Saying he “gets things done,” longtime Shawangunk Deputy Supervisor Adrian “Binker” DeWitt officially has declared his candidacy for town supervisor.

DeWitt announced his intention to run for the post, which will be vacated by retiring Supervisor John Valk at the end of the year, with a post on his Facebook page.

The only other announced candidate for the position is Ulster County Legislature Minority Leader Ken Ronk Jr.

Since both men are Republicans, they are expected to face off in the June GOP primary. No member of the Democratic Party has indicated a desire to run for the position yet in the heavily Republican district.
He has been a town councilman for 21 years, including the last 13 as deputy supervisor.

“I first ran for office so everyone had ‘the guy’ that was one call away from getting an answer, not an excuse,” DeWitt said. “I am still that ‘guy’ and anyone that knows me knows I am hands on and carry an open-door policy.”

Although DeWitt said he has worked closely with Valk during his tenure on the board, he made it clear he is his own man.

“John and I did not always see eye to eye, but all of our decisions were based on putting the town’s best interests first,” DeWitt said. “I am proud of all the progress we have made, but it’s never enough and I am ready to look at our future through a different lens.”

DeWitt said he has years of experience working on the town’s budget and implementing policies.

“I know where the problems lie that need immediate attention to move the town forward,” he said. “We have always tried to hold the line on taxes, juggle the changes sent down from Albany while at the same time keeping Shawangunk safe and affordable for residents.”

DeWitt said the town needs to consider full-time park personnel and building maintenance staff for the town hall.

“We have a $5.5 million town hall and we don’t have a maintenance staff,” DeWitt said. “We ask a lot of town employees. They need to get their raises, too.”
DeWitt said building a new barn for the town’s highway department would be something he would support.

“We need to find money, so it’s not all on the taxpayer,” he said. “Grants are a huge part of it because it relieves the burden on the taxpayer. We’re getting grants, but the town has to match the grants. So, we need to make sure we have the money in the department where we’re trying to get the grant.”
DeWitt said he would also seek the Conservative Party’s endorsement for supervisor.