Ciarlante is thankful, remains vigilant
Thank you to all of the voters who supported me through this election cycle.
Though I have helped many others this was my first personal election campaign. I have learned much along the way. I have met with many of you and have heard your concerns, your worries, and your well-founded fears. Not only was this the most memorable part of my campaign but it underscores for me the urgent need for leadership that cares about the taxpayers rather than what might be popular among certain special interest groups.
My campaign for town supervisor was off to a late start. In April I learned that my running mate had withdrawn from the race and at that time I stepped up my campaign from town council to supervisor. When I made my decision to run and decided to pursue the Conservative line I knew it would be a long shot but one worth running to bring the issues of taxation, over-regulation and lack of jobs to the forefront. As of the writing of this letter I have received nearly 1,200 votes (absentees have not yet been recorded). This is over double what is typically received on the Conservative line. There are 555 registered Conservatives voters in Saugerties. The message is clear that conservative thinkers want to be heard and are no longer willing to be pushed aside by the two dominant parties.
Special thank you to the leadership of the Conservative Party: Chairman George Heidcamp, whose energy, honesty and enthusiasm seem endless. Thank you, Dan Ellsworth, Mark Knaust, Ken Swart and those who wish to remain anonymous for various reasons. Thank you to Arnette who is beyond brilliant. Thank you to my old friends who helped me along the way and the new friends I have made on the campaign trail. And thanks to the members of my family for being there for me, who were proud of my hard work and supported my campaign.
Best wishes to Greg Helsmoortel who returns to steer the town. To those of you who were energized by my race, stay tuned. I encourage you to attend Town Board meetings. There undoubtedly reason to attend if not just to learn the town government’s operations. Be ever vigilant while praying for blessings for our town, our nation, and our troops. May we have the vision to see our government clearly and the courage to take action that we may never be enslaved.
Gaetana Ciarlante
Saugerties
Wawro thankful for 2nd term
I would like to thank my friends and supporters especially to the voters in District 1, thank you for voting. I am looking forward to representing you for another term. I would also like to congratulate all of the newly elected candidates, I look forward to working with you.
To my reëlection team, you have all worked tirelessly for me and over the past two campaigns you have become family, it means the world to me. I would also like to thank the Conservative Party for your generous support, the Republican Party for allowing me to be a part of their team, and the Independence Party for their support. Without the financial support of everyone who contributed, none of this would be possible. Thank you, also, for allowing me to put my yard signs up in front of your houses and for your kind words of encouragement. To my family thank you, I love you, and thank you for understanding when I am running off to a meeting. As always I am available to my constituents at (845) 246-1017 , mary_wawro@yahoo.com or facebook: Mary Wawro Ulster County Legislator.
We now need to focus on the tasks that lay before us. We need to address and come up with a solid plan for a new Emergency Radio system. This can only be achieved by involving all agencies including police and EMS in addition to the fire companies. This will not be a quick process so we need to start now. The findings of the Ulster County Advisory Committee will come out at the end of the month, and I look forward to implementing the recommendations that we have come up with.
Mary Wawro
Ulster County Legislator District 1
Cause for optimism
I have been the chair of the Saugerties Democratic Committee for about 11 years and this local election cycle has been the most interesting.
This year we had three candidates for supervisor. The three major parties through their caucuses gave the voters a wide choice of candidates with varying degrees of experience and different views as to how town government should operate. I see that as a healthy exercise in democracy. I would like to see both the Independence Party and the Working Families Party get to the point of creating county committees with conventions and town caucuses to endorse their candidates.
Another rarity was that both the Democratic and Conservative parties supported the same candidate. In this case Doug Myer, who was reëlected as highway superintendent. Both parties backed Doug based on his record and the ability to do the job. From my perspective, I often have to watch the Conservative Party rubber stamp Republican nominees. Perhaps there are some changes in the wind.
We can all agree that “politics isn’t bean ball,” and there can be rough and tumble battles. For the first time in my memory candidates (in this case Republicans) publicly repudiated the actions of their leadership for negative campaigning against an opponent. I believe that a public pledge by all party chairs and candidates before the next election cycle would be a good thing.
I’ve often told new candidates that pounding shoe leather and knocking on doors can win against an entrenched incumbent. Chris Allen’s victory gave the Democrats the majority, and made me a true believer that hard work does pay off. I look for him to be a unifying voice in the Ulster County Legislature.
Have a wonderful holiday season and remember that we all live in the same town.
Mike Harkavy
Saugerties
Local support for veterans
I would like to thank the Lamouree-Hackett American Legion Post 72 in the village of Saugerties for their hospitality to all of the attendees who were in attendance at the Veterans Day ceremonies at their facility. My mother and I would also like to express our deepest gratitude for the Post’s presentation of the military service that my father received on Oct. 18 at his funeral service from the veterans affiliated with the American Legion Post 72 out of Saugerties.
I would also like to thank Kingston-based acupuncturist and allergist Carol Kessler who gave free acupuncture treatments for military veterans and their relatives on Veterans Day at her Kingston-based clinic on Front St. Ms. Kessler also offers the Irene corrective lens treatment for people who have suffered from concussions, as she has helped many veterans who have suffered from post-concussion syndrome that was the result of injuries suffered during active combat duty. Lox of Bagels in Saugerties was also very generous in their donation of bagels and cream cheese for the veterans and their families to enjoy while they received free acupuncture treatments. It is wonderful to see local businesses and health care professionals come together to support our veterans!
Chris Allen
Ulster County legislator-elect, District 2
Newly elected leaders must put Saugerties first
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the candidates that will comprise the new Saugerties Town Board, and it is our hope that you will all be able to work together to achieve common goals. Saugerties is in dire need of good strong leadership, now more than ever, and we need the board to put their personal beliefs and party ideology to rest for the remainder of their service for the good of our town. Congratulations to our newest member, Bill Schirmer ,and veteran member, Jimmy Bruno. I am not alone when I express my unwavering reliance on you both to bring fiscally responsible policies to our over-taxed town. There is no doubt this town can use some much needed tax relief!
Congratulations to our veteran town justice, Dan Lamb, and a special hats off to Highway Superintendent Doug Myer for withholding the urge to retaliate against the myriad of unnecessary attacks by standing his ground and conducting his campaign on moral principles without stooping to the low level of the Republican leader’s relentless mud-slinging.
Gaetana Ciarlante is also to be applauded for her diligent and ethically sound campaign based on the persistent belief that this town deserves better. Gaetana also withstood the endless mud-slinging and insults from the local Republican leader, Joe Roberti Jr., and boldly took on Kelly Myers, who many of us were convinced did absolutely nothing to help Saugerties. The Town Board badly needed a new face and new blood, and Gaetana was the supervisor candidate of choice for those who were ready for change.
When the Conservatives nominated and voted to back Gaetana Ciarlante at their caucus, we hopped on the bandwagon hoping to get the word out on her message of fiscal responsibility, desire to lower taxes, help the elderly stay in their homes, and bring economic stability to our town. She planned to fight off the repeated non-governmental agencies who wave carrots in the form of “grants” at our hungry town, only to sell out our souls down the line if we agree to “take” the money. Nothing is free, and if we have not learned that lesson by now it’s time to go back to kindergarten and practice sharing crayons.
Gaetana was a serious contender in this race, and lost the nomination at the Republican caucus by only a few votes. Even more impressive, she would have been our next town supervisor had she ran on both the Conservative and Republican lines. Assuming the majority of Kelly Myers’ votes would have gone to Gaetana, she would have taken the supervisor position by 799 votes, and that is quite an accomplishment for a newcomer to the political arena. But we are not giving up on her. We hope to see Ms. Ciarlante back in the next election. Congratulations is also in order to our “old” Supervisor Helsmoortel, who is now our “new” Supervisor Helsmoortel, and we welcome him back with hopes that he learned a good hard lesson about what happens to supervisors that stray from the will of the Saugerties people. We certainly hope we will not be singing the words from an old song by The Who: “Meet the new boss…. same as the old boss.”
Donna Greco
Saugerties
Join the family! 
