New Paltz councilman Brownstein to bow out

David Brownstein will not seek a second term on the New Paltz Town Board in November. During the campaign in 2017, Brownstein expressed the desire to bring “a different level of civility” to the twice-monthly town meetings, which had been characterized by tension and sharp language directed by elected officials to each other and to members of the public. 

During difficult budget negotiations, Brownstein fulfilled that promise by keeping the discussion focused on the fiscal challenges. Brownstein heads up the nonprofit Wild Earth, and cited pandemic-related pressures there as the reason for him not to run again this November.