As it pushes through the clean-up and recovery in the aftermath of historic flood damage, Johnson has hired Thomas Galinat as its new town administrator.
Galinat formerly served as town clerk and assistant town clerk in the small Caledonia County town of Peacham, and before that worked with Habitat for Humanity in southern Vermont.
According to a press release, Galinat helped “transform budgeting resulting in stabilized tax rates, worked with Department heads to support the needs of both Peacham and its staff, and facilitated collaboration between staff, governance, and constituents.”
Galinat, a tall, soft-spoken figure with an optimistic demeanor, takes a common-sense approach to municipal work.
“If you’re always saving the same amount every year, the tax rate stays relatively stable, rather than having spikes and troughs, and there seems to be a lot less complaints when it’s the same every year and you can keep residents happy,” Galinat said. “I think it’s a far more transparent way to do government.”
When he’s not on the job, Galinat manages the herd of Scottish Highland cattle, chickens and pigs on his family’s 170-year-old farm, where he offers a small, meat-focused community-supported agriculture program alongside haying and sugaring operations.
The 32-year-per-week administrator job will compliment the yet-to-be-announced position of economic development coordinator.
Interim town administrator Carl Rogers, who took over following the departure of Brian Story in May and bore the brunt of the disaster and its initial phases of recovery, will continue to work in a limited role to help Galinat get up to speed.
Far from being intimidated by the scope of the disaster in Johnson, Galinat expressed a sense of excitement to take on a role where he can help the town develop better planning and procedures to help mitigate potential damage of future floods.
“It was a horrible event, but I’m thinking about taking this as an opportunity to build resiliency, and also new opportunities,” Galinat said.
He said since Johnson floods in a similar way every time, the town should be able to create systems and have a planned response.
“I think we’re in a really special situation, because of the consistency of the type of flooding, so that our response can be measured and repeated so that we can be one of the best disaster-prepared towns in the state.”
As the scion of a centuries-old Vermont family and someone who embodies a segment of the state’s history, Galinat has a unique perspective on how the town can manage historic development patterns now challenged by shifts in climate.
“It’s very hard to ask people to pick up and move their houses, but what we can do is make it as easy for them as possible and easier for the whole community to be here,” Galinat said. “We are on the river, we chose to be here 200 years ago and are hoping to be here in 200 more years. How to do that, working with the river, that’s going to be a fun project.”
This article was updated on 9/22/2023 to reflect that the town administrator position will be complimented by an economic coordinator position rather than encompass both roles.
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