The views and opinions expressed in our letters section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Hudson Valley One. You can submit a letter to the editor here.
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Hudson Valley One welcomes letters from its readers. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and submitted by noon on Monday. Our policy is to print as many letters to the editor as possible. As with all print publications, available space is determined by ads sold. If there is insufficient space in a given issue, letters will be approved based on established content standards. Points of View will also run at our discretion.
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Calling for Lower Esopus Watershed Public Input
We’ve seen the weather reports and heard the general forecasts that big storms are here and more are on the way. Those of us who were here during the hurricanes won’t forget it. And all of us may be wondering what we can do to help mitigate the drought/storm cycles, or how to protect the lands and water from erosion, storm damage, and other turbulence around us. One thing we can do immediately is to become aware of our local land stewardship organizations and programs, and to coalesce and learn and make our voices heard.
For example, for those of us in the Lower Esopus Watershed areas within Kingston, Hurley, Marbletown, Olive, Saugerties, Ulster, and Woodstock, an opportunity is here now to offer your citizen voice.
The Ulster County and the Lower Esopus Creek Advisory Council (LECAC) Stream Management Plan requests public input to help guide the vision for a more sustainable water system.
According to the Watershed Booklet A Journey Through the Lower Esopus Creek“it’s the Lower Esopus Creek—the portion that drains out of the reservoir at Olive, meanders through the Hurley flats, and empties out into the Hudson at Saugerties—that’s been integral to the region’s history, helping form the very character of the countryside and towns.”
The SURVEY online is for Lower Esopus Creek Watershed landowners, people who live or work by the LE creek, or who visit for recreation, to voice your views on issues like usage, recreational access, natural habitats and ecosystems, problems and concerns, educational opportunities, and more.
The planning survey is here https://www.townofulster.ny.gov/posts/lower-esopus-creek-survey/ or type in:loweresopussmp-ulstercountythe deadline is now July 10.
Lower Esopus Creek Watershed Map and Watershed Booklet https://loweresopus.org/downloads/
Together we can activate to build community resilience in many ways. Please pass the word.
Deborah Day
Saugerties
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
It appears that the lack of integrity in our national political discourse has found a home on the Onteora School Board. Per HV1’s article, “Goodrich changes his mind”, newly-elected trustee Clark Goodrich seems to have no problem with an immediate about-face on the all-important issue of school reconfiguration. Mr. Goodrich should have completed his due diligence before running, not after. (He says he changed his mind “after a personal tour” — this couldn’t have been arranged before the election?) By campaigning on keeping Woodstock open, only to change teams just weeks after the election, he has stabbed his supporters in the back. His actions are an affront to us all. He cannot be trusted and should be recalled immediately.
Richard Buck
Woodstock
Speaking for our views and experiences with the Lower Esopus Creek
I am writing this letter because I have recently become aware of a survey being sent out by the Lower Esopus Creek Stream Management Plan. The group is made up of Ulster County and the Lower Esopus Creek Adivisory Council. To find the survey online type in loweresopussmp-ulstercounty.
I live in Saugerties overlooking the Creek and literally visit it everyday — sometimes through my window and at others right down next to it. In a sense, the Creek feels like it has become family to me.
It is for this reason I feel it is crucial that all of us who feel connected and grateful for the Lower Esopus Creek need to communicate that through this survey. If you live near the Creek or even if you have visited it only once, you can still participate in the survey. As of this writing, there is a deadline of July 10.
This is the beginning of what will surely be an ongoing process for all of us — engineers, political representatives, scientists and citizens to be involved in the future of helping, learning about and celebrating the Lower Esopus Creek.
Jill Olesker
Saugerties
Trance gender
Kudos to John Butz for his letter and the deep research and critical thinking that it represented. Too many young kids are being influenced to question their gender and are often being encouraged in their confused state to take harmful drugs and/or mutilate their young bodies by having their reproductive organs cut off. These young kids will lose the ability to have their own children. They are too young to fully grasp these consequences.
And oh my gosh — the Woke Folk who misguidedly think they are being sensitive to the gender confused and arrogantly claim to be supporting ‘civil rights’ as they deny the medical facts that many of the ‘gender reassignment’ surgeries are abject failures leaving the trans person with Frankenstein genitals that don’t function, increasing the rates of depression and suicide among the ‘transitioned’ people.
I do find the response of Woke Folk rather ironic in that if you share thoughts and facts that counter their beliefs; they will label you a conspiracy theorist, a transphobe, an LGBTQ hater and ostracize and cancel you.
So much for dialogue and freedom of speech. If you don’t agree with Woke Folk you get censored and demonized. Former icon of the Left Naomi Wolf says that the Woke have become the oppressors. Who really cares more about a trans kid — the Woke who ignore the medical fact that Puberty Blockers reduce bone density and can affect the brain development, or the person trying to educate the kid and his or her parents to the potential horrors and effects of their trance actions?
And labeling someone who doesn’t celebrate the LGBTQ agenda as transphobic or homophobic is like calling someone who doesn’t celebrate people getting obese: ‘fatphobic’ when they know that fat people have health problems like increased rates of heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and skeletal problems. So who really cares more — the Woke folk or the people who are aware of medical consequences and are trying to encourage more critical thinking and research? Thank you.
Donzello Berelli
New Paltz
This Woodstock election mattered
The 2023 Woodstock Democratic primary was critically important. Many thanks to the 1,448 Woodstock Democrats who weighed in with their votes in the Tuesday, June 27 primary election. The Woodstock primary voting turnout was the highest in Ulster County for towns and was only exceeded by the City of Kingston mayoral race. This Woodstock election mattered.
In February, 2023, incumbent supervisor Bill McKenna, first time council member candidate Anula Courtis and myself, incumbent council member Laura Ricci, announced our 2023 candidacies for these positions. We announced at the time that we thought the three of us together would bring the right balance of experiences, accomplishments, individual ideas, collaboration and dedication to Woodstock, and we asked for people’s votes. All these months later, I continue to believe in Bill, Anula and myself. Woodstock Democrats, I thank you for your June 27 vote, placing us on the Democrat line in the November 7 general election.
Our opponents on Democratic primary day will be on the Working Families Party line in the November 7 general election. We will be on the Democrat line. All Woodstock voters will be able to vote for supervisor and town council members on November 7, the early voting days that lead up to it, and absentee ballots will continue to be a choice.
It matters who is on our Town Board. To all Woodstock voters, your vote will count. There are several months between now and November 7, but today I ask for your vote for Bill, Anula and me in the general election.
Until then, we on the Town Board have a lot of work to do to keep Woodstock moving forward. We will continue this work. We will continue to focus on serving Woodstockers and Woodstock.
Again, thank you.
Laura Ricci, Candidate
Woodstock Town Council Member
Elting Library Fair
The Elting Library 66th annual fair will be held on October 14 and 15, 2023. As always, it will feature lots of books, childrens’ books, toys, childrens’ activities, plants, food, yarn and fabric and music all day. Hours are Saturday, October 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (early-bird hour 8 a.m. — $20 entrance fee) and Sunday, October 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (book sale only).
Accepting book and jewelry donations on these days: Sundays 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays 10 a.m. to noon, Saturdays 9 to 11 a.m. Donations for toys and plants will begin in August.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Paul Edlund, Chair
Elting Memorial Library Fair
New Paltz
Our issues mattered to the people of Gardiner
I have a renewed gratitude for this town. Although we did not win this race, I do not believe we truly lost either. Our team knocked on over a thousand doors, and I couldn’t be more proud of the effort we made. I look forward to coming together with Supervisor Majestic to advocate for the future of our town, and I hope the strength of our campaign and the high turnout of this election sends a message that our issues mattered to the people of Gardiner.
Regardless of the final outcome, I would like to thank my exceptional team, volunteers and supporters. I hope this election marks the beginning of a Town Hall that is receptive to the input of our community, advocates for the environment and maintains the unique character of our town. I have always believed that politics should be about bringing people together and uplifting the voices of those who wouldn’t otherwise be heard. Meeting so many of my neighbors on this campaign was the experience of a lifetime, and I will never forget these magical last few weeks. Our work is far from over, and my focus is on what’s next in the fight for a brighter future.
Tim Hunter
Gardiner
War zone
If you’re pitiless, war is great fun.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Outta toilet paper
“I don’t think a toilet is a secure place. Laugh, dammit! Tre45on is hilarious!”
Poor baby, someone treaded on him. The “lock-her-up” crowd is freaking out about “lock him up.” See, pronouns DO matter. Especially when using the public toilet. If Donald Trump wanted to hear good news about his unsealed indictment, Fox News now doesn’t seem to be the place to find it.
This was a deliberate and concerted effort to remove the most sensitive docs the country has and keep them. And then show them to people at his leisure while acknowledging that he was neither supposed to have them or show them. He haphazardly stored the docs any damned where, including in a goddamn bathroom shower. Top secret documents — documents having to do with defense plans, military campaigns, nukes, you name it. Documents clearly marked “top secret,” “secret” and “confidential;” and two other designations I’d never even heard of before today.
And as if that weren’t enough, the national archives asked this mutha-effn ‘bout fifty-eleven times to give all this stuff back. And pos #45 would be all, “I gave you everything I got. Damn. Shit. There’s nothing here.”
Then he would have his aides move the boxes and he would travel with the boxes. Yeah, he would travel with them. Because that was — presumably — the only way to make sure he kept them.
Sprinkled throughout indictment are excerpts from quotes that Donald Trump gave the press during campaigns and his presidency — boasting about how good he’d be at keeping this country’s secrets safe, how we needed a return to discretion and how people who violated national security laws and breached the protections afforded our most sensitive docs needed to be punished with the full might of the law. For real, for real.
If you’re already delusional, denying reality is preferred over national loyalty. Meanwhile, in Mar-A-Lardo, Trump feels boxed in the bathroom, doesn’t he? Bottom-line [pun intended]: It seems silly, but if you don’t aggressively defend your trademark, you can lose it. He needs to wean himself off the gold toilet in preparation for the stainless-steel kind. He’s “Bed Bath & Beyond” guilty.
“Sooooo, y’all hear any good news today?”
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
As an alternative, look into silent fireworks
We are once again blessed with summer in this beautiful place we all call home, and the time is coming soon for that Woodstock celebration that so many people come together to enjoy. But it is actually a half hour of terror and death for creatures in our surrounding area. I have lived in Woodstock for nearly 30 years and have enjoyed the fireworks display at Andy Lee Field every August, but more recently realizing how fragile our environment is and what a treasure the Catskills and it’s wildlife are, I have not attended. Birds go into shock, while bats in the night sky die immediately, and small creatures running off to new areas do not do well away from their territory and also die. Woodstock is a gateway to the Catskill Park, so we should do everything we can to conserve it. There is no going back. A recent development is something called “silent fireworks” which are available, and whomever is responsible for the display should look into that as an alternative. Otherwise, the rather large sum of money spent on the display could go to funding a very nice party for the town at the field.
William Weissman
Lake Hill
Bring an urgent care facility to Woodstock
6,263 Woodstockers, plus our many thousands of visiting tourists, currently have two options for what seems to them to be urgent medical care: call 911 and get taken by ambulance or drive themselves to a Kingston or Rhinebeck emergency room or drive to one of several Kingston urgent care facilities. Each option requires an average of 25 to 30 minutes drive time. Fairly often, the ER visit is unnecessary or inappropriate, but just as often it is the only option deemed correct by the EMTs of our rescue squad.
With an aging population here the need for a locally available urgent care facility is growing exponentially. The town population over age 65 is now 39.1% and nationally, statistics would suggest that will continue to rise. Nearly 11% of our neighbors are older and also living alone. Our disabled population below age 65 is just under 8%, which is another stress on our EMS workers. Retail clinics and urgent care centers have emerged as alternative sites to the emergency department, especially sensible as so many ER visits are determined to be non-emergency in nature. Urgent care costs 40% less than visits to the ER. Clearly an urgent care site in town would save money in quasi-emergency care and conveniently allow for walk-ins.
On a recent Manhattan visit, as I walked a five block stretch of the Upper West Side, I passed three consecutive urgent care facilities. An ER visit wait time average over four hours, an urgent care less than 30 minutes. Urgent care has become a viable and desirable alternative to ER visits when a normal doctor appointment is not available.
Urgent care would be a good addition to local medical care options.
Doug Sheer
Woodstock
Thanks New Paltz Rescue Squad
Deepest appreciation to the New Paltz Rescue Squad (NPRS) for again helping me to regain my health. Their strong suggestion that I go to the ER after spiking a temperature of 103.5 was instrumental in keeping me on my feet and perhaps preventing more severe illness, or worse.
When one has a summer fever the immediate suspicion is Lyme disease or Covid (home tests were negative) so I visited First Care and they started a tick panel — which can take a week or more to return. Correctly, I was prescribed doxycycline and began using it at once. Two days later neither the doxy nor ibuprofen or Tylenol were keeping the fever down, so NPRS was called and I was transported to Vassar Brothers Hospital. They were able to relatively quickly make a tentative diagnosis of babesiosis, a tick-borne disease that is more acute, and probably more severe than Lyme. It attacks red blood cells and platelets, causing anemia and preventing clotting. Less common than Lyme, it seems to be on the rise locally.
I was started on intravenous antibiotics appropriate for babesiosis and within hours the fever had receded. I stayed two nights for observation and further testing. At home now, I’ll continue to take oral antibiotics for another week.
This letter is intended as a wake-up shout out to the valley to take tick precautions as best you can and to be aware that a high fever with no joint pain, lethargy, perhaps a mild headache and poor appetite, may not be Lyme, Covid or the flu.
And again thanks to Jacob W. and his partner (whose name I have regretfully forgotten) and the New Paltz Rescue Squad for a fine job.
Larry Kosofsky
New Paltz
Vote for Emmanuel (Manny) Nneji in November
Emmanuel (Manny) Nneji is a rare choice for Ulster District Attorney. I met Manny only recently when he spoke at a rally, and I was impressed by his dedicated service as Ulster County public prosecutor for 32 years and as Assistant NYS Attorney General for much of this period. From a conversation I had with him and upon reading his website (MannyforDA.com), I learned that, like myself, he was born in Africa and did his higher education in New York State. His success was made possible by hard work, but was facilitated by the generosity of the American people. His dedication throughout his career was motivated by a sense of loyalty and a desire to give back to the people of New York State with professional legal service.
Manny’s public service actually began 32 years ago as well when he became a volunteer soccer coach for Ulster County children, which he has continued for decades to date. “Coach Manny” influenced generations of youth to share his values of self-discipline, confidence and teamwork. Those same values had guided him to become an outstanding law student at Buffalo Law School and launched him into a successful career as a public prosecutor. He chose providing legal service over lucrative private practice and built a solid prosecutorial career with commitment to fairness and justice. As Ulster County and New York State prosecutor, he has been commended by both Democratic and Republican leadership. This speaks to his demonstrated high level of professionalism and impartiality.
Currently, Manny is serving as Chief Assistant DA in Ulster County, and is eminently qualified and ready to serve as our county’s district attorney. I trust that people will be justly proud to vote for him in November.
Dr. Berhanykun Andemicael
Shokan
Marybeth Majestic looks forward to your support in November
My re-election campaign enjoyed a narrow victory on Tuesday, and I would like to thank all of those who worked on my campaign and helped me “get out the vote.” Special thanks go to every Gardiner voter who filled in the bubble next to my name. I very much appreciate your confidence in me, and I will continue to work hard to exceed your expectations.
And thank you to my opponent, Tim Hunter, and to his team, who ran a tough and effective campaign that came close to winning. To these people, and to the hundreds of Gardiner residents who voted for Tim, I say thank you as well. You made your thoughts and feelings known at the ballot box, which, in our democracy, is the most powerful communication tool available. And I heard you!
I understand that we need, at a minimum, to enhance communication between our local elected leaders and our constituents before, during and after key decisions such as the Awosting Club, the cell tower and Lazy River. I will be exploring ways to do that with the other members of the Town Board and my campaign team. Better communication is key to enhancing transparency, another issue raised during the primary campaign.
Of course, I certainly welcome everyone’s input both formally, during Town Board meetings and informally through phone, mail and in-person chats. My door is always open. I would only ask that you offer your feedback and ideas in ways other than on social media. The Gardiner NY Facebook page, for example, has no official relationship to town government and, in my humble opinion, rarely enhances important dialogue.
On to November, where I believe we will face a strong Republican challenge. We need all Democrats’ support, and I will work to achieve it.
Marybeth Majestic, Supervisor
Gardiner
Always the politician
McKenna said the construction budget [for the Comeau addition] is still $2.995 million. “The construction costs are still below that number. ‘But’ there are incidental costs that we’re paying out of that account, the architects fees, engineering fees, clerk of works and whatnot.”
I do not know about you, it appears to me that, when someone uses words such as but, however and although, it means that what was previously said should be taken with a grain of salt.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Woodstock Youth Center Task Force
You know it’s very disheartening that a volunteer such as myself, who cares deeply about kids and our town, would be overlooked in what appears to be retaliation because I’m running for a Town Board seat. That speaks volumes about this current board and supervisor with regard to being open and collaborative for the good of our youth and town.
If I am voted on to this board in November, I would think this board and supervisor would have to work with me and I with them, putting aside our differences for the good of our town.
I hope the supervisor rethinks his position on this and lets someone with experience and love for kids and their well-being, be an advisor on this task force. My husband and I, both retired teachers, have been asking for our Youth Center to be improved or renovated for over two years now. We are very happy that this task force has been formed, but feel purposely left out. That’s sad since we are both volunteers on many town committees because of our love for Woodstock.
I have been repeatedly asking about this task force in emails. At a recent Town Board meeting, I was told that, “We haven’t gotten to it yet. We’ll let you when we do.” The very next day the choice was made without so much of a courtesy email letting me know that I was not selected.
This is no way to treat volunteers and even worse to not extend the common courtesy of informing me that the task force people have been chosen. I would hope they all had the required interviews.
Good luck to the task force and I will still be available to give any help if needed.
Linda Lover
Woodstock
Blue Chip development
I recently attended two town hall meetings — one in early May and another June 6 — both took place in the Shawangunk Town Hall located in Wallkill. The meetings were both scoping sessions (public input gatherings); related to the possible development of 500 of the 700 acres of the Blue Chip horse farm. The bulk of the project would be geared to a luxury resort with 200 acres remaining a horse farm.
The meetings focused on one particular plan, which was deemed to be the best of three under consideration. The presenter was a successful movie producer, who was a close friend of the Blue Chip farm owner.
We then viewed the master plan. First, there were the “glamping cabins” (glamour camping residences). They would be located on a hill with a view of the Shawangunk ridge. These would be rented to out-of-towners for thousands of dollars, to people with no connection to the area.
Next were the much larger 60-70 homes and about ten or more very large mansions. There would be a private golf course and restaurants sandwiched between all of this. Let’s not forget that the token horse barn with welcoming cafes and other goodies.
The problems I and others had with the plan is that there didn’t seem to be a logical flow to any of it. Nothing seemed to integrate or work together with anything else. In addition to this, it was an ecological nightmare with multiple water, septic and drainage issues effecting surrounding homes. These were coupled with fear of increased taxes for all the police, fire, highway department and school resources which would be needed.
In essence, there would be a new town created which would drain the present town’s resources. There should be a better way to blend with an area.
Thomas Dinchuk
Wallkill
Central Hudson sham
Thankfully, I haven’t experienced the billing issues that hundreds, if not thousands of Central Hudson customers in our area have. That notwithstanding, when I recently reviewed the last four years of our electric usage and what it cost us, it jumped off the page that Central Hudson had doubled the KWW cost, add jacked “delivery” fees and other fixed cost items on our bill. What used to cost $150 a month now costs $300.
How they continue to generate huge numbers of estimated bills (seemingly always in their favor and grossly over typical consumption for the billing location incurring the enormous bill) is baffling. When I put gas in my car, I don’t pay a high, estimated amount — like my electric provider Central Hudson, the pump has an accurate meter that charges me for exactly what I put in my tank. When the local oil company fills our home heating oil tank, we get an on-the-spot detailed invoice showing exactly how many gallons were pumped into the tank and what we’re being charged per gallon.
All the homes and businesses Central Hudson serves have electric meters provided by Central Hudson (many can be read wirelessly from the street in fact). Central Hudson’s excuses of both a “new invoicing system” and or a “shortage of people” available to read their own meters is unacceptable. Estimated billing simply shouldn’t be allowed. If Central Hudson can’t figure out how to read its own meters upon which it then bills customers, making up a high, unsubstantiated, totally estimated bill, is outrageous and simply not an option.
Further, to be incredibly difficult, inflexible and uncooperative when customers attempt to have these bills corrected, is beyond reprehensible. Additionally, to position their own “town hall” meetings with aggrieved customers as a “good deed” or “great customer service” is beyond insulting to the hundreds of customers they’ve gouged. Many are on fixed, limited incomes. Some are elderly, have limited access to transportation or other challenges that make it difficult, if not impossible, to either fight the fight with by Central Hudson or to attend these meetings.
We need more from our utility board, more from our local, regional and state politicians and fast-turn the heat up and stop Central Hudson in its tracks for its heavy-handed and uncooperative approach to Ulster County and beyond. Unfortunately, the combination of there being a monopoly and being owned by a private equity group seriously stack the deck against their customers. And, their answer of, “We’ll need to increase rates in order to be able to pay for more people to go read meters” is NOT an option. Central Hudson is already enjoying some of the highest rates in the country.
Andrew Cowan
Saugerties
IRS, FBI, CIA, Justice Department (Duck!)
I want to believe that these organizations are incorruptible. I do not.
While many in the ranks are good people, they have attracted and rewarded too many who believe that to ‘get along you need to go along’.
Paul Nathe
New Paltz
Biology has Steve off point
I am responding to Steve Massardo’s letter of 6-28-23 entitled “Who decides?” Since the beginning of the human race, there has never been any confusion about the male and female sex. But, suddenly, in the 21st century, a confusion has been ultra magnified as if it was one of the top three issues plaguing civil society. And this confusion, especially on “gender,” has been brought to everyone’s attention by just 7.2% of our population. You talk about the tail wagging the dog!
The DATA that I found and which Steve questions is the 7.2% of the LGBTQ community vs. the 92.8% of the heterosexual community. I only stated that, if these percentages were reversed, the LGBTQ community’s beliefs and behaviors would be the common standard and would not be questioned.
Steve’s very good biology lesson and its various anomaly possibilities occur in such extremely minuscule percentages (anywhere from 1 in 448 births to 1 in 20,000 births, depending on the anomaly)…….well under one one hundredth of one percent. Even considering these minimal occurrences and any gender dysphoria associated with them, the bottom line is that treatment and decisions about sex change surgery should only occur when the man or woman FULLY posses rational decision capabilities while FULLY understanding the life altering treatment and surgery that they are about to undertake. This describes a mature adult and not a near clueless child. In many instances, children make all kinds of decisions based upon immaturity, ignorance and more importantly based upon peer pressure from desperately wanting to be accepted, to fit in, or to stand out as unique for the purpose of attention. As pre-teens and teens, we all made improper, uninformed and ill-advised decisions but none anywhere near as serious as changing our sex.
Steve asks WHO decides on this extremely difficult issue. It’s not WHO, but at WHAT AGE and MENTAL STATE is the candidate making these decisions? In other words, who is going to be far more likely to regret such decisions, an eleven year old, give or take a year or so, or a 25 year old?
John N. Butz
Modena
Reminder to support the Golden Rule
Please remember to come to the Hudson River Maritime Museum, Kingston on the late afternoon/evening of Friday, July 7 to greet the crew of the Golden Rule Peace Boat — Veterans for Peace. The boat’s journey is reminding a multitude of locations of the urgency in opposing the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons — nationally and worldwide. Let this stop in Kingston be an encouragement for the crew and Ulster County to continue to take action in this important cause. Contact the Maritime Center at 845-338-0071, extension 16 for an updated program. Peace and all good!
Terence Lover
Woodstock
Join the family! 
