There are 15 town supervisor seats up for election this year in Delaware County. In 2025, only four of seventeen town supervisor races had more than one candidate. There are no doubt many reasons people aren’t stepping up, but let’s make sure a lack of understanding about the role isn’t one of them.
In Delaware County, each of the 19 towns sends its supervisor to sit on the county’s Board of Supervisors, a body whose decisions touch everything from your property taxes to the mental health services available down the road. Under New York State Town Law, the supervisor is the chief executive and fiscal officer of the town, responsible for keeping the lights on, the roads plowed, and the books balanced. But beyond the legal definition, what does the day-to-day actually look like?
According to one current Delaware County town supervisor, the honest answer is: it depends on you. “This is definitely a job you can spend 5 hours or 25 hours on,” they said. In practice, the role splits into two distinct arenas — the county and the town — and the balance between them shapes everything.
On the county side, supervisors attend roughly 18 full board meetings per year, usually under 30 minutes each, plus monthly or bimonthly committee work. For a supervisor serving on two committees, that adds up to around 2-4 additional hours a month, bringing the total county time commitment to roughly 10 hours a month. The compensation is reasonable for the time commitment: the 2026 adopted budget sets the base salary for each of the 18 regular board members at $17,165, with access to county health insurance. The Chairman of the Board receives $78,800. There is no additional pay for committee service.
The town side, however, is where most of your time and energy will go. Writing grants, modernizing outdated systems, fielding calls from residents, staffing the office a few days a week — the list is as long as the community’s needs. “On a busy week at a busy time of year I’m working close to 30 hours a week,” the supervisor noted, adding that grant writing alone consumed a significant chunk of last year. Town-level compensation is set by each town board and varies considerably — the Meredith Town Supervisor earns $7,500 annually, while the Bovina Town Supervisor earns $23,599, according to 2026 town budgets.
Put it all together and a realistic estimate is 40 to 60 hours a month, with roughly 85% of that devoted to town business.
Delaware County is a place where local government still means something. The towns are small enough that one person can make a real difference, and complex enough that there’s always meaningful work to be done. If you’ve ever thought about stepping up, know that the job is demanding — but so is the reward of serving a community that actually knows your name.
Ready to put your hat in the ring? You can still run under an independent party line. Petitions begin circulating April 14, 2026, with a filing window of May 19–26. Contact the Delaware County Board of Elections for help on how to get started.
Kristin Antin serves on the Meredith Town Board and writes here in their individual capacity.
