2026 New York General Election

John J. VanTassel

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Jason Angell and Megan Cotter, Democrats elected to the Town Board in 2021, are not seeking second terms. John Van Tassel, who is running unopposed for his third, 2-year term as supervisor, will appear on the Democratic and Philipstown Focus lines. The Town of Philipstown lists John Van Tassel as town supervisor. In the 2023 Philipstown supervisor election, John J. VanTassel was listed as the incumbent and received 2,131 votes, or 100.0 percent.

Philipstown Primary Could Be a Wash

John J. VanTassel serves as Philipstown town supervisor.

Local Officials – Philipstown - The Highlands Current

As of October 28, 2026, John J. VanTassel’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Economy

Public Services

Housing & Urban Development

Said thousands of additional Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail visitors would affect emergency services.

Van Tassel focused in particular on the report’s claim that increased visitation would have no impact on emergency services. “I can’t swallow that,” he said. “Not with thousands of additional visitors.”

Town & Village Take Legal Action Against Fjord Trail

Public Safety

Opposes routing the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail through Cold Spring and advocates for paths and sidewalks suited to residential areas leading to an entrance north of the village.

The letter, signed by Kathleen Foley of Cold Spring, Chris Winward of Nelsonville and John Van Tassel of Philipstown and read aloud by Foley and Van Tassel at meetings, is addressed to Meagan Fitzgerald, the deputy commissioner of the state parks agency and Linda Cooper, the regional director. “Having the actual trail enter the Village of Cold Spring by any route would irreversibly change the landscape, viewshed and character of the village as well as the experience of all Philipstowners who consider Cold Spring the heart of our town,” the three elected officials wrote. “The trail’s necessary size, scale and construction requirements, particularly to meet the accessibility goal identified by the HHFT design team, would be outsized for our small residential village.”

Mayors, Supervisor Oppose Trail in Cold Spring

Instead, the letter advocates simple, “residentially scaled” paths and sidewalks from Cold Spring to an HHFT entrance north of the village, describing that approach as “far more appropriate to our historic, livable community.” Foley said the letter represents the views of the three officials but not necessarily of the Village Board. (Van Tassel said the same about the Town Board.)

Calls for building the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail to Little Stony Point, followed by a two-year pause.

The trail’s impact on the town and village has been hotly debated for decades, with no apparent agreement on its final scope. Van Tassel’s request of the trail was, “Build it south to Little Stony Point, then give us a pause for two years. But they would not agree to a pause,” he said.