ELDRED, NY—Republican Chris Tambini resigned from the Highland town board last week. He submitted a brief letter that said he could no longer serve because of “personal and business obligations,” according to town clerk Susan Hoffman.

Tambini and his family moved to their summer home in Yulan after Hurricane Sandy destroyed their house on Long Island. He started his term on January 1, 2021, after serving on the town planning board for several years. He recently worked with planning board chair Norm Sutherland and town code official B.J. Gettel to craft a simpler application for short-term rentals.

Republican Jim Akt of Eldred was appointed to fill the rest of Tambini’s term, which extends through 2025. Two newcomers elected to the board in November, Thomas Migliorino, Republican, and Laura Burrell, Democrat, will join the board on January 1.

Akt is a lifelong area resident and now lives in Eldred. He ran against Orson Davis and Joe Barnes for highway superintendent in November’s election, which Barnes won. “I have worked my entire life in the excavation business,” Akt said in a campaign statement, “first with my father in Pond Eddy, NY, where we were contracted by Orange and Rockland Utilities to work on their hydroelectric dams, underground utilities, rip rapped dams (one being Rio Dam) and other heavy excavation work as needed.”