Rhinebeck appoints Aaren McKen as Town Board member

RHINEBECK, N.Y. >> Six-year resident Aaren McKen has been appointed to fill the vacancy created when Josh Pulver stepped down from the board in November.

McKen, 41, was sworn in Monday during a Town Board meeting that turned out to have two topics — draft noise ordinance revision and a proposed 256unit housing development — that attracted some of the most passionate audience members in several months.

Following the session, McKen said the concerns from the combined 15 speakers demonstrated how important it is to understand how residents feel about preserving community character while keeping it safe and making it accessible.

“It’s hard because you want families to move here but also you don’t want it to be overcrowded,” she said. “I think managing that is important. The communications between the board and (residents of) the town need to be clear.”

McKen described her strength as being a “community builder and I’d like to work on that by building bridges between the town and the community.”

McKen is the director of community programs at Ramapo for Children, is married to Hiroshi Kokubun and has three children. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Hunter College in New York City, and is currently working toward a master’s degree.

Pulver resigned on Nov. 13, 2023, without providing a reason.

Pulver was appointed on Aug. 12, 2019, to fill a vacancy left when a previous appointee Kirsten Bonanza resigned. The initial vacancy was created when former Councilwoman Brennan Kearney stepped down to take the Dutchess County Legislature seat vacated by Joel Tyner, who had resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.

Pulver went on to fill the remaining two years of the seat by winning the 2019 election, and in 2021 was elected to what would have been a four-year term running through 2025. The remaining two years will now be part of the election ballot in November.

McKen