The Shawangunk board, during its March 7 meeting, introduced the town’s newest justice to the residents: Tara Parlman, a resident with years of legal experience who took over the responsibilities of the late Kevin Hunt, the town’s former justice.

Parlman lived in Pine Bush for her whole life before moving to the Wallkill hamlet in 2022. She graduated from Pine Bush High School in 2006 and studied political science at SUNY Oneonta and Pace University. As a child, Parlman enjoyed researching and presenting her arguments and was drawn to becoming a lawyer.

“I grew up enjoying arguing my points, backing up ideas that I had with reasoning and research and stuff like that,” she said. “From a young age, I was told ‘You’re going to be a lawyer one day’ and I just ran with it because it piqued my interest.”

After graduating from SUNY Oneonta, Parlman interned at Rockland County District Attorney’s office while attending Pace University. She handled personal injury work for the Law Offices of Sobo & Sobo for three and a half years, represented GEICO as a staff counsel, and currently works for Fellows Hymowitz Rice in Rockland County. In her free time, Parlman enjoys hiking on the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge, reading, walking her dog, and exploring neighboring towns.

Since moving, Parlman has loved living in Wallkill and relishes the area’s beauty and friendly faces. Wishing to engage and help support her community, she applied for the vacant town justice seat. She also hopes to join the Wallkill Woman’s Club soon.

“I wanted to get involved in the community. We’ve been living here for two years and I thought ‘Why not give it a shot?’ when I saw the posting,” she said. “It’s always been a goal of mine to become a judge, and what better way to do it in my own community and get involved with what’s going on?”

“I love the people. Everybody is very welcoming and friendly. Most of these people will give you the shirt off their backs,” she continued. “It’s just a beautiful area to live in; the views are unbelievable.”

Parlman was officially appointed on March 7 and took the bench for the first time on March 19. While still fairly new in the position, she enjoys serving the town and appreciates the assistance from Kathy Ebbrell, the court clerk, and Michael Voss, her co-justice. She looks forward to continuing her position and working the best she can for Shawangunk’s residents.

“My co-justice, Mike Voss, has been a tremendous help. The court clerk, Kathy Ebbrell, has also been a tremendous help,” she said. “It’s been really good so far. I’m really excited to hit the ground running and keep doing this for as long as I possibly can.”