Attorney, advocate, angler – awesome!

Manor’s Jennifer Grossman wears many hats

By Kelly Buchta | Manor Ink Mentor

At some point, you may have seen Jennifer Grossman walking about town. Whether heading to the post office, town hall or the Smoke Joint, Grossman is out and about in Manor, and that’s exactly how she wants to be.

“It was very important to me, as I got older and realized how I could live and work in the same place, that I could walk to where I needed to be on a regular basis” she said. “And that’s what Livingston Manor allows me to do. I can walk right into town to the post office, the bank, the market. I can walk to fishing holes and hiking locations.”

The hamlet is Grossman’s home, her place of work and her passion for the environment all rolled into one. “I have always been an avid outdoors person, taught from an early age that you do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And that relates not only to human beings, but to the natural world. We should tread lightly, and that’s really the core of all of the work that I do.”

With an undergraduate degree from SUNY Binghamton and a Juris Doctor from Boston University, Jennifer Grossman began her career as an environmental attorney for the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, and continued with the Open Space Institute as a land attorney. She currently co-owns the Smoke Joint, the Manor’s barbecue restaurant on Old Rte. 17, with her brother, and runs a farm. She also works as a lawyer with landowners, helping them protect and conserve their land.

“That can be anything from conservation easements, to purchase and sale agreements, to other more intensive planning like forestry management and agricultural grants,” Grossman said. She also advises local nonprofit and community groups, helping them focus on their mission and goals in an effective way.

Giving back to the community

“I work with environmental groups on legislative and lobbying efforts regarding important laws and other regulatory frameworks to protect our natural world.”

The work sustains Grossman on many levels. “I live, work and have basically been raised in the Catskill area, and I feel it’s my duty to give back in that way,” she said.

In October of last year, Grossman was elected to the Town of Rockland Planning Board, and she currently serves as its chairwoman. The position connects her to the community on a whole new level. “The board is reviewing not only current proposals for land use – whether they’re for subdivisions or site development – but is also keeping an eye on the future. And that’s the Comprehensive Plan. What does that vision include for the Town of Rockland? And how are we going to achieve those goals in that vision? And so the Planning Board, which meets monthly, plays a critical role in the future of our community.”

Regarding that future, Grossman is hopeful. “I am ultimately an optimist,” she said. “But that’s based on the reality that we have the tools to protect community and address some of the impacts of climate change. We also see some of the social inequities that can create barriers, but we do have capacity to really make our world a better place.”

An angler and yoga practitioner

As the winter thaw slowly gives way to spring, Grossman is indeed excited to be in the river once again. An avid angler, she relishes casting a line, whether she catches a fish or not.

“That’s a bonus,” Grossman said. “It’s being able to suit up and walk down to wherever the river is, whether it’s in my own backyard or a drive down to a quiet hole.”

In addition to angling, Grossman is a 20-year yoga practitioner. “Whether it’s 15 minutes, or an hour and 15 minutes, yoga practice brings balance back into my life in both physical and emotional ways.”

When asked what for her makes Livingston Manor special, Grossman smiled broadly. “There is a wonderful sense of camaraderie here,” she observed. “Whether you know someone well or not, whether you agree with them or not, we all are here as members of a group and there is a sense that we all have a role to play. And that proves that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Because if we each do our best to contribute to the improvement of things, then our whole community will only be better than us all together.

“I feel really proud to be a part of a community that’s willing to grow and work together.”