Whatever else divides us, there is one thing Delaware County residents tend to agree on: this place is special. The views from the hilltops, the rhythms of small-town life, the neighbors who show up when it matters — these things don’t happen by accident. They are the result of generations of people who cared enough to stay and contribute. Honoring that legacy takes more than good intentions. It takes people willing to govern it.
That’s why it matters who runs for town supervisor.
Across Delaware County’s nineteen towns, the supervisor’s role shapes more of daily life than most residents realize. Supervisors set tax rates, oversee road maintenance, manage local budgets, and represent their towns on the County Board of Supervisors. They are often the first and most accessible point of contact between a neighbor with a problem and a government with the power to solve it. It is unglamorous, frequently thankless work. It is also where democracy is most real.
And right now, that democracy has some serious cracks in it.
Many residents are frustrated — and rightly so — that Delaware County does not share sales tax revenue with its towns and villages, leaving local governments to stretch budgets while the county retains funds that could meaningfully support the communities generating them. Others have shown up to County Board of Supervisors meetings only to find there is no public comment period — no formal opportunity for ordinary residents to speak. These aren’t minor procedural complaints. They are symptoms of a governing structure that has calcified, and that is overdue for reform.
Change at that level doesn’t come from the outside. It comes from town supervisors who arrive at the County Board with a mandate from their neighbors and the willingness to push for something different. The Board of Supervisors is composed of the town supervisors themselves — which means that who runs for town supervisor directly determines whether the county ever revisits how it shares resources, how it conducts its meetings, and how it structures itself for the challenges ahead.
Which makes this number all the more alarming: in 2025, 13 of the 17 town supervisor seats up for election in Delaware County ran uncontested. Nearly three quarters of those races offered voters no choice at all. That is not a healthy democracy functioning at the local level — it is democracy on autopilot, and it puts the power to demand reform out of reach before a single vote is cast.
Running doesn’t require a law degree or decades of name recognition. It requires understanding your community, a willingness to listen, and the commitment to show up. Town supervisor races are decided by small margins. Ordinary people win them all the time.
If you’ve ever sat in frustration watching decisions get made without your input, or wondered why your town sees so little of the county’s tax revenue, that frustration is not just valid. It’s exactly the kind of motivation democracy depends on.
Delaware County’s towns don’t need perfect candidates. They need present ones. Consider running. https://rundelco.org
Kristin Antin serves on the Meredith Town Board and writes here in their individual capacity.
