Walden weighs Orange County residency rule for village manager

Walden is considering a change that would reach far beyond one job posting: opening the village manager position to anyone who lives in Orange County, instead of limiting the search to residents of Walden itself. The proposal came just weeks after trustees unanimously fired longtime Village Manager John Revella, who had been on paid administrative leave since early April and had run the village since 2010 at a salary of about $120,000 a year.

The public hearing took place during the Village of Walden Board of Trustees meeting on May 19 in the Bradley Assembly Room at Village Hall, the same room where the board regularly meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Becky Pearson said the board was considering allowing the manager, and some employees, to live anywhere in Orange County rather than only inside the village. The change would not affect every local office: the draft law keeps the existing Village of Walden residency rule for the mayor, trustees, members of the Planning Board and members of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

For residents watching the debate, the issue was not just paperwork. It was about who gets to run the day-to-day operations of village government, and whether Walden should favor a broader talent pool or insist on a tighter link to local life. William Lopez argued the village should rely on civil service exams and hire the most qualified candidate instead of making decisions based on personal preference. Michael McNamee supported widening the pool, but said he wanted a timeline that would require the manager to move into the village after a certain period.

The hearing also underscored a transparency dispute. Residents said the proposed local law had not yet been posted on the village website, even as the board moved forward. By May 29, a version of the local law appeared on the village website, showing the proposal had advanced beyond the first hearing. The draft says a person would be eligible to serve as village manager if he or she resides anywhere in Orange County, and it says the law is being adopted under Municipal Home Rule Law §10 and would supersede inconsistent state Village Law provisions.

Walden has walked this path before. In 2024, the village adopted Local Law 10, expanding residency requirements for the village clerk, treasurer and police chief from the Town of Montgomery to all of Orange County. State Village Law § 3-300 allows a village board to set countywide residency for appointed village officers, giving trustees room to recruit beyond village lines while still keeping top officials within the county. In Walden, the question now is how far that balance should go.