Supervisor stepping down after 3+ years
ESOPUS, N.Y. » Town Supervisor Shannon Harris announced her resignation Tuesday, 10 months before the end of her second term.
Harris, who will step down at the end of this week, said the demands of the job amid the COVID-19 pandemic have made it difficult for her to give enough attention to her three young sons.
“It’s just been a real challenge to have a 24/7 highimpact job and [be] a single mom,” she said. “I think I need to explore other opportunities to have more time with my family.”
Harris said she has “mixed feelings” about resigning but feels “a huge bit of relief.”
“I have been very, very grateful this entire time and love this job so much,” she said. “I do feel good, though, because I’m confident that there’s a really positive future for the town . ...
“I feel like I’m leaving the town in a better place than when I started,” she said.
The Town Board was to formally accept Harris’ resignation during a videoconference meeting Tuesday night, and it will have
the option of appointing a replacement or holding an early election.
Whoever fills the position would serve only through the end of this year unless elected in November to serve a full two-year term.
Harris, a Democrat, first was elected in 2017, defeating Republican Carl Belfiglio, an Ulster County legislator at the time, and she took office in January 2018. She was re-elected to the two-year post, unopposed, in 2019.
The supervisor’s job pays $36,500 per year.
Harris said she feels “like I’m leaving the town in a better place than when I started.”