General election on November 2, 2021

Meet Kayleigh Zaloga

Both Kayleigh’s life experience and her professional know-how have prepared her to be an effective Town Board member.

Kayleigh was raised in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, a small town with similarities to Saugerties: a predominantly rural place with longstanding agricultural and historical roots and a small central village. After her parents divorced when Kayleigh was two, she lived with her mother, a public school special education teacher. As she grew up, Kayleigh witnessed her hometown begin to shift from the small community where families had lived for generations and knew all of their neighbors , as increasing interest and movement into the area began to change those relationships, raise home prices, and bring both opportunity and concern for longtime residents.

After graduating high school at 16, Kayleigh attended McGill University, majoring in international development. Kayleigh learned two crucial lessons from her studies: 1) improving quality of life requires listening to people, and understanding and responding to what they need and want, and 2) collaboration is absolutely critical for creating sustainable and long-term impacts.

After earning her degree, Kayleigh initially worked as a substitute teacher and then with animals—whale rehabilitation and elephant training in Florida, and later dolphin training in Hawaii. Her love of animals, nature, and being a caretaker of the environment continues to be important to her.

Returning to the East Coast, Kayleigh worked for the Clinton Global Initiative, focusing on sustainable energy projects, including a solar energy project with a Mexican nonprofit and carbon footprint reduction with Norwegian businesses. Here she honed her communication and listening skills and her knowledge of bridging tradition with innovation for a better future.

Since 2017, Kayleigh has worked for New York State Assembly Member and Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried on legislation, the state budget, and healthcare policy. Her NYS Assembly responsibilities have prepared her to work on the local level to ensure that the Saugerties government works for all its residents.

Kayleigh and her husband, Josh, settled in Saugerties at the beginning of 2017. Drawn to the beautiful, natural environment of rural Saugerties and its cozy business district, they lived in the village as renters and are now homeowners in Glasco. Kayleigh and Josh have laid down roots in Saugerties, and Josh has partnered with another Saugerties resident, Zach Kalatsky, to open a small construction business.

Kayleigh will be ready to serve the people of Saugerties on day one. She knows government, budgets, and lawmaking. She listens and works with people from all walks of life with diverse viewpoints and ideas. Kayleigh believes that everyone should have what they need to thrive and is committed to making Saugerties a place where all residents feel welcomed, with their ambitions and dreams supported.

Kayleigh sees challenges as opportunities; differences as strengths; and the future as possibility. Saugerties will be well served by Kayleigh Zaloga to steadily guide our town from today to tomorrow.