One-term Otisville village board trustee Brian Lattimer says he is running for reelection to continue rejuvenating the village operation with his can-do attitude.
In the past two years, he has worked tirelessly to help complete several long-overdue upgrades to the village firehouse with the same upbeat energy he had in building up Otisville Little League.
“One of my passions has always been to give back to the community and give kudos to individuals that have put forth a lot of their time and efforts in our community,” Mr. Lattimer told The Epoch Times.
“I feel like the village board will benefit from new blood and someone who is younger,” he said, adding that he hopes to continue working with Mayor Brian Carey to move the village forward.
Raised in Mount Hope, Mr. Lattimer graduated from the Minisink Valley School District and studied at SUNY–Cortland, planning to pursue a career in physical education.
However, he had to leave college early to care for a sick relative in Middletown. In 2004, he took up a job at Ketchum Fencing, and a few years later, he got into tree trimming services.
In 2013, with a family to support and another child on the way, Mr. Lattimer bought a house in Otisville before starting an apprenticeship at Orange and Rockland Utilities on track to become a lineman.
“I was very nervous and anxious when I started it—I was in my 30s, and a lot of the other people in the program were in their 20s,” he said. “And my driving factor was that I have my wife and three kids that were depending on me and that I had to make this work for them.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Lattimer began to volunteer with the Otisville Little League. He stepped up to take the helm in 2019 when the local chapter faced dissolution following the departure of the past president.
He also regularly advocated ballpark upgrades and safety improvements, including replacing decades-old fencing and installing roadside safety blocks.
“We put a lot of our free time—essentially our life—into it to help kids have fun and grow into young adults,” said Mr. Lattimer, who stepped down as president last November. “It is about the kids. It is about them building camaraderie and learning how to win and lose.”
In 2022, he ran for village board to inject his energy into local government.
As the liaison to the fire department, Mr. Lattimer worked with others to finish overdue bathroom upgrades and plan several other infrastructure improvements. He said that he hopes to increase the recruitment of volunteer firefighters through these initiatives.
“If we spruce up the place, put money into the place, and finally do the renovations that we have talked about for years, I guarantee you that people want to be involved with things that look good,” he said.
“That’s what happened with Little League; a lot of energetic people got involved, and the facilities were starting to look better—I have a strong feeling that was part of why the Little League was growing.”
As a trustee, he also worked with board member Lance Davoren to install a new ballpark fence.
Mr. Lattimer said that as he takes on more duties at his professional job with a promotion in mind to better support his family, he still tried hard to make it to more than half the village board meetings.
“My career and my family come first,” he said. “I come to think that I win no matter what happens on election day. If I win the election, I continue to serve my community, and that is fantastic; if I lose, I win anyway because now I get to spend a whole lot more time with my kids,” he said.
“That’s how I look at it—I try to be positive in everything.”
Mr. Lattimer said that he hopes to push for more upgrades at the fire department, get the water plant project underway, and bring the Fourth of July parade back to the village.
Four candidates are vying for two village trustee seats up for grabs on March 19.
The Mount Hope Republican Committee has endorsed Mr. Lattimer.
