Voters in the Town of Marlborough will choose between a longtime municipal and volunteer figure and a newcomer pushing for affordable housing and more public input when they decide the Town Board race on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Incumbent Town Councilman Gael Appler Jr., a former deputy supervisor, is stressing his experience and the need for infrastructure investment to support growth. Challenger Rolando Garcia is focusing on affordable housing, government transparency and public participation in town decisions.

Both say the town must expand its tax base. They differ on how, and on how much say residents should have in town policy.

How to vote
Early voting for the 2026 General Election runs from Saturday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 1. Anyone registered to vote in Ulster County may vote at any early voting site in the county. ulstercountynyulstercountyny

In Marlborough, early voting is at the Marlborough Community Center, 1520 Route 9W. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 24-26, Oct. 28 and Oct. 30-Nov. 1, and noon to 8 p.m. on Oct. 27 and Oct. 29. townofmarlboroughny.

On Election Day, polls across New York are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voters must cast ballots at their assigned polling place on Election Day. The Town of Marlborough has two polling places: St. Mary’s Hall (Districts 1-3), 73 Grand Street, Marlboro and the Marlborough Community Center (Districts 4-6).

Appler: experience and infrastructure
Appler cites 33 years with the Milton Engine Company, five years as deputy supervisor and one year on the Town Board. He led the volunteer construction of Milton Landing Park and is president of the Friends of the Milton Landing.
He names controlling municipal costs while maintaining services and preparing for growth as the town’s biggest challenge. He cited inflation, rising health care and retirement costs, and housing prices across the Hudson Valley.

Appler said expanding water and sewer service is central to growth. Route 9W runs more than seven miles through town, he said, but municipal water serves only about 2½ miles of it. He said the water system has not expanded in more than three decades, which limits commercial and industrial development.
He supports seeking state and federal grants to expand and repair aging infrastructure while limiting costs to taxpayers in the affected districts.

Garcia: housing and transparency
Garcia named affordable housing and transparency as the top issues for the next two years. He proposes requiring developers of housing projects to set aside at least 10 percent of units as affordable, and said more housing could also broaden the tax base.

“We must increase our tax base as we cannot continue to raise taxes,” Garcia said in his questionnaire response.

He said he would oppose tax breaks from the town for data centers or corporate sites.

Development and farmland
Appler said farming distinguishes Marlborough from neighboring towns, but farmland has continued to shrink. He said remote work and new residents from New York City have increased pressure to develop open land. He supports revisiting the town’s comprehensive plan and encouraging commercial and industrial growth, particularly along the Route 9W corridor, to create jobs and generate commercial tax revenue that could offset residential taxes.
Garcia stressed that new development should serve community needs.

Transparency

Appler supports transparency measures under Supervisor Scott Corcoran, including livestreamed Town Board and Planning Board meetings. He also backs the town’s gateway meeting process, in which municipal departments, emergency services, engineers, attorneys and others review major development proposals before they enter formal planning review.

Garcia said more is needed. He wants an open forum at every Town Board meeting and has raised concerns about executive sessions, the portions of meetings closed to the public under circumstances allowed by state law. He also wants residents to be able to weigh in on proposed laws before they go to the town’s attorneys.

“I have stated that I want public discourse before a law goes to the attorneys representing the town,” Garcia said.

Leadership styles
“I’m proven,” Appler said, pointing to his fire company service, his work at Milton Landing and his municipal roles.

Garcia described himself as an independent voice. “I will not be a rubber stamp for anyone,” he said. He said he would ask whether a proposal is helpful and whom it serves. “If it does not serve our town, I will never vote for it,” Garcia said.