Tistrya Houghtling served as town clerk for the Town of New Lebanon, New York, for four years, and spearheaded the Clean Energy Communities program. She was responsible for bringing LED streetlights to town, starting a free store, and successfully applying for an EV charging station grant. When she became the town supervisor in 2020, Houghtling led the charge for New Lebanon to become a Clean Energy Community. Thanks to Steve Powers and the amazing Climate Smart Task Force, New Lebanon became bronze certified in record time. New Lebanon is now well on its way to silver!

Houghtling and the Town of New Lebanon have concentrated on high-impact actions that benefit the community in many ways: ensuring the town has clean water and air, bringing free bikes to children in the community, providing clothing, footwear, and children’s items to families in need while keeping items out of the dumpster, saving money on personal energy bills and saving taxpayer dollars running municipal buildings, and lowering the town’s carbon footprint.

Houghtling additionally focused on ensuring the town has clean drinking water and urged the New York State Department of Health (DOH) to place the strictest standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals. She advocates for public notification when PFAS chemicals are detected, regardless of the levels. She believes in pushing for open and transparent government and allowing individuals to make informed decisions regarding their drinking water.