Emily Baldwin will appear on the Rye City Council ballot unopposed in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, special election.

Baldwin, a Democrat, was appointed to the council in February 2026 by a unanimous, bipartisan vote after Mayor Josh Nathan vacated his seat. In a Q&A published Oct. 28 by MyRye.com, she laid out her priorities for the remaining term: flood resilience, replacing the city's 1985 comprehensive plan and safer streets.

She called flooding Rye's "existential threat."

Baldwin told MyRye.com she got involved in city government after Hurricane Ida flooded her Glen Oaks neighborhood and a large development was proposed in the Beaver Swamp Brook floodplain.

She said she organized neighbors in Rye and Harrison through Friends of Beaver Swamp Brook and helped defeat that project in 2025.

On the council, Baldwin represents Rye on the Long Island Sound Watershed Intermunicipal Council (LISWIC) and on a regional flood partnership with Harrison, Mamaroneck and the Town of Rye. She also serves as council liaison to the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee.

Baldwin said the city needs to replace the Locust Avenue bridge, repair the Blind Brook seawall and adopt flood-resilient building codes from a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-funded review.

She noted a funding gap on the bridge, where Rye has about $5 million of a $10 million to $12 million need. Joint grant applications with neighboring municipalities could help close that gap, she said.

She said the 1985 comprehensive plan was written for building single-family homes on open land, but Rye is now fully built out.

The new plan will address redevelopment, climate resilience, traffic and walkability, according to Baldwin. More than 150 residents have volunteered for planning committees.

Baldwin said she supports additional restrictions on residential development in floodplains and sensitive areas so new construction does not worsen flooding for neighbors. She also backed standards for commercial development downtown.

She supports the Nursery Field turf installation but said she does not favor additional turf fields until a field-needs analysis is completed through the comprehensive planning process.

On deer management, Baldwin declined a yes-or-no answer on whether Rye should reduce its deer population through active management. She said she backs "a science-based plan from our new deer management committee."

She did support raising the city's maximum fence height from six feet to eight feet in high deer-pressure areas, paired with design standards to maintain street visibility.

Baldwin said Rye Playland will be in good hands with Westchester County but that the city should stay closely involved as a partner and neighbor.

The Glen Oaks resident grew up in Rye and returned in 2021. She runs The Move MBA, a senior move management company, and holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Early voting runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, at Resurrection's Early Childhood Education Center at 88 Milton Road.