The Montgomery and Newburgh town boards filled the vacant Orange County Legislature District 17 seat on April 2, appointing longtime Walden Village Manager John Revella during a special joint meeting.

Revella will serve the remainder of former Legislator Mike Anagnostakis’ term through November. A full-term representative will be elected during the general election.

Born and raised in Walden, Revella left briefly to attend law school in Mississippi. He earned bachelor’s degrees in 2000 and 2002, and a Juris Doctor in 2005 from the University of Mississippi School of Law. After being admitted to practice law in 2008, he worked at various firms before opening his own practice, focusing primarily on immigration and real estate.

Revella has served as Walden’s village manager and chief executive officer since 2010, also holding roles as director of public safety, personnel officer and legal traffic authority. He works closely with the village board of trustees to implement policy and oversee day-to-day operations.

In addition to his municipal duties, Revella has volunteered for the Walden Fire District for 32 years and is active with several organizations, including the Walden Rotary Club, the Orange County Transportation Council and the Lovell Safety Board. He previously served as president of the Walden Community Council and was a 2008 nominee for the Orange County Rising Star Awards.

“I have always been involved in Walden, early on as a volunteer fireman and later with the Walden Community Council,” Revella said. “I was president in 2010 when the village approached me about the manager position. I couldn’t think of a better way to serve the community at the time—it has been a fulfilling experience.”

As of April 8, Revella confirmed he will remain village manager while serving in the Legislature. He said there is no inherent conflict of interest between the roles, but he would recuse himself or take appropriate action if one arises.

“I will still be village manager; the legislator position is very limited, and most of the events I need to attend I already do as village manager,” he said. “If any conflict arises, I will act accordingly.”