PLEASANT VALLEY – Town Highway Superintendent John Baxter has resigned from his elected position after being convicted of for his role in placing a camera under the desk of his secretary at the highway department.  Baxter was convicted following a bench trial before LaGrange Town Justice Stephen O’Hare on June 8, with closing arguments on June 9.  Judge O’Hare announced the verdict on June 16.

When the camera was discovered, the town board asked Baxter to resign from his elected position, and he declined, opting instead to take a .  The leave of absence was taken on August 4, 2025, and he was arrested by the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office on August 11, 2025.

Under state law, the town board cannot remove an independently elected official from office.  Under the law, removing a highway superintendent requires either the district attorney or a resident to file an application with the regional appellate court seeking removal.

Baxter sent his resignation to the Pleasant Valley Town Clerk via US Mail, and it was received on June 24, 2026.  A copy of the resignation letter was not immediately available to Mid-Hudson News.

Baxter won the election in 2023, running on the Democratic and Working Families lines, receiving 1,384 votes.  He was opposed by Brian Aldrich, the Republican and Conservative candidate, who received 1,350 votes.


Original article
Add as a preferred source on Google