In Hurley, two council seats are open on the town board, and the three candidates, Debbie Dougherty, Tim Kelly and Griff Liewa, responded to questionnaires sent to them.
Debbie DoughertyÂ
Q: What do you think are the three most important issues facing the town and how would you address them?
A: As climate change continues to alter our weather patterns, I believe it’s critical that we support the safety of our residents, waterways, and forests. In 2025, I will be leading the effort to update Hurley’s emergency management plan to ensure our town is better prepared for storms, flooding, and other disasters. This plan will coordinate resources, communication, and response strategies to protect residents and property.
I also championed the town’s Complete Streets resolution, which was unanimously passed by the town board in early 2025. This resolution promotes safer, more accessible roadways for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers of all ages and abilities — making our streets safer and more inclusive for everyone.
Hurley, like much of Ulster County, has an aging population and a growing need for affordable housing. As liaison to the building department, I support updates to our local zoning laws to better address both of these needs. This includes revisions that encourage accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which offer more flexible and affordable housing options, and other measures that promote aging in place.
I will continue advocating for thoughtful development that respects Hurley’s rural character while meeting the needs of residents at all stages of life.
Maintaining a balanced budget and ensuring transparency in how taxpayer dollars are spent is a top priority. I bring decades of experience in financial management from my career at IBM, where I was responsible for complex budgeting and risk oversight on large-scale international projects.Â
I apply that same discipline to town government, asking tough questions, seeking cost-effective solutions, and ensuring that we prioritize investments that benefit the entire community.
Q: What makes you qualified for the job?
A: I believe I’m uniquely qualified for the town council due to both my professional experience and my deep personal commitment to the Town of Hurley. I had a 29-year career at IBM, where I began as a programmer-analyst and spent the next two decades as a certified project manager and business manager. In that role, I led large, complex business transformation projects with international teams of over 100 IT professionals. My responsibilities included project planning and scheduling, financial oversight, risk and quality management, and issue resolution — skills directly transferable to the needs of municipal governance.
In 2009, I completed an eleven-month short-term foreign services assignment in Chengdu, China, where I provided mentoring and leadership training to future IBM leaders. I also co-sponsored the creation of the China women leadership network and served on the Asia Pacific IBM project management certification board.
However, beyond my career achievements, what makes me most qualified is my lifelong connection to this community and my passion for helping people. I’ve lived in Hurley for 60 years. I care deeply about preserving its unique character and supporting a safe, healthy environment for all residents. I’m not a politician, I’m a problem-solver and a listener. I will continue to support the priorities that matter most to Hurley’s residents, always with integrity and respect.
About Dougherty
I’ve lived in the Town of Hurley for over 60 years and currently reside in Old Hurley with my husband, Gary. We have two wonderful grandchildren, Seth, 24, and Alexis, 17. My family has deep roots in the community. My father co-founded Hurley’s first rescue squad and served as an EMT, EMS captain, firefighter and fire commissioner. I’m proud to continue that tradition of service.
In my free time, I enjoy walking the rail-trail, gardening, spending time with our grandchildren, and training as a new member of Hurley’s fire department. I have been a member of Hurley’s zoning board of appeals.
I’m currently a member of the town board.
Tim Kelly
Q: What do you think are the three most important issues facing the town and how would you address them?
A: I think that maintaining responsible leadership in the town is one of the most important issues facing our town. Our town has a number of projects that require smart leadership that are in progress. These include the full implementation of the ambulance service, construction of the highway garage, remediation the Hurley Heritage and Community Center.
On top of this set of projects, completing the town’s comprehensive plan and then making long-overdue updates to the town’s zoning code remain crucial as development pressures continue.
On a more regional basis, I would also like to see good-paying jobs return to our area as were present prior to the departure of IBM. I think that electing leaders such as myself will ensure that these objectives are met.
Q: What makes you qualified for the job?
A: I have decades of leadership experience across the hospitality, agriculture and transportation industries. My specialties include technology, leadership, finance efficiency, automation, project management and training. I think my business acumen combined with my drive to get things done makes me an ideal candidate for this position.
About Kelly
I was raised locally and graduated from Kingston High School. I attended Penn State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness management. I worked out-of-state for many years as the post-IBM economy in our area made finding suitable employment locally quite difficult. I have worked across multiple industries including hospitality, agriculture and transportation in leadership positions involving ever-increasing responsibilities.
I returned to the area in 2022 to care for my aging parents. I am currently the finance and legal operations manager at a client-focused start-up law firm in Kingston.
Griff Liewa
Q: What do you think are the three most important issues facing the town and how would you address them?
A: The urgent need for a paid ambulance service to care for our residents. The Hurley and West Hurley fire departments have done incredible work so far in responding to emergencies 24/7, but the time has now come for the safety and peace of mind that a full-time paid service will bring to the town. I will work towards making this dream a reality and lobby the county and state government for whatever funding may be available to help this cause.
Many parts of the town, especially in Old Hurley, have lingering drainage issues that are yet to be resolved. Our capable highway department has been hard at work resolving these problems, but there is still much to be done.
I will work to make sure that adequate funding and manpower is made available to the Town Highway department so that they have the tools to address and fix these recurring issues once and for all.
Parks and recreation needs a shot in the arm so that they can provide services to both the youth and the seniors of the Town of Hurley.
Other neighboring towns have successful senior recreational programs that we can emulate in order to better meet the needs of our oldest and youngest citizens.
I will work to engage and solicit public input on the best ways to breathe life and revitalize the recreation department, and to provide the necessary resources to enable success.
Q: What makes you qualified for the job?
A: I am currently proudly serving on the town planning board and have been a long-time member of the Hurley Democratic Committee. These roles have provided me with a unique insight into the needs of the town and helped me establish the necessary networks to build alliances and bring about positive outcomes.
About Liewa
I am a long-term Hurley resident who first moved here with my wife, shortly after the birth of our first child, and we never left! My children went on to attend Hurley schools, and I joined the Democratic Committee back when Mike Shultis was the chair. I am a small business owner and believe that good, effective governance comes about when local residents get involved.
I believe that we all have a stake in keeping Hurley the wonderful place it is to live, work and raise a family.
Early voting
Remember early voting. It begins on Saturday, June 14 at three locations — the Midtown Neighborhood Center, 467 Broadway in Kingston; the New Paltz Community Center, 3 Veterans Drive in New Paltz; and the Mescal Hornbeck Community Center, 56 Rock City Road in Woodstock, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. except Tuesday, June 17 and Thursday, June 19 when polls will be open from noon-8 p.m.Â
There are also contests in Hurley for town clerk and highway superintendent. Responses to questionnaires sent to each candidates can be found on our website. Running for town clerk/tax collector in the Democratic primary are Lynne Bailey and Diana Cline. On the primary ballot for highway superintendent are Mike Shultis and John Wiacek.
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