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. Submit a letter to the editor at deb@hudsonvalleyone.com.
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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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An open letter to Representative Ryan: These are not normal times
Dear Representative Ryan,
When Texas representative Al Green spoke out during the president’s recent address to Congress, he made a statement of resistance that got the attention of the world. He made a statement indicating that these are not normal times. He made a statement that the current executive branch is pushing forward, at breakneck speed, an agenda that is dismantling our democracy and is moving us toward a fascist dictatorship. I only wish that each member of Congress had followed Representative Green’s lead.
Al Green emerged as a lone hero in the eyes of the world.
I was distraught to find that your approach to that same event, which ultimately (and disturbingly) provided the president an opportunity to come across as a savior, was the opposite of Representative Green’s approach.
According to your Facebook page, you attended that event with the Republican county executive of Orange, Steve Neuhaus. Under normal conditions, such a bi-partisan gesture could have been seen as conciliatory. But these are not normal times. The fact that you attended that event in this way as if everything is normal concerns me. Nothing less than vocally making a statement ala Al Green was appropriate for that event.
A look at your record raises additional concerns. You were in a minority of Democratic representatives who voted to support H.Con.Res.9 — a Republican-sponsored bill that denounces the “horrors of socialism.” As someone who supports the Democratic Party of FDR, I see socialism as synonymous with the New Deal. Are you against FDR’s New Deal?
You were also in the minority among Democrats who voted to support Bill H.R. 9495. This Republican-sponsored bill, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, did not receive enough votes to pass. At the core of this proposed bill was affording the executive branch latitude to strip not-for-profit organizations of their tax-exempt status if deemed as supporting “terrorist” activities. Think about the kinds of organizations that could be affected by such legislation; public libraries, charitable organizations, universities and more.
The only chance we have to preserve our democracy is for representatives to truly internalize the fact that these are not normal times and to do everything in their power to push back against the current regime.
A few weeks ago, both my wife and I, independently, contacted your office with concerns. In both cases, we requested responses back. Neither of us received any response from your office.
I am fortunate to know you personally and I truly believe that you have a good heart and good intentions. That said, I cannot, in good faith, vote for you in the future.
This nation is on the verge of turning into a fascist dictatorship. These are not normal times and we, collectively, need elected officials who are willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that our democracy remains preserved for the sake of our shared future.
Glenn Geher
Highland
To ensure that institutional racism is an integral focus
Ms. Gotto told Mr. Ward that this would be part of the new code for the police commission. Does she not think that the old police commission had this intention without it being on the code? We were ready and able to deal with any problems of racism, harassment or undue use of force, this is the exact reason I volunteered for the police commission. We never received any complaints of behavior like this in the police department or from the community in general. None of this was mentioned in our letter of termination. I heard rumors of a complaint of racism within the department. I think the compliant went to a board member and not to the commission. We never dealt with any complaint of racism. Maybe the new board can find or manufacture some.
Steve Ford
New Paltz
Tim Rogers gets things done
Tim Rogers has a clear record of showing up, doing the work and making thoughtful decisions that serve our community.
He has consistently demonstrated leadership, transparency and an ability to get things done. He’s known for doing his homework, asking tough questions and advocating for sound fiscal policy.
Tim has focused on the nuts and bolts: securing grants, improving infrastructure, modernizing outdated systems and protecting our environment and drinking water — often behind the scenes. Anyone who’s attended a village meeting, read his letters to the editor, or checked out his posts on social media knows Tim puts in the hours and makes decisions based on research, not politics.
He spent years researching solutions to the village’s parking meter problems, listening to complaints and ultimately finding the best and most cost-effective fix. He’s put in countless hours working to improve our water and sewer services, securing millions in grant funding and making meaningful progress under the DEC consent order. And everyone can see the result — constant construction traffic is a sign of long-overdue infrastructure finally getting the attention it needs.
He also understands that accessibility isn’t a luxury — it’s essential. That’s why public meetings are now being held in the former fire department meeting room on Plattekill Avenue, which is ADA compliant with an accessible entrance straight from the street.
Under Tim’s leadership as mayor, the village has kept the property tax rate flat for nine straight years. Even with raises for staff, increased construction costs, investing millions into infrastructure and energy-efficient equipment — all without increasing the tax burden. They’ve done it by budgeting carefully, paying down debt early and making sure expenses align with revenue.
Tim has also led the village in applying for the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) every single year since it began in 2016. The 2024 application focused on affordable housing, decarbonization, Main Street safety, modernizing the bus station and other key infrastructure investments. Each proposal included strong public and private partnerships to make a compelling case to the state. And you can count on Tim to keep pushing forward — another application is already planned for 2025.
This is what real leadership looks like — thoughtful, steady and community-minded. That’s why I encourage you to vote for Tim Rogers in the Democratic primary on June 24.
Ariana Basco
New Paltz
Drinking water violation: we keep learning, and must keep improving
Our updated drinking water filtration plant went online in 2019 and provides noticeably better finished water. The system’s microfiltration membranes do a wonderful job removing turbidity. Some aspects of the new system even help us save money.
For instance, the new system generates less sludge that accumulates at the bottom of the plant’s lagoons, needing to be hauled away. Lagoons are like large outdoor swimming pools with a lining. Our lagoons were rebuilt during the summer of 2019, as part of the plant’s $5.5 million upgrade.
The filter’s backwash and collected solids are moved to the lagoons during the treatment process. In the lagoons, sludge waste settles and separates from supernatant (soo-per-NAY-tent). The supernatant is the clear water that is returned back to the head of the plant and blended with aqueduct or reservoir water. Sludge gets removed, is dried and is then hauled to landfills.
With the old plant, we hauled away approximately 100,000 gallons of sludge per year. Our most recent contract price was $0.26 per gallon to haul. Sludge hauling was the fourth largest (of eight main components) that dictate the cost of water after: 1) Untreated water purchases (NYC DEP), 2) plant operations and staffing, and 3) electricity.
With the new plant, the number of gallons needing to be hauled has been reduced by almost 50%. In addition to costing less to haul the sludge away, we have saved on labor because now it takes less than two days to clean the lagoons.
However, this savings will be going away. Unfortunately, for the second time since the fall of 2021, sampling for Haloacetic Acids 5 (HAA5) at one of the village’s testing locations recently surpassed the EPA’s limit of 60 ppb (parts per billion) in drinking water.
HAA5s can form as disinfection by-products when chlorine reacts with dissolved natural organic matter found in surface water supplies. Disinfection of municipal water, a federal and state requirement, is necessary to prevent illness by killing bacteria and viruses.
HAA5s are considered to be possibly carcinogenic to humans when consumed in excess of maximum contaminant levels, over many years, because of evidence in experimental laboratory animals and limited evidence in people.
After the average for HAA5 at one of the village’s testing locations through 9/30/21 reached 61.2 ppb, our engineers and plant operator made adjustments, including using less chlorine for disinfection. The new plant with microfiltration membranes uses more chlorine than the old plant that was in service for about 30 years before 2019’s plant overhaul. We believe that the post-2021 adjustments have helped with HAA5 levels, but we were disappointed to see a recent sample, again, greater than the EPA’s maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 60 ppb (parts per billion).
As described above, and so we may finally break this pattern, we will pursue the following:
1) Move to hauling away sludge from the lagoons twice per year, instead of just once.
2) Increase sampling within our conveyance system to monthly from quarterly to hopefully identify patterns that should provide additional information.
3) Modify the wall separating our two lagoons that we hope will improve its functionality and standing sludge issues.
4) Work with DEC officials and speak with other regional water plant operators to investigate whether a State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit for the supernatant may be a better long-term solution.
There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water or take other corrective actions. If a situation arises where water is no longer safe to drink, you will be notified within 24 hours.
Please share this information with anyone else who drinks this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail. This notice is being shared per the Village of New Paltz State Water System ID#: NY5503379.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact the Village of New Paltz at 845-255-0130 or at 25 Plattekill Avenue, New Paltz, NY 12561.
Mayor Tim Rogers
New Paltz
Vote no on Proposition 2: Keep Woodstock Elementary open
One thing I’ve always appreciated about Woodstockers, as someone born and raised here, is how engaged this community is. But we can’t take that spirit for granted — now is the time to act.
Some members of the Onteora Central School District, backed by a $70.5 million bond proposal, are pushing to close Woodstock Elementary. District enrollment has declined over the past decade but has stabilized in recent years. The district already closed Phoenicia Elementary — a proportionate adjustment. So why push further? Their case relies on an inconclusive 2019 report, ignoring later public support for keeping schools open. Since Phoenicia’s closure, there’s been no updated transportation study, no detailed cost breakdown and no assessment of how the two-school system is working. Meanwhile, Woodstock Elementary is thriving:
• Ranked #1 public elementary in Ulster County by Niche in 2025
• 8:1 student-teacher ratio, ensuring a personalized learning environment
• Two classes per grade, about 20 students per class (K–4)
• Skilled, dedicated staff. The district proposes moving Woodstock students to Bennett, 12.5 miles away, and constructing on the Bennett campus to accommodate consolidation. This is a major disruption with no clear benefit.
Ask yourself: who benefits from this closure? Is it the students, or is it about consolidating control and approving construction contracts? Woodstock has always stood up for what’s right. Now it’s time to protect our values and shape our future. Vote no on Proposition 2. Protect Woodstock Elementary.
Ed McGeady
Woodstock
Mister (Tim) Roger’s neighborhood
We are writing to enthusiastically endorse mayor Tim Rogers for New Paltz town supervisor. We have lived, worked, owned a business, socialized and volunteered in the New Paltz community for over 30 years. Throughout that time, we have known Tim as a trusted friend, fellow parent, avid bicyclist, dedicated athletic coach and faithful community servant. We admire his volunteerism and dedication to both New Paltz and the New Paltz Central School District. Tim was first elected to the board of education some years ago (a volunteer position), then when needed, began to volunteer his time as a lacrosse coach. In the midst of his vast mayoral duties, we are astounded that he had taken the time to come forward to assist when needed and undertake a meaningful role with our community’s youth.
Tim is the right choice to lead New Paltz into its next chapter. He is smart, capable and well-versed in all the various intricacies that make up our community. And, he likes to keep our taxes low — something that I’m sure many can relate to in these precarious times.
Please join us in voting for Tim Rogers for New Paltz town supervisor.
Doug &Teresa Thompson
New Paltz
Hegseth was the leaker!
He’s a Total F-Up and it invalidates his defense department environment. Hegseth is again mired in controversy over sharing military operational details in a group chat. There are new calls for defense secretary Pete Hegseth to resign following new reporting on a second group chat containing sensitive information. News sources report that Hegseth “used his personal phone to send information about U.S. military operations in Yemen to a 13-person Signal group chat, including his wife and his brother and of course, his attorney.”
Hegseth should never have been nominated, vetted or given the job. Unqualified like most of Trump’s picks, he should be taken out of the position.
So, the president throws his support behind a blatantly obvious loser. Does he believe that just because he says he supports this loser that Americans won’t see the glaring incompetency of this loser?
Pete Hegseth is doing such a great job at making Republicans lose faith in their own party members. Truly impressive! Yes he’s incompetent, etc., but he was put in that position by Trump who has no respect for the military. Thanks Pete, we appreciate your help. Go back to the FAUX News network. Instead of seasoned politicians, the Republican Party, err I mean, the Trumpublican clownshow is set to become a second Fox News, complete with hosts and reporters.
“New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that Hegseth should accept responsibility. “But we must not forget that ultimate responsibility here lies with President Trump for selecting a former weekend TV host, without any experience successfully leading a large and complex organization, to run our government’s biggest department and make life and death decisions for our military and country,” she said.
You know who DID NOT share classified war plans on a Signal chat twice — the four-star general that “Whiskey Leaks Pete” fired for “DEI.”
This is our national security? After this major Signal stupidity by Hegseth, if I ever have to hear about Hilary’s emails again I might officially lose it. At this point, it may be quicker to ask who he DIDN’T share classified information with. Best check his OnlyFans and Snapchat logins as well.
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Thanks for participating in our Green & Clean Days
Town of Saugerties Supervisor Fred Costello Jr. and town board members Leeanne Thornton, Peg Nau, Mike Ivino and Zach Horton would like to thank the listed participants for their involvement during the Green & Clean Days which were held on April 12, 13, 26 & 27, 2025 through their collection of roadside litter along town roads to aid in the beautification and greening of Saugerties:
Volunteer team captains — Matt Gillis and members of Archtop Fiber, Bob Howe, Barbara Krzywonos, Amy Feinberg, Barbara Hammerstone, Annie & Mark Hoffstatter, Jessica Brott, Jennifer Mangione and agents from Grist Mill Real Estate, Donna McClain, MaryAlice Lindquist, Beth Woodard, Cindy Saporito, David Budd, Mike Harkavy and Barbara Bravo, Sarah Vogwill, Andrea Giarraputo, Sandra Smith, Charles Staby, Richard Frisbie and Edward Leavitt, Mike MacIsaac, Chris Allen, Laura Howard, Sagazie Family, Edith Bolt, Michelle Aizenstat, Edward Bird, Cyn Kendall, Gaynor Ellis, Christine Vierstra and members of the Highwoods Reformed Church, Stephanie Bassler and members of the Saugerties Democratic Committee and the volunteer team members who helped these individuals with the project.
The Town of Saugerties is very fortunate to have such an asset as these volunteers that have pitched in to do their part for the community.
A special thanks goes out to the transfer station manager Doug Myer and his employees for the collection of the gathered roadside litter and for accepting/disposal of the litter.
Terri Wood
on behalf of the Town of Saugerties
Keep it clean
Looking for something positive and productive to do for your local river and community? Join the Wallkill River Watershed Alliance in planting and caring for trees along the Wallkill River this spring on Saturday, May 3 from 1 to 3 p.m. at River to Ridge Trail and Sunday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 to 5 p.m. at Conuco Farm in New Paltz. A vibrant riverside community of trees and shrubs promotes a healthy river. Their roots keep the banks from eroding, their shade keeps the water cool for fish, they provide critical wildlife habitat and land that is vegetated absorbs rain and runoff so pollutants can be filtered by the soil and not enter the water. Please RSVP: for May 3, mcheo@hvc.rr.com; for May 19 Jeremy@OCLT.org.
Martha Cheo
New Paltz
The power of words
Will Trump deport me for writing this letter?
Sparrow
Phoenicia
The clouds went red
“I can gather all the news I need on the weather report.”
— Paul Simon
There was a time when I believed that line could carry a day. Like a charm in my pocket. I lived by it — like one of those midwestern farmers who watch the sky the way monks read sacred texts. You could learn a lot from a cloud. You could plan your whole life around clear skies and good boots. But then came Nam, and the clouds went red.
Nam had its own forecast — hot metal and bad orders. It tore a hole in the sky so wide I saw through the performance. It wasn’t weather any more — it was the rigging behind the illusion. Stage lights, wires, pulleys, human hands pulling levers behind a godless storm. You don’t unsee that. And after that, the rain just felt like theater.
Even now, older, with a hitch in my step and no rifle in sight, I watch the forecasts roll in like old reruns. But the bullets? They’ve changed costumes. Now, they wear suits and deliver memos. They’re data points and 30-second fear loops on the news crawl. The war’s been domesticated. Polished. Fed to us in high-def.
I want to know if Route 208 is dry enough for my tires. Instead, I’m ambushed by a national weather panic, shampooed golden retrievers, apocalyptic storm graphics and a model whispering about lingerie like it’s breaking news. Somewhere off to the side, a tornado eats a nameless town alive. But not before I’m reminded to buy a new sofa.
Even the weather’s been sold.
Paul Simon … he saw it coming. That song of his — “Slip Slidin’ Away” — is our age’s quiet anthem. Every truth, every promise, every honest thing we try to hold onto is just out of reach. Not because we let go but because the ground keeps shifting beneath us. Intention’s got nothing on momentum.
And still, I try.
I stand by the window. Press my finger to my tongue. Lift it into the morning light. No graphics. No spin. Just wind. And maybe, just maybe, a whisper of something real.
You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip slidin’ away.
But sometimes … sometimes the wind carries you anyway. Not to control the storm — but to remember you’re still in it.
And that, right there — that might be the only weather worth trusting.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
A risky situation
Regarding “Taxpayers foot the bill for New Paltz Regatta parade police cost” in the April 23, 2025 issue of HV1. By paying the police cost of the Regatta, New Paltz could appear to endorse the event. This could be problematic. The Wallkill River is known for its high fecal content and has been judged as not suitable for swimming. At the very least, the community should take on the responsibility of informing the boaters of their exposure to this health risk.
Howard Sachar
New Paltz
A threat to the democratic process
I am deeply troubled by recent developments in Ulster County that have raised serious concerns about the integrity of our elections and the disenfranchisement of voters, particularly students and tenants in New Paltz. Alexandria Wojcik, a candidate for Ulster County Clerk and New Paltz’s deputy mayor, collected 1,292 petition signatures — well above the required 1,000 — to secure a spot on the Democratic primary ballot. Yet, the Ulster County Board of Elections, led by commissioners Ashley Torres and John Quigley, invalidated enough signatures to leave her just nine short of ballot access. Among the objections upheld were issues with handwriting and the use of SUNY mailing addresses, effectively penalizing voters for poor penmanship on a signature and disenfranchising students based on what appears to be subjective judgments by the commissioners. When SUNY New Paltz students turn out, they make history — flipping districts and electing groundbreaking leaders. Silencing their voices not only disenfranchises a vital segment of our community but also sets a dangerous precedent for future elections. If a voter is registered to the party, signs a petition and can be verified, their signature should count. Additionally: 60–150 signatures were invalidated for not matching the exemplar on file. Fifty-eight to 67 signatures were invalidated for listing the wrong town or municipality, despite being valid in all other respects (e.g., writing “Lloyd” instead of “Highland”). These actions threaten the democratic process and disenfranchise voters who deserve to have their voices heard.
Dylan Moscoso
New Paltz
McKenna the hypocrite
In 2024, our boy Bill cackled like a hen about having a marijuana dispensary on Tinker Street. He argued for a moratorium on Woodstock dispensaries that would forbid a dispensary within 200 feet of a church, although the Woodstock Reformed Church had not taken a position on dispensaries, or the Village Green. His final argument was based upon his recent trip to New York City. “The place reeks of marijuana,” he reported. “I don’t want to see that happen to our community. I don’t think most people do.”
Yet this year, McKenna crowed like a rooster praising Melissa Gibson, owner of Woodstock’s Hemp and Humanity, and Courtney Beaupre, the previous owner of Honey’s Cannabis, when he attended their grand opening of the town’s first legal, adult-use cannabis dispensary, HERbal Woodstock.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
National Endowment for the Humanities: termination of grants
I learned last night at the Elting Library Board meeting that the Huguenot Historical Society had received notice that its grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) had been terminated. Among all the other terminations and reactions that are ongoing, I am particularly struck by this one because of my own life history. Fifty years ago, NEH awarded the College of New Rochelle and me a three-year grant to help create humanities programs for adult learners. This was enough to induce me to leave my tenured professorship at another college and to launch my career in creating, expanding and supporting new programs in alternative higher education. Throughout the next 50 years, I was privileged to have leadership roles at institutions in the US, Ireland, Greece and the eastern Mediterranean regions, and wherever I was I never lost sight of the importance of the humanities for learning at the college level. AND I never lost sight of the role that NEH had played to make all this possible.
So what? “So, what will” not be done because of the many hundreds of grants that will not be awarded now and maybe not even thought of at all in the next 50 years. I have had many concerns and even fears during the Trump years and especially during the implementation of the 2025 agenda, but undermining support for the humanities strikes me more painfully because of what the humanities and NEH have meant to me for most of my life.
Tom Rocco
New Paltz
A questionable move by our town board
I recently heard that the New Paltz Town Board had fired Steve Ford and two members of the police commission and replaced them with two members of the town board. This seems like a move from Donald Trump, not our town board.
I was particularly upset to learn this since I was one of the town residents who worked on Steve Ford to volunteer for the police commission. Steve is uniquely qualified — having taught and supervised for many years in the New Paltz School system. He is still supervising SUNY New Paltz student teachers. Steve knows everybody and is a long-time resident of New Paltz. I was particularly upset to hear that Steve Ford and others were being replaced by the members of the town board.
As a person who spent 40-plus years in law enforcement, the majority of which as superintendent of a large maximum security institution, I can speak from experience when I say, with any type of management the decision maker needs the perspective of being removed from the actual day-to-day operation. By placing the town board members on the police commission, that objective perspective has been eliminated.
This ill-advised action is one more reason I will support Tim Rogers as town supervisor. I feel confident that if Tim were in charge, moves like this would not have happened.
David Miller
New Paltz
Unexplainable sabotage
All the anti-Trumpers continue to go into relentless and painstaking detail in telling us how Trump will become a tyrant and ruin our country. Nothing positive is ever mentioned. Of course, their obvious explanation for this would simply be … ”there is nothing positive to report.”
If their assessment is totally accurate, then the $64,000 question becomes … “why would a president and political party intentionally ruin their country, knowing that they will hand over power and control, by a landslide, to the opposing party for years, even decades?”
What am I missing, here?
John N. Butz
Modena
A few highlights of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA-S1464Harckham/A1749 Glick) being proposed in the NY State legislature is one of the most comprehensive, fair and protective bills to come along for the citizens of NY. It will transform the way our goods are packaged, dramatically reduce waste and ease the burden on taxpayers by making companies, not consumers, cover the cost of managing packaging. Here are a few highlights of the legislation:
• Reduces plastic packaging by 30% incrementally over 12 years.
• Prohibits 17 of packaging’s worst toxic chemicals, including all PFAS chemicals, vinyl chloride, lead, mercury, formaldehyde, and bisphenols.
• Establishes a modest fee on packaging paid by its producers. The new revenue goes to local taxpayers.
• Establishes a new Office of Inspector General to ensure that companies fully comply with the new law.
Why do we need this bill? There are too many reasons to list, but here are a few of the most pressing:
• Less than 6% of plastic in the United States actually gets recycled and only 9% of all the plastic waste produced in the world has ever been recycled. The rest ends up burned at incinerators, buried in landfills, or polluting waterways — an estimated 33 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean every year.
• Most plastics are made out of ethane, a byproduct of fracking. In 2020, plastic’s climate impact was the equivalent of nearly 49 million cars.
• There are 16,000 chemicals in plastic, most of which have never been tested and many that are harmful to humans and animals. Plastic doesn’t disappear, it breaks down into microplastics which are found everywhere on earth. Abundant research has proven that plastics are in our soil, food, water, air and throughout our bodies. People consume, on average, hundreds of thousands of microplastics per year, and these particles have been found in human’s placenta, breast milk, blood, lungs and brain.
We are fortunate that our local representatives, Sarahana Shrestha and Michelle Hinchey are sponsors of this bill. But there is still much work to do to get it passed. Sign up for Lobby Day on May 7 through Beyondplastics.org. There are free buses to and from Albany. And please contact NY State Assembly speaker Carl Heastie and Senate majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to prioritize this bill and bring it to a vote.
Wendy Rudder
New Paltz
Save our scene
On 4/11/23, Woodstock citizens presented petitions signed by 900 residents and 2000 visitors directing our board to end its attack on live music, performance art and amend town zoning laws to reflect the dictates of our 2018 Comprehensive Development Plan and 50 years of established past practice. To date, no discussion of such amendment in our zoning review has occurred, but an assault on indoor and outdoor music in Woodstock’s commercial zone has.
A poorly conceived “noise” taskforce was formed. Its members charged with science-based research/testing were shut out of the process, the dysfunctional task force fell apart without doing the necessary research or publicly presenting its work to Woodstock’s board. Their recommendations posted on the town website last April were nothing short of municipal discrimination against performing artists, small business, working families and Woodstock’s “brand.” Massive outcry from Woodstock’s citizens ensued, the town suspended public discussion on the matter on 5/14/24.
Next, a group of over 120 concerned citizens in cooperation with Woodstock’s Chamber of Commerce and Art met and submitted questions/proposed changes to the compromised task force’s work to Woodstock’s board. The public has been stonewalled for almost a year. At Woodstock’s 4/22/25 board meeting, without public notice, Supervisor McKenna polled board-members as to whether they were ready to submit a proposed “noise ordinance” for public comment and vote. Councilperson Courtis, to their credit, voted “no,” stating that the present language was not yet right.
Ironically, that meeting contained public comment on our zoning review. A zoning review absent of any mention of changes requested by petition of approximately 3000 persons. The board chose to ignore request to amend our hamlet commercial zoning to favor our comprehensive plan and instead use that petition to create a law which does the opposite. For more information, visit SaveOurScene.org or Save Our Scene on Facebook.
Michael Mulvey
Woodstock
One Plan, no alternatives, no transparency
On May 20, Onteora voters are being asked to approve a $70.5 million bond — and by default the permanent closure of our #1-ranked elementary school in the county (according to Niche.com).
But where were the alternatives? Where was the comparative analysis? Where was the plan that respected what the community actually said it wanted?
There wasn’t one.
The district made one decision — close Woodstock, expand Bennett — and refused to explore anything else. No serious financial study of keeping both schools. No strategy to adapt if enrollment levels off or grows, as recent enrollment projections suggest will begin happening in 2026.
This isn’t listening to the community. It’s railroading an agenda.
We deserve a full picture before we’re asked to close a thriving community school and spend $70 million on top of it.
A NO vote on Proposition 2 isn’t a vote against kids or against improvements. It’s a vote against being rushed into one narrow path without fully understanding the alternatives.
Don’t settle for one plan with no options. Vote NO on Proposition 2.
Cast your vote on May 20 from 2 to 9 p.m. at either Woodstock Elementary and Bennett Elementary.
Tansy Michaud
Woodstock
Quake news
I can’t get through half a news article or opinion piece these days before sadness, anger and fear make me want to stop reading. This is not “fake news,” it’s “quake news”: America is in the midst of an earthquake. We’re being shaken to our very bones and becoming a skeleton of what we were just a little over 100 days ago.
This “dismantling of America,” as it’s been called, suggests we wear a mantle, and certainly over the centuries of our existence this mantle has often been torn and stained by our leaders’ greed, chicanery and abuse of power and our own acquiescence. But nothing has come close in sheer wantonness and cruelty to what the Trump administration is doing on a daily basis to the world at large and to its own people, citizens and striving-to-be citizens alike.
Even if it didn’t always live up to its promise(s), America once stood for something — something good. FDR’s New Deal ushered in an era of the government’s caring for all of us and all of us caring for each other. Trump’s Raw Deal promises an era of government indifference or worse for all but the richest and most powerful. If America stands for anything today, it’s greed, a pot of riches for the few and leftovers for the rest of us.
I don’t know what “deep state” may be calling the shots from behind the curtain. But whether such a deep state exists or not, the results are evident. And the only thing that will save us is our continued attention, our ongoing protests and rallies and raised voices, our rising from our knees — the position Trump and Company want us in — and standing up, for ourselves and for this flawed but still evolving and decent country.
Tom Cherwin
Saugerties
Revisionist history in Ulster County
I came across an issue of HV1 that I picked up last summer in Kingston and hadn’t finished. Hence this delayed reaction to “Legacies on the land” (page 16, summer 2024) a review of a (then newly released) book about historic houses in Ulster County. Although the review mentioned the displacement of the Lenape by the European settlers, and the questionable “purchase” of the land that is now New Paltz, there isn’t a word about the practice that made agricultural settlement in Ulster (and the rest of New York) economically feasible — namely slavery. This is exemplified by the photo in the article of the Johannes Cornelius Decker House, whose occupants in the 1790 census included ten enslaved persons.
This brought me back to the last time I bicycled up Huguenot Street — many weather-beaten signs in front of historic buildings celebrating the Dutch settlers who founded the village, but nothing about the enslaved persons who made the entire settlement possible and whose history is constantly under threat of erasure. Only after I rode another half-mile or so did I see a sign mentioning them — a few hundred yards past the churchyard, a sign commemorating the African burial ground where these unremembered people’s bodies were placed when their enslavers were unable to obtain further labor from them. In the year since my last visit to Ulster, it’s become a lot more popular to pretend that slavery didn’t happen or has no impact on our current circumstances. Let’s make sure we cover all the aspects of our history, even those we might find disagreeable by modern standards.
Ed Ravin
Brooklyn
Sara Pasti is our choice for Ward 1 alderwoman
Kingston’s Ward 1 primary election is June 24th. Sara Pasti, the current Ward 1 alderwoman, is our choice. She is endorsed by the Kingston Democratic Committee.
As a member of the Kingston Common Council, it takes a special determination to represent ALL the residents of the Ward — even those whose opinions you may not share. Acting as liaison between constituents and the city government, the job involves making decisions on complex matters that affect the entire city — from approving the city’s budget to passing laws that lay the groundwork for our city’s present and future health, safety and prosperity.
Sara has served our ward and community very well during her nearly two years in office. As a member of the council, she has taken action to improve public safety — including safer walking to Edson and Bailey Schools in Ward 1 and pushing for a city-wide 25-mph speed limit. She also voted in favor of Kingston’s establishing its own Ambulance Corps and supported the city’s efforts to take ownership of long-abandoned houses, seek grants and subsidies, develop vacant properties across the city, and partner with the Kingston Housing Authority, the Kingston City Land Bank and RUPCO to build affordable housing.
To council committees and community boards, Sara brings intelligence, an ability to collaborate with others, and a commitment to making our city better for all its residents.
Prior to her service on Kingston’s Common Council, Sara served as a member of the Beacon City Council for six years. Because she knows what government can do, she has proven herself an exceptionally capable public servant. Not only do we want Sara Pasti to continue to represent Ward 1, we’d like to see more council members with her knowledge, fairness, and problem-solving skills!
Lyn DelliQuadri
Carol Dowley
John Dowley
Hayley Downs
Rachel Evans
Barbara Hill
Elizabeth Kern
Mikey Palms
Lisa Suppies
Ward 1 residents
Benefits under attack
In my last letter, I mentioned eight ways the GOP plan on addressing the benefit state to reduce and eventually eliminate it. But I will allay that until next time, as I was just recently asked, “if the GOP is so keen on eliminating the benefits era of FDR’s and LBJ’s administration, why did the GOP vote for FDR’s socialistic and liberal innovations in the first place and now want to get rid of them?” This was not understood by this person. I will set forth once again.
It was the Supreme Court Act of 1886 Santa Fe County v. Southern Pacific Railroad that created the corporation as a personhood, which took the GOP out of the tax regulatory of the states. From this date of 1886-1933, there were seven GOP presidents and three Democratic presidents. From this time up until the first term of FDR, the GOP party paid no tax funds to the states for development of their state programs. Railroad entrepreneurs, Harriman and Rockefeller, paid no taxes to the states even though their railroad lines were interstate! Those seven GOP presidents were: Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. This was the heyday of the GOP. It was “everyman for himself,” “grab, grab, grab” business attitude only that led directly to the Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Hoover, the last of the those seven presidents, did very little to address the depression calamities in his first term. It was feared if he was elected a second time it would be the same. Therefore, they supported, FDR 81% along with the Democratic Party’s 87%. From this time until now, 92 years, it has been Democratic and Republican presidents with Congress that has been the status quo, although with much grumbling from the GOP.
That is, up until now. One must understand that Trump, as mentioned different times, is the ‘wrecking ball’, ‘the terminator’, ‘the disruptor’. The GOP support him to a man and woman for the main reason, he is a dream come through. Someone who could care less about the damage he is doing. Someone who will cave in the socialistic, liberal administration of the past 92 years. When I hear of GOP representatives attending town halls and getting dragged across the coals because of their stance with Trump, at first I did not understand their reticence in not standing up to Trump? It is not Trump; it is the party, the GOP Party. It is corporate America trying to claim the glory days of rampant capitalism. This is what/who is behind the scenes.
Don’t be misled by the rhetoric that Social Security won’t be bothered. All this smoke screen — Gulf of America, Canada, the 51st state, Greenland, tariffs, immigration — are designed to focus one’s attention away from the attack on the benefit state, to the outrageous attacks on long established and accepted trends. The goal is, and has always been: the elimination of the benefit state. These are Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, health care. It will not be overnight. Rather, it will be a strangling effect, Social Security offices being closed, employees laid off, postal workers being laid off, mail not delivered (SS checks), until days later, etc. In other words, a ‘starvation’ mode of elimination. The theme is: in order to fix it, break it.
Robert LaPolt
New Paltz
Further study is needed
A proposal before the Town of Lloyd Planning Board seeks to create a pet cremation on Route 9W. This site, just 100 feet from Highland Elementary, raises a number of concerns. The Town of Lloyd’s zoning code states that no visible emissions are permissible beyond a property’s borders. Yet, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) permits up to 10% opacity in emissions — emissions that would be released through a chimney a mere 100 feet from the school. Even if the crematorium meets state regulations, it fundamentally contradicts local ordinances.
The applicant has acknowledged a lack of experience operating a crematorium and struggles to provide satisfactory answers regarding critical aspects like lighting, waste management and emissions mitigation during appearances before the planning board. Additionally, the applicant suggests the crematorium would primarily serve bulk pick-ups from shelters and veterinary offices with significant implications for the residential area. Cremation is inherently a combustion-based operation that generates emissions, typically requiring industrial zoning or special-use permits, particularly when located near schools or residential areas.
Ulster Strong supports local, sustainable economic development and business and mindful of the rights of business-owners. However, in this case, Ulster Strong believes this proposal needs to be reconsidered and at a minimum, requires much further study.
Meagan Bianco
Ulster Strong Community Engagement Director
Highland
Why Is A Watch Like A Creek?
Why not ask why
a creek is like a watch.
They both run on unending
in any swift second.
Neither can be stopped unless
one is smashed, the other dammed.
Both so subtle in what they do—
one tricks you into thinking it’s earlier.
The other, like the Esopus, tricks you,
thinking its face isn’t really moving.
The Esopus never again sees its source.
For watch it’s much the same.
Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Saugerties
What does preventing abuse and neglect actually mean?
On April 3, 2025, the sitting president made a proclamation regarding Child Abuse Prevention Month. In it, the president stated his “call on every American to take steps to prevent child abuse and neglect before it occurs;” and stated, “Sadly, one of the most prevalent forms of child abuse facing our country today is the sinister threat of gender ideology.” The present administration has deported at least three children without due process — at least one of whom was born in the United States, and one of which has cancer. Is this not neglect?
As a child sexual abuse survivor, what I will say is this: what would have protected me as a child is a culture that is willing to call out its perpetrators. What would have protected me as a child is a culture willing to recognize the inherent dysfunction in adults eagerly awaiting the 18th birthdays of teen celebrities. What would have protected me is a culture which recognizes appropriate therapy, accountability and rehabilitation is what leads to reduced re-offenders.
“Protecting children” should never be a scapegoat to promote an agenda of discrimination and hatred — whether against the transgender community (who already statistically receive an inordinate amount of violence and abuse) or otherwise. And if children are “perfect exactly the way God made” them, why are we even discussing creating a national registry for children diagnosed with autism? The research is clear: a culture of support, curiosity and understanding is what creates healthy children — not one of shame, prejudice and simultaneously sanctimonious and hypocritical “values” based on purposefully misconstrued religious passages. As May approaches, let us remember we are all “children” of this universe — and that all of us deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and care.
Anna Womack
Woodstock
The damage caused by Elon Musk
I frequently take long breaks from reading the letters to Hudson Valley One because it often feels like a visit to an alternate universe, courtesy of a small stable of loud but persistent Trump apologists whose mission is to scramble reality to fit Dear Leader’s most preposterous claims.
One recent example included an assertion that Elon Musk’s project to dismantle the federal government (while taking control of agencies that regulate his companies) had uncovered “hundreds of billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.” It’s a popular talking point in right wing circles, but unfortunately, it’s as far from reality as Earth is from Pluto.
The fact is that Musk’s initial promise of eliminating $2 trillion dollars has turned out to be another extraordinary fraud. His claim shrunk to $160 billion, and yet, less than a quarter of that could even be itemized with receipts or verified by watchdogs.
The massive savings he promised actually represent well under one percent of the U.S. Federal budget for 2025. Furthermore, the Trump regime has already spent $155 billion more than former president Joe Biden did during the same period after his inauguration, according to the treasury department.
Meanwhile, the damage caused by Musk’s gutting programs for childhood cancer research, inspection of our food supply, air traffic control and other vital programs is simply incalculable.
Bud Lavery
Highland
Greater government efficiency in New Paltz
Whether or not village residents vote to dissolve, there is one solution to inefficiency our two governments can start working on right now. A new, shared municipal center!
Why? The town hall modulars on Clearwater Road are aged and expensive energy hogs. The second floor of village hall is inaccessible to anyone with a disability. Neither of the existing facilities have enough storage, enough meeting space, enough parking for all our municipal needs. Having two inadequate government buildings is the height of government inefficiency.
Luckily, the New Paltz Central School District may have the solution. NPCSD is deciding what to do with an under-used school building. New Paltz town and village may just be the option they are seeking. With the space and amenities available at Duzine, it could handle all our municipal needs and even serve a third purpose if BOCES continues to look for more classrooms. There would seem to be space there for all – classrooms, municipal offices, meeting rooms and clean secure storage space, a gymnasium, a playground and a cafeteria for school children and after-school community sports, meetings and recreation, lots of parking, even access to the Millbrook Preserve. Perhaps UCAT could even be persuaded to add a stop to its route, providing public transportation.
Need a handicapped parking tag? A copy of your tax bill? A marriage license? Just walk into the room with “clerk” on the door. Need a building permit, safety inspection, certificate of occupancy? Just walk into the room with “building department” on the door. Need to pay your water or sewer bill? There would be a door for that too.
It is just an idea right now, but this is one of the things I dream of when I think of greater government efficiency in New Paltz.
Amanda Gotto
Town of New Paltz Supervisor
Join the family! 
