The Village Board provides leadership and policy direction for the community with a focus on the long-term financial stability of the Village, identification of community priorities and development of an economic development program. The Board is responsible for hiring the Village Manager and appointing the Village Clerk and Village Treasurer as well as members of the Ethics Board.
The Village Board of Trustees meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm in the Bradley Assembly Room, 3rd Floor Village Hall. Meeting agendas are posted the Friday prior to the meeting.
This excludes November this year in which the Village Board only meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. And finally, March they will meet the 1st and 4th Tuesdays due to Local Election Day falling on the 3rd Tuesday.
Meet the Trustees
Mayor Becky Pearson
Mayor
Becky has called Walden home for over 64 years. She and Mike have been married for 44 years and have two sons, two beautiful Daughter-in-Laws and three awesome grandchildren. She has a Physical Therapy Assisting Degree and worked in that field until she had her children. Becky has since had a long-lasting career as a manager/buyer/decorator at Millspaugh Furniture. A rewarding job that has been a service to many.
In 2005, dissatisfied with the direction of the Village board, she was elected Walden’s Mayor for two terms. During her tenure, some of her accomplishments were: helping secure funding to finalize the Walden Rail trail and worked with Walden Rotary to build the bandstand at Wooster’s Grove which is used every year for Community Council’s summer “Music in the Grove“ series. Arbor day was instituted 17 years ago and is still a successful educational tool for the local elementary school which has made Walden a Tree city that opens up funding for our village. As Mayor she helped secure the property from the state which is now the home of Veterans Memorial Park and where Walden Community Council holds the annual Flag Day and Veterans Day ceremonies for the past 14 years.
Becky has given back to her community by sitting on the Walden Zoning board for the past 10 years, seven of them being the chairperson. She has been a long-time member of the Walden Historical Society, where her grandmother was a founding member. She is also a long-standing member of Walden Community Council, a volunteer organization that among many things, helps beautify the village and raises money to give scholarships to high school seniors who have given back to their communities.
In her free time, she loves to garden even though she does not have her parents’ green thumbs. She volunteers where needed. Hiking is a passion. Becky loves to hunt for antiques but her most favorite treasures are her Grandchildren, twins – Nick and Sam and their cousin Theodore. They are the apple of her eye.
Lynn Thompson
Trustee
Liz Kyle
Trustee
Liz Kyle was born in Queens Village, New York and moved to the Village of Walden at the age of 16. After high school, she joined the US Army Military Police Corp as a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, deploying multiple times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, Liz served as the Noncommissioned officer in charge of police records, where she processed and maintained confidential case records, managed the daily police blotter, vehicle and weapon registration requirements for the military base, and trained soldiers on proper case procedure. Later in her military career, Liz became certified as both an Anti-Terrorism Officer and Crime and Criminal Intelligence Analyst. During her final military assignment, Liz served as the Non-commissioned officer in charge of human resources, managing and overseeing strength management, records management, promotions and evaluations, awards, training, legal and financial transactions and records for the installation Department of Emergency Services and Military Police Detachment.
Liz returned to Walden after her retirement from the military, where she discovered her passion for art – specifically painting, mixed media, and graphic design. She returned to college and graduated Summa Cum Laude from SUNY Orange with a degree in Visual Communication – Graphic Design. She currently works in finance and is also a freelance graphic designer. Liz is married to her best friend, Kevin, a lifelong village of Walden resident, and she takes pride in calling this village home. She’s grateful that her children are being raised in such a caring, tight-knit community. When she’s not working, Liz is a volunteer crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line, an advocate for veterans, mental health, and suicide awareness, and a volunteer/donor for organizations including Charity Water, Wounded Warrior Project, St. Baldrick’s, and St. Jude’s. She’s also an artist and writer, currently working on her first book. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, painting, reading, playing shuffleboard and golf with her husband, and tackling home improvement projects.
Ralph Garrison Jr.
Trustee
Ralph Garrison Jr is a fourth-generation lifelong resident of the Village of Walden. He is a proud graduate of Valley Central High School in 2007. Ralph joined the United States Army in 2006 and accomplished 15 years of honorable service, including two combat tours to Afghanistan and other various countries. In April 2012 Ralph started working for Hunter Insurance Services where he is now the personal lines manager.
Ralph has been happily married to his wife Emma since 2013. He spends his free time with his four wonder children Laila, Aurora, Aspen and Maxson, cheering them on and coaching them in various hobbies and sports. Ralph is an avid sports fan and still plays as much as possible with his longtime friends and family. You can catch him on various baseball fields and golf courses throughout the spring and summer.
Being a long time resident Ralph has always wanted to give back to the place he calls home and hopes to continue to build on what the Village of Walden has to offer.
Gerald Mishk
Trustee
Cheryl Baker
Trustee
Bill Taylor
Trustee
Bill Taylor was born in Utica New York, and raised in Schenectady New York. He attended and graduated from Colonie Central High School in Albany New York. After graduating high school he studied Architecture at Chicago Technical College. After college he returned home and worked for and Architectural firm in Schenectady New York. In 1968 he enlisted in the United States Navy. While in the Navy he served as a quartermaster in the navigation department and did two tours in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1971.
Upon returning home Bill began working for Newport News Shipbuilding in Scotia New York providing Quality Assurance oversight and Nondestructive testing for the Navy Nuclear Training facility located in West Milton New York. He spent the next 37 years working at several Nuclear power plants throughout the United States in Quality Assurance Management, Auditing, Human Performance and Security. He moved to the Village of Walden in 1986.
After retiring from the Nuclear industry Bill worked for First Student Bus company as the Safety Manager for Montgomery and Wallkill School Districts for four years. He left First Student to pursue an opportunity to Work at the WorldTrade Center providing Quality Assurance oversight of the of the new train station (the OCULUS) at ground zero. Bill is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Vietnam Veterans of America.