After 14 years of service, Dan Torres says goodbye to the New Paltz Town Board

Dan Torres gave a farewell address at the end of the August 17 New Paltz Town Board meeting, after having served on that board since 2014. Torres is resigning in part to focus on work for Congressmen Pat Ryan, but also to spend more time with spouse Ashley Dittus. The two were married a year ago, but were only able to leave for a honeymoon the day after Torres’ last meeting in New Paltz as an elected official. 

In a voice that thickened at times with emotion, Torres spoke about the personal growth of serving in town government for nearly a decade. Having been elected to the local school board while still in high school and serving there during college, after a short break Torres replaced Kitty Brown on the town council at the age of 23. The intervening years were instructive; with Torres coming to understand the amount of work done not only in elected office, but by paid staff and municipal volunteers as well. This has led to a deep appreciation for the importance of community service in all its forms. “A lot of important things are not done in elected office,” Torres said. 

While sad about not finishing the current term, Torres is grateful for support received during these years, including from the voters, colleagues on the town board, and particularly supervisor Neil Bettez. “Serving with you [since 2016] has been a pleasure,” Torres said to Bettez. “I hope you continue in this job.” 

Looking back at what’s been accomplished, Torres counted a zoning overhaul, and a landmark law to tax real-estate transfers to fund the protection of open space as being particularly memorable. Looking ahead, Torres said, “This is a unique political time . . . a dangerous moment. I encourage others to serve the community.” 

Bettez and Julie Seyfert-Lillis, the only other council members present for this meeting, thanked Torres for these years of service. Bettez said that during the time they served together, “There were few crises, and that was not by chance.” 

Seyfert-Lillis framed Torres’ work as “public service, not politics,” and said that Torres was Seyfert-Lillis’ inspiration for running in the first place. 

No decision was made on whom to appoint to fill the remainder of Torres’ term, because Torres can’t vote on that question and there weren’t enough other council members present to have a quorum to vote. 

Fresh face

While Dan Torres’ colleagues may be sad to see the deputy supervisor leave, the people’s work is never done and a temporary replacement must be found. Torres left the building during that final meeting on August 17 to allow space to interview a final prospective candidate for the position, Evan Holland-Shepler. 

Unlike some of the interviewees, Holland-Shepler has never held elected office. On the other hand, this is an individual who has been working on political campaigns for quite some time, starting with Zephyr Teachout’s bid for governor in 2014 and continuing with Manny Nneji’s present run for Ulster County DA. Holland-Shepler, who is also treasurer of the local Democratic Committee, described working on a succession of six campaigns as a “full-time career.” Knocking on thousands of doors and managing others has also allowed Holland-Shepler to work on a speech impediment and build confidence. 

Holland-Shepler, who moved to New Paltz at the age of six, was in Rome finishing up a final semester in college when news of Torres’ resignation broke. The ideal person to replace Torres “has a master’s in public policy,” Holland-Shepler believes, but no one who has interviewed thus far has reached that bar. Absent that outstanding candidate and with the encouragement of friends and colleagues, Holland-Shepler opted to apply. The applicant described the urgency younger people feel toward addressing existential issues like climate change, and a belief that they must be addressed at every level of government. If selected, however, Holland-Shepler signaled a desire to listen and collaborate, saying, “I will do the work, and defer to the elected members, rather than dictating to them.” 

Supervisor Bettez expressed appreciation for the interview, saying in part, “I hope my son turns out as well as you.” 

“That was really touching, Neil, thank you,” Holland-Shepler replied. The candidate also emphasized that this is part of a long-term commitment to serve in the community. “No matter the outcome, I’m not disappearing.” 

Show them the money

It’s becoming more and more important for local leaders to secure grant funding to supplement tax revenues, because the ballooning costs of providing competitive wages and benefits makes it very hard to find money to pay for any kind of improvements in the community. State and federal funding is frequently only available through competitive grants, and there’s no one on the New Paltz town staff who is focused entirely on researching grant opportunities and writing the applications. Council members have agreed to sign a contract with Millennium Strategies to provide such services. For about $5,000 a year, town staff members will receive regular updates about the types of grants that are available, and support for writing applications for two of these. It’s expected that this cost will be more than offset by grant awards. 

Supervisor Neil Bettez noted that grants for emergency services in particular have not been pursued; that’s especially important now since the leaders of the local rescue squad have warned that they may need to seek a contract in a different community if New Paltz taxpayers can’t pony up.

Climate facilities review

Town of New Paltz facilities will be getting a free evaluation from experts at Joule, the company employees of which negotiate electricity contracts for most town residents. That review should identify what kinds of rebates might be available for energy improvement work that’s done. The best-known rebates are off the table, because they are for tax-paying entities, but there are other government programs which might fit the mark. According to Supervisor Neil Bettez, this review could be used to help prioritize suggestions from the climate-smart task force in the context of available rebates, allowing money to be stretched further. Joule employees could also help apply for grants, but that would not be free.