make living here more affordable?

Galindo: We really cannot control what our stores are selling and the prices they’re charging.

We can encourage, for example, we have the Emerson Spa here in Mt. Tremper and they offer a 20% discount to locals on Thursdays. Encouraging more businesses to do something like that would definitely help.

Trying to see if we can get some business to move in. That’s something that we could look into. That takes a lot of research, however.

But the one thing that we have in this town, we have a group of people who are so willing to work together. And when there’s a crisis, everybody just jumps in.

And we have so many retirees who are professionals in so many different areas in the sciences and in business and industry, and gathering those people together and create a form of think tank, if you will, because there’s so much value in this town with the people that live here. And we need to tap into that. We need to create an atmosphere where they feel they can speak openly and comfortably. And that’s what I’m good at.

How would you improve cellphone coverage while addressing concerns about losing landlines and protecting the Catskills’ scenery?

Galindo: You have to look at both sides. Yes, we want to preserve the vistas. There’s one tower that they’re working on in Phoenicia. And the second site that they’re really looking at is set back from the front side of the hill, if you will. So you’re really not going to see it from the road itself.

But the other thing is we also have to consider the need. My husband has a pacemaker and his sending unit fortunately works on Wi-Fi, but there are also other implanted devices like a cardiac loop recorder. And there’s one that will not work on Wi-Fi.

And this patient would have to take this unit and either drive to Boiceville or drive into Kingston, where she could get a cell signal so that it could transmit the data from this implant in her heart, near her heart. Now, if there was an emergency and she couldn’t get out for a couple of days, her doctor’s office would not get that report. And that’s something that that particular device will not work on Wi-Fi.

So you have to balance both. Yes, we want to keep the area beautiful and Lord knows it is a beautiful area. But we also have to consider the importance of our health and the fact that if someone has an accident in some areas along Route 28 late at night and they cannot get help. I mean, they hope someone will drive by.

And fortunately, the wonderful people that live here, if someone is stuck on the side of the road, if someone passes, someone will stop and help you. But if it’s late at night, you have to balance both. And I understand the concerns of both sides.

Why do you identify with your political party, and how would that affiliation inform your approach to town government?

Galindo: I am more about the person instead of the party, because the party isn’t going to be standing in that boardroom having to deal with residents, having to speak to them, having to explain to them what is going on and listening to them.

The party isn’t going to be there. It’s not the Democratic Party, it’s not the Republican Party, it’s the individual. And that’s the way I stand.

Are you running on the Republican line primarily as a way to seek office, or do you identify as a Republican?

Galindo: I am a Republican from the days of Ronald Reagan.

Do you identify with the MAGA movement?

Galindo: I stay away from that conversation because it is so volatile. Regardless of what you say, you’re going to anger someone. And I’m not looking to do that.

I’m running because I want to see Shandaken grow, but I want Shandaken, as many of the people, the multigenerational people who are living here, want to keep the true character of Shandaken the way it is.

What do you mean by Shandaken’s “true character”?

Galindo: People helping people. People walking in the streets saying hello to you.

We have a guy here, he’s our local roofer, if you will. He’ll be in the middle of Phoenicia and he’ll see somebody with the hood up on their car. He’s under that hood within minutes helping them, not asking a question, not taking a penny for it and driving them wherever they have to go. It’s that type of camaraderie here.

Last year, two of our firefighters, very important people in our town, were in a very serious accident. This town came together with a GoFundMe, with a penny social, with food and helping them with their home.

It’s the way these people come together, even if an animal is missing, which my dog was a few months ago. We had 30 people driving around looking for him. It’s people helping people, helping neighbors.

You can have two people who really don’t talk to each other, and have nothing to say to each other. But when there’s an emergency, those two people are working hand in hand to get the job done. That’s the true character.

It’s protecting the environment, protecting the wildlife on the mountaintops that are being overrun with tourism. Yes, we do need tourism, but we need to find a way where it’s more controlled. So we’re not endangering the wildlife, the migrating birds that nest there. There has to be a balance. And that’s where we need people to sit down and talk to each other in a respectful environment.

You and your husband own rental housing in Phoenicia. Tell us about that property.

Galindo: My husband and I own property that has six affordable long-term rentals. And this property has been in our family for 50 years.

I’ve got one tenant here that’s been living here 35 years. And I have three others that are here more than 10.

What professional experience and community service would you bring to the supervisor’s office?

Galindo: I am a member of the Rotary. I am an officer of the American Legion Auxiliary here in Phoenicia. I am secretary on the board and membership chair.

And this past January, the American Legion, they don’t say the state of New York. They call it the Department of New York.

The commander for the Department of New York, they visit every county every year. So in January, it was Ulster County’s turn and the commander came and the American Legion Auxiliary here in Phoenicia, and the Sons of the American Legion were honored as the first entities in Ulster County to achieve 100% of membership goal. And we are all very proud of that.

But in any event, with the auxiliary, we donate money to the Shandaken recreation program, to the VA hospital in Albany. And we also donate to other organizations.

And with the help of the Shandaken recreation program and the director, Manny, this is the second year our kids in the summer program wrote thank-you letters to our veterans. And those letters are distributed to veterans on the Honor Flights going to Washington, D.C. It’s the second year they did it and the veterans were so touched.

As far as experience, I started and operated a medical billing service for 29 years. I created the business and incorporated the software, hired staff. We were averaging 5,000 medical claims a month.

And that’s processing the claims, making sure the diagnosis and procedure codes are correct, then recording the receipt receivables from insurance companies, billing patients. Very, very busy.

But prior to that, I have experience as managing a large certified public accounting firm in White Plains. I was also on the executive staff of a large municipal hospital in the Bronx.

And I was also purchasing director for a few years at a nursing home, making sure that purchases were done, getting the best price and the best quality of supplies for the staff and also the residents.

What brought you to Shandaken?

Galindo: I am originally from the Bronx. I was born in the Bronx. Arthur Avenue and 187th Street. And you’re not going to get any better food than that.

And then I grew up in Yonkers, and my husband and I moved up to Delaware County in ’93. And then we moved here to Phoenicia 10 years ago.

And my dad owned this property and he was getting older and he couldn’t take care of it anymore, so we moved here to help him. And so now we’re here.

Where is your family originally from?

Galindo: My father was born in Italy and my mother was born in Rochester, Pennsylvania, but her parents were from Italy and the town is very close to where my father was from.

And when my grandfather came here, my mother’s father, he worked in a glass factory in Rochester, Pennsylvania. They lived there for many years, but I’m not sure when they moved to the Bronx. I’m not sure at what time they did that.

Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.