Kristen Brown, a Town of Montgomery councilwoman whose term ends this month, served on the town board for the past four years and proved to be a valued member, whether it was her contributions to the comprehensive plan, her expertise in agriculture or her open door to residents who providing feedback.

Brown, originally from Minisink, moved to Montgomery in 2010 and has lived in Coldenham for 13 years. She and her family operate the Historic Brown Family Farm, located in Walden, where they sell produce and livestock and raise their quarter horses. Outside of work, Brown enjoys family time and barrel racing with her horse, Rebel.

“We are fifth generation on our family’s farm, my kids are sixth,” Brown said during a conversation from last October, regarding her thoughts on Montgomery. “To me, it’s where we will be raising our children, and hopefully they will continue the farming legacies as my husband and I are currently trying to set it up for them.”

As a local farmer, Brown has gained extensive knowledge of the agricultural industry. She graduated from SUNY Cobleskill with an Associate’s degree in agriculture business pre-veterinary work and a Bachelor’s in agricultural business management. Before her term on the board, she was a lobbyist for the New York Farm Bureau, informing both state and national officials about the problems that farmers face.

“I’ve spoken to many elected officials on farming issues, so I sat on the other side of the table to help officials understand what the implications of their laws have on the average person, on the average barn,” she said in October.

Serving on the Board
Brown ran for councilwoman four years ago after a proposed junkyard project jeopardized her family’s farm. After joining, she helped the board update the town’s comprehensive plan and its zoning, establishing regulations for junk storage and protecting residents and their properties.

“I was really happy that we completed the comprehensive plan and updated the zoning,” she said. “I was really happy that we passed the junkyard law so that way, we protect the groundwater and neighboring places around people that want to store junk cars.”

Brown, during her term, provided great insight into agriculture and served as a community voice, bridging the gap between the board and residents. Many residents have previously approached Brown on various issues and complimented her friendly, welcoming aura.

“People say that I have a kind face, so I’m very approachable. And being able to live in the community and walk around, people would tell me ‘Did you hear about this? Did you see this?’ And being able to bring that back to the town board was very important,” Brown said. “It was very important that people learned they can reach out to council members and talk to them, say their concerns. And they always get looked at to determine the best spread for the town as a whole.”

One of Brown’s biggest challenges was learning to collaborate with the town board as its newest member. This would become her biggest accomplishment, however, as she and the other council members not only worked together as a team but also challenged and pushed each other to perform better in their roles.

“I’ve learned how to work with more difficult people, co-workers such as other council members that are used to more the traditional old school ways,” she said. “And trying to educate them on newer regulations with my technical background, helping them understand, so being able to adequately voice the important things in a way that other people can understand.”

Looking to the Future
As her term comes to an end, Brown looks forward to her farm and family, and she can’t wait to spend more time with her children as they develop their hobbies.

“I’m going to enjoy my farm and kids. Looking forward to barrel racing with Rebel and my daughter, Bailey. We just bought my daughter a new horse, so she is working on training and learning the barrel pattern,” she said. “And then my son, we bought him a dirt bike, so seeing him grow in his hobbies.”

During her last, official board meeting on December 12, Brown thanked the town government and its services for all their hard work, thanked residents and local businesses for the opportunity to serve their community, and thanked her family for their guidance.

“To the residents of the Town of Montgomery: thank you. Thank you for believing in this small-town farmer of Coldenham,” Brown said, tearing up. “Coldenham is a palace that I have proudly called home for over 10 years of my life, and while it’s had its trials and tribulations, it truly is a great place to live and work.”

“Thank you to the employees, from the highway department that keep our roads in safe condition for us to travel on, to the police that guard our town and make sure our kids are safe in schools, to the employees in town hall that fed my kids candy every time they needed to come to work with me” she continued. “The employees are truly the backbone of our town government and make sure that the day-to-day functions occur without fail.”