Yarris Kicks Off Campaign for County’s Top Seat

Democrat Brett Yarris kicks off his campaign for Putnam County executive on March 1 at The Garrison.

By Holly Crocco

From the podium at the front of a 200-plus crowd March 1 at The Garrison on Route 9, the Democratic-endorsed candidate for Putnam’s top seat rallied the troops, saying: “My name is Brett Yarris, and today I am officially announcing by candidacy for Putnam County executive.”

Yarris has earned the endorsement of not only every town Democratic committee, but every voting member of each committee.

But support hasn’t only come from Democrats. “It’s a mixed crowd here tonight,” he said. “There are members of all political parties in this room, which people wouldn’t know by just looking around… You only see your neighbors. That is what we have lost in Putnam County.”

Yarris noted that, while it used to be assumed that a Republican victory was a foregone conclusion in Putnam County, that’s no longer the case. “The pathway to victory is very real,” he said. “The two parties are nearly even.”

According to Yarris, of the 77,000 registered voters in Putnam County, Republicans outnumber Democrats by only about 1,700. In addition, about one-third of the electorate are independent voters.

Yarris’ first run for county office took place in November, when he ran against Republican Jake D’Angelo for District 5. While he lost by a tally of 1,353 to 1,210, Yarris was successful at closing the margin between the Democratic and Republican votes.

In the 2024 presidential rates, Donald Trump won Putnam County’s District 5 with 60 percentage points, compared to Kamala Harris’ 40 points – leaving a 20-point margin. One year later, in that same district, D’Angelo only defeated Yarris by four points.

Yarris said that’s not because people moved – it’s because people want change. “I did that because a lot of independent voters, Republicans, and Conservatives voted for me,” he said. “I did it by listening to real Putnam County issues.”

After his loss in November, Yarris said there were other candidates for county executive that he was ready to throw his support behind, but after polls were conducted, it became clear that he was the Democratic candidate with the best shot at winning.

“It was evident that not only was there a path to victory, but that I may be the one to do it,” he said. “Folks seemed to resonate with my message last year with how to move Putnam forward.”

Although he has never held office before, Yarris said he has plenty of executive experience, having served as a CEO and chief strategic officer of various companies, and evening building his own companies from the ground up.

“We have had (county executives) with plenty of political experience… so we’ve seen where the county has gone by picking people only grounded by politics,” he said.

Yarris said politics has become priority over good government. He referred to the creation of the county’s new early childhood learning center as an example of a much-needed program that faced unnecessary obstacles because of partisan fighting between the Legislature and the executive, “all in the name of political maneuvering.”

Rather, he said the two sides need to be able to come together, put aside their differences, and get the people’s work done.

“My experience with leadership is going to prove to be what’s most valuable here, because that’s what’s missing,” said Yarris. “People are not asking for more partisanship, they are asking for leadership… I’m not a boss. I’m not a manager. I’m a leader.”

If elected, Yarris said he will fight the county’s current “tax and hoard” policy, accusing it of holding tight to an $80 million unassigned fund balance while collecting more taxes from residents each year.

“When people are struggling, they don’t need photo-ops, they need systems that work – no excuses,” he said. “Putnam leadership is broken and we can no longer be told ‘everything is fine.’ Over the last three years, the cost of living has surged… People are paying more, driving farther, and getting less.”

He said Putnam is the fourth most expensive county to live in in New York State, and that’s without having cities, malls, and other things that justify a higher cost of living. It’s not sustainable, fair, or the future that young people deserve, he said.

Yarris said young adults are moving out Putnam at one of the fastest rates in the Hudson Valley. “That’s our future leaving out from under us,” he said. “Twenty-three years ago, Putnam County was the fastest growing county in New York State… Too many of the challenges identified 23 years ago remain today.”

This particularly hits home for Yarris, who has a 10-year-old daughter. “I don’t have 23 years to fix things,” he said. “I have seven or eight years to teach her that Putnam is a place to stick around for.”

The candidate said he will advocate for an educational and workforce development program – “a Putnam ‘career campus’ that educates, trains, and builds futures here.” He also said that giving families places to live – starter homes, downsizing options, accessory dwelling options for multi-generational living – will be a priority.

Further, he said the county needs to invest in, and protect, local farms and open spaces by not treating them as obstacles to growth but as valuable assets that can be part of the solution to challenges we face.

Although born and raised on Long Island, Yarris moved to Putnam County 17 years ago. “I became a man in Putnam Valley,” he said. He and his wife later settled in Carmel, where they are raising their children.

A longtime special education teacher, Yarris is vice chairman of the Putnam County Soil & Water Conservation District, and a member the Putnam County Business Council and Friends of Reed Memorial Library board.