What brought you to New Paltz?
First I moved from Brooklyn to Newburgh for one year. I absolutely disliked it there. I was starting my masters at SUNY. We looked for a house here because it was a younger vital community. I was only 20 years old. I loved it here. I started taking Susan Slotnick dance classes above Handmade.
What was your first impression of New Paltz?
It was a hippie town. The Welcome Wagon lady came to our house with a whole basket of goodies. At first I thought that was hokey. She then invited me to go bowling with her league. It was nothing I would have ever thought to do in Brooklyn. I stayed with the league. I enjoyed it for a few years.
What have you contributed to the community?
I am the treasurer and director of adult programming at the synagogue. I am on the Ulster County Planning Board. I am a newbie there, still in the listening stage. Also, I serve on the assessment review and accessible housing board. I am chairperson of the planning board, which is very time consuming, as well as incredibly interesting. There are so many projects going on at once, a learning curve for me. The terms are seven years for a reason. It takes that much time to learn and understand all the issues. So much is always changing — zoning, what can be built where and land preservation. It’s all fascinating. At the planning board there are conservation and environmental considerations in all decisions. We have a strict wetlands law. A difficulty is it can be very expensive to get through the planning board. For a large corporation those costs are factored in, but for a small business or even for someone who wants to put an addition on their house, the expenses mount up. We are trying to make the process a little easier for the smaller homeowner and small business proprietors. I believe myself and the planning board combined is the best we have accomplished for this town. We have a great planning board right now, trying to do the best for the community. Recently, I joined the Democratic Committee. I like all of it. I work in all these endeavors with dedicated great people. We don’t always agree, but we work it out.
Are you planning to spend the rest of your life here or would you someday want to be somewhere else?
I would never leave New Paltz, although the winters are getting long. I am a village person more than a country person. I would miss being able to walk instead of drive if I needed to buy a container of milk. I might someday consider snow birding, but only maybe. If I left, I would miss my friends, the long relationships over so many years. Being part of planning for the future of New Paltz. That is so important. I am glad to be part of making decisions for the direction of the town.
Join the family! 
