About Karina

Karina has lived in the Village of Montgomery for almost 20 years with her husband and family. Her stepsons live and work in Orange County.Tipton is known for her collaborative leadership style and practical approach to problem-solving. She became involved in local issues as a co-founder of Residents Protecting Montgomery, attending public meetings and speaking out about oversized warehouses in the Town of Montgomery proposed in the vacuum of a decades-old comprehensive plan. She is endorsed by the Democratic and Working Family Parties.Karina is a community board member for the Town of Montgomery Emergency Medical Service, a member of the Town of Montgomery Conservation Advisory Council, and participated as a Town of Montgomery Comprehensive Plan Committee member. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of New York, and holds a masters degree in civil and environmental engineering with a focus on sustainability.Since moving here, Karina has fallen in love with the many things that make Montgomery special - the proximity to farms and local food, the gorgeous local environment, the ever-changing Wallkill River, our villages and locally owned businesses, the awesome nearby motorcycling roads, and perhaps most importantly: the wonderful people.

Why Run?

I'm running for County Legislature because I believe my community deserves representation who actively works on their behalf.Let's be honest - not many people know what a County Legislator does! Yet Orange County collects taxes from all of us - property tax, sales tax, and hotel and occupancy taxes. And what do we get for that money? Well, it remains to be seen - but I believe that not only should government operate with fiscal responsibility, it is your electeds responsibility to see that collected taxes are reinvested into the community effectively and promptly.My core values and beliefs are the same as many of yours: People deserve a job with a living wage. People should be able to choose to work close to where they live so they can spend more time with their families. We deserve unpolluted water and unpolluted air. People should thrive where they live, and the local government should be focused on supporting the residents and businesses that are already here. This doesn't just mean financially - though that is incredibly important! - but support that fosters the health and value of our community as a whole.For a long time it's felt like the local and county government has only been interested in another set of values -- selling and developing as much land as they can, with the vague promise of future tax revenue from big warehouses. I got my start in local action when two mega-warehouses (Amazon and Medline) went in front of the Town of Montgomery Planning Board several years ago, and over the last 8 years I've spent thousands of hours at public hearings, Planning Board and Town Board meetings, and working with other folks in the community to provide comprehensive and thoughtful comment on the documents that the Boards were reviewing and approving.Through this process, I have met a group of passionate, thoughtful, and concerned residents and business owners who feel voiceless, and who are told by their neighbors that "this is just the way things are" around here. We deserve better than do-nothing, status quo elected officials!Right now, County development engines don't even seem interested in industrial development for tax revenue -- they’re willing to give away tax PILOTs and wait for 10-25 years for the taxes to roll in - if the companies are even still here! It feels like the only consideration in Orange County isn't the people, our existing businesses, or our rich history and beautiful location -- it's in fostering land development from non-local companies, and without any cohesive plans for the future of the County. These groups measure their success in groundbreaking ceremonies, but never measure their success by the actual outcome of that construction.We need strong County legislators to stand up for us when it comes to these state- and county-level development engines, and to ensure we are reinvesting taxpayer dollars into our communities so we can grow healthily and sustainably.To me, a successful government looks like how many people grow up in Orange County and choose to stay here. Success looks like people being able to earn a living wage in the County, or our ability to head down to a local farm stand and get food that our neighbor has grown within few miles of our own houses. Success is kids being able to ride their bikes on local roads that are safe from dangerous traffic, and people being able to access the Wallkill River recreationally.If this sounds like success to you too, and the kind of healthy community you want to live in: join me in my campaign for County Legislator. Together we can create an even more successful future for Montgomery.

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Coming Soon!

My Policy Priorities

Our communities deserve clean air and water, living wages, and a government that listens. I’m stepping up to ensure we protect what matters most—our people and our environment—while building a stronger local economy.My campaign will focus on five key priorities:* Economic Growth: Supporting workers and small businesses while challenging the assumption that speculative warehouses are inevitable in our County.* Environmental Protection: Safeguarding natural resources and promoting sustainable development through open space initiatives, access to parks and rivers, support for local farmers, and comprehensive County-wide transportation planning.* Community Engagement: Bringing transparency to County Government and ensuring residents understand and have a voice in decisions that affect them.* Responsible Planning: Policies that support our working families, veterans, and our aging population, while working to make Orange County an affordable choice for our children who choose to stay here.* Funding for County-wide Emergency Medical Services: engage and support our skilled local agencies to expand coverage for those communities who are underserved by EMS.