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.
Letter guidelines:
Hudson Valley One welcomes letters from its readers. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and submitted by 9:00am 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.
Although Hudson Valley One does not specifically limit the number of letters a reader can submit per month, the publication of letters written by frequent correspondents may be delayed to make room for less-often-heard voices, but they will all appear on our website at hudsonvalleyone.com. All letters should be signed and include the author’s address and telephone number.
Sharing the interior
Geddy, your note about reducing letters to 300 words makes me reflect on what a letter to the editor is in today’s world of endless words. On every device, in every feed, commentary pours like an unchecked river. Words are harvested, repeated, recycled until they sound like machines speaking to machines.
Most of what I write comes from an interior life, yet it is not sealed off from the political and digital noise. The inside and outside worlds now share one bloodstream. So when asked to cut to 300 words, it feels less like a restriction and more like an invitation: to distill what matters, to offer language sharper than rhetoric and deeper than reaction.
Perhaps the role of the letter to the editor needs reimagining. No longer simply a space for recycled political arguments, it could become a civic practice, a place for brief, humane testimony that is not just opinion but lived perspective. The task of the editor, then, would not only be to fit more words on a page, but to curate words that carry weight, humility and imagination.
This points to a new role description. An editor’s job is not merely balancing liberal against conservative, or trimming length for space, but choosing what is less hollow. Not what flatters an ideology, but what cracks open a window in the crowded room of public discourse.
In this sense, the 300-word limit could be a blessing. A bell that calls us back to essentials. A demand for writers to leave behind excess and for readers to pause — if only for a breath — in a world of rushing voices.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
Feedback on word limit
In a recent issue of HV1, Geddy discussed the very lively Feedback section of the newspaper. He wondered whether or not to impose a strict 300-word limit on letter writers.
Please, please, I beg you to put a reasonable word limit on future letters. Many people have opinions to share. A few rambling letters result in taking up valuable space that could better serve the community by having more voices heard.
Thank you.
Glenn Gidaly
New Paltz
Keep the present policy
I read your note to readers.
My advice: keep the present policy and permit remaining letters to appear online.
Irwin Rosenthal
Woodstock
Department of War
I would like to bring to the attention of the Hudson Valley One subscribers, their thoughts regarding the above title; what I have been reading about. At this time, I don’t know if in fact it has already been instituted or just being bantered around to gauge reactions from the public.
And this is the revision supposedly emanating from the office of our illustrious commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, changing the Department of Defense to the Department of War.
I have very strong opinions about this. In the eight years I have submitted articles to the old New Paltz Times and now Hudson Valley One. I always stated my opinions based upon my research, readings, books ordered — and not the news.
I am going to reverse my agenda this time and throw the ball into your court! So, all you erudite writers and thinkers out there, regardless of your political affiliation, I want to hear what is your opinion about this change from the Department of Defense to the Department of War?
In your opinion, what does this entail? Is this a threatening notice to world leaders to get their attention? How does this affect the American citizen, if indeed it does? Is this a spinoff of the federal troops into the cities across the country? Is this a threat upon our democracy? Is this a foreboding of what the future will bring? Is this a preparation for war?
Let’s hear your opinions.
Robert LaPolt
New Paltz
Anchors away
They say a boat is just a hole in the ocean you keep throwing money into. Lately, the Woodstock Library seems to be taking on water in much the same way—now requesting a $300,000 bond to stay afloat.
Remember The Friends of the Library? They were supposed to raise funds to support the library and ease the burden on taxpayers. That was the promise. So what happened? Fundraisers were held. Mini-golf was played. A few thousand dollars trickled in. But the scale never matched the story. The Friends pivoted from fundraising to cheerleading, and now the taxpayers are being asked to bail out the shortfall.
If this bond passes, it won’t just patch a budget. It’ll quietly rewrite the original deal. And the public deserves to know: when symbolic groups make financial promises, who holds them accountable when the tide turns?
Howard Harris
Woodstock
Pilots are problematical
I’m happy that we’re getting more housing, clearly we’re in a housing emergency both locally and nationally. I also am pleased that this N. Chestnut Street project is subject to the village’s 15 percent affordable housing law. But Pilots [Payments In Lieu Of Taxes] are problematical. Undeniably, they shift added expenses inequitably that have to get absorbed to us as local taxpayers.
In addition to pilots being unfair for existing taxpayers in the near term, there’s a structural problem because of how state law and the property-tax cap formula work. The harm is perpetual because the tax-cap formula’s tax-base growth factor never adjusts — even at the end of a Pilot’s term when properties become taxable. Legislators in Albany have proposed legislation many times to fix this, but it remains unfixed.
If we’re stuck with this blunt instrument that even our county executive has recommended we use to address the housing crisis, let’s work towards a solution that makes as much sense as possible for our community and taxpayers. We must take a harder look and try to figure this out.
First, we insist on a defensible market rate of assessed value. Next, perhaps a shorter-term Pilot can be negotiated. And I believe we need a “community host agreement.” The developer needs to offset the Pilot by doing something for our community to offset the impact to taxpayers. For instance, help pay for our skate garden, or an infrastructure project, or an equipment purchase.
Stana Weisburd
Village trustee, New Paltz
A load of Washington, D.C.
Trump posted online that Chicago was “about to find out why it’s called the Department of War.” A reality TV star at work. It was a disgusting meme threatening to unleash “apocalyptic force” on Chicago. Explosions over the city skyline, helicopters overhead, and himself as a warlord. But later said his administration wouldn’t go to war with American cities but rather “clean them up.” I recall the word “cleansing” used in the past. Send in the beautification brigade! It was never a good outcome. Be careful what you agree to.
He now walks back the threats with Chicagoans. His fascist tendencies were showing an extra strength stench, I guess. He was fishing. He was testing to see what he could get away with. I knew he would TACO when push-back came!
Can a “war president” be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? Especially, a war president who wages war on his own citizens, on cities in his own country. I would hazard to say no, But this world is pretty fncked up right now!
What does this notion of cleaning mean?
What vision lurks beyond the fascist washing machine?
In the guise of order, chaos unleashed,
Righteousness claimed, yet justice decreased.
“Clean them up,” the rhetoric spins,
Yet history knows how the cycle begins,
With promises made that hang in the air,
And roses are disguised as the cruelest of snares.
Be careful what terms you hear and embrace,
For cleansing can hide an unkind face,
The choices we make in a moment of dread,
Can echo through ages, leaving hearts dead.
So, listen closely to words meant to sway,
For power is often a treacherous play,
And when the night falls to fascism heavy and deep,
Will you take a stand, or just be scared and sleep?
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Suicide contagion
I’m sharing these evidence-based Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide with Hudson Valley One. You may find them useful. The article by Rokosz Most went into great detail about the method and location of suicide, which research warns may contribute to suicide contagion.
I teach these recommendations in my Media Ethics class. I hope Hudson Valley One will approach this subject with more caution in the future.
Lusa Phillips
New Paltz
Our special relationship
Naming and defining some grotesque behavior often helps society deal with it. Our county is awash in the violence of gun ownership. It is in our schools, churches and public spaces. Yet we prefer to identify and blame individuals, calling them delusional, psychotic, paranoiac or simply mentally ill. Anything to make their terrible acts and horrendous outcomes separate from our everyday lives.
Wars require that we have to work even harder to protect our illusions. We talk about the glory of Purple Hearts, and shower our veterans with “thank you for your service.” All this to keep from acknowledging that we support and pay for military carnage in so many other parts of the world.
We protect ourselves by making war crimes a special case rather than the unsurprising result of spending a trillion dollars each year on war.
But how do we keep this societal distance during an actual genocide? How to avoid the fact that the entire state of Israel is a bizarre and horrendous killing machine? And how to disguise the fact that the U.S. is supplying all the bombs?
The obliteration of Gaza and its two million people will forever be known as the American genocide. No, the worst butchery of the 21st century is being carried out by the Siamese twins of depravity: Israel and the United States. The starvation of children and the slaughter of civilians waiting in food lines is there for all the world to see. We call this mutual eagerness to spill Palestinian blood our “special relationship” rather than the holocaust it really is.
Fred Nagel
Rhinebeck
HHS Welcome Center
Really? An awful idea — unnecessary, inappropriate, antithetical to the very environment it pretends to be preserving. Is this supposed to be a moneymaking project somehow? And who expects to profit from such a nightmare?
Larry Kosofsky
New Paltz
A proven track record
Mike Hartner would be an excellent Gardiner town supervisor. He has a vision of how the Town of Gardiner should and should not be developed. It is based on his boyhood experience growing up on Long Island, where he watched his small, livable town be taken over by strip malls, destroying so many features that he had loved about his small town.
Mike has experience both with the government and the private sectors. As superintendent of schools, he had to always be aware of the big picture and know how to translate his vision and goals into reality.
He has a proven track record, as recently demonstrated with the mega warehouse project. This project, if allowed to go forward, would have ruined life as we know it in the Gardiner area. Mike, with a small group of forward-thinking citizens, hired the right lawyers and mustered community support to defeat this project. Mike has been part of or has supported all the major environmental projects which have saved the town money and meant less energy waste.
He has always had excellent listening skills. Mike went door-to-door when running for town council and got more votes than any of the other candidates. As of this writing, he has visited 250 Gardiner families in his quest to be Gardiner town supervisor. He patiently listened to complaints, entertained suggestions for improvement, and even listened to citizens as they vented their frustrations with the economy and the inability of government to meet their needs.
I have known Mike for over 40 years and have always respected his honesty and integrity. He fights for what is right and will not compromise on his core values. He is definitely my choice for Gardiner town supervisor.
David Miller
Gardiner
TRIAC suggestions unheeded
As the New Paltz Loop does its final rounds before being discontinued on the 15th, I’ve never felt more disappointed in how information has been shared with our community. At the last Transit Riders and Intermodal Advisory Committee (TRIAC) meeting, I asked for accessibility focused materials beyond standard printed schedules to ensure everyone could understand and use the new route. Instead, we received schedules on the buses themselves and QR code signs at a handful of stops.
Those QR codes and schedules leave our most vulnerable residents stranded: older adults who struggle with small print, people experiencing homelessness who lack smartphones or data plans, and individuals with low vision who need large print or otherwise accessible maps. These are the very riders that rely on UCAT for transit to essential services, job prospects, and medical appointments.
We offered to help UCAT with outreach and accessible communications on our own time as a desperate and genuine desire to keep every rider informed during this forced change. Yet, our suggestions went unheeded. When a neighbor experiencing homelessness cannot reach their temporary housing placement, when an older adult waits fruitlessly at a stop, or when someone living with vision loss never even considers boarding the bus, we have failed as an community. I beg for us to do better.
Dylan Moscoso
TRIAC vice-chair, secretary
New Paltz
The world is watching
A 31-year-old man with a wife and two little children was shot to death on September 10 in front of three thousand young people. He was brutally murdered because he held conservative values and visited colleges around the country inspiring respectful and civil debates with the students. Because he was not woke and freely shared his opinion on grooming young children and other ‘hot’ topics, he was labeled a transphobe, a bigot, a hater etc, because he disagreed with the woke agenda.
I decided to listen to his debates and found him to be respectful, unflappable and always very civil. He never spoke hate. As a matter of fact, he always promoted love, family and peace.
Unfortunately, many Democrats and left-leaning media commentators lied about his words and activities. Senator Elizabeth Warren said “he brought this on himself.” In other words, by enjoining his constitutional right to freedom of speech, and because the Democrats don’t like his message, it was okay with them that he was murdered.
My family’s loyalty to the Democrat Party goes back generations. I don’t recognize today’s Democrats any more. And to make it worse, the whole world is watching a political murder and the Democrats celebrating.
This is not a good look for America.
Donald Kass
Boiceville
Thoughts about Pilot
I write to share my thoughts on the proposed Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (Pilot) agreement sought by 151 North Chestnut Holdings LLC. in the Village of New Paltz. Under the proposal, the project includes 108 apartments, of which 20 will be income-restricted, and six storefronts. Development of these residential and commercial units will bring much needed supply to our community.
Ulster County is in a housing crisis requiring policymakers to use every tool available to increase housing stock and keep people in their homes. The Village of New Paltz has actively worked to protect tenants by banning non-owner-occupied short-term rentals, passing Good Cause Eviction, and carefully upzoning the Route 32 corridor allowing for density while protecting green space.
To increase supply, municipalities can ease restrictions in their zoning code and incentivize production through tax exemptions. This year the Ulster County Legislature passed an ADU tax exemption which allows homeowners the opportunity to convert underutilized garages and portions of their property into rentable assets.
Another tool is exemptions from property taxes. Under most Pilots, the applicant will pay a one-time fee in exchange for an exemption from property taxes for a set length of time. Pilots allow developers access to greater funding opportunities, in turn lowering the amount charged to future occupants to break even on construction costs.
I often hear from seniors who would like to downsize and move from their single-family homes into a affordable place, but they lack options locally. Apartments within walking distance from the center of New Paltz serve as a solution for independent living, allowing the next generation of homeowners space for their growing families.
I encourage everyone to share their thoughts on this proposal with the IDA. You may contact them at info@ulstercountyida.com to submit your comment or ask questions about the project.
Megan Sperry
Ulster County legislator, New Paltz
Charlie Kirk statement
On Patriot Day (9/11), the interim superintendent of Cornwall Central Schools released the district’s official statement on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Apparently public school districts can and will use their student distribution lists to communicate politically charged opinions.
Whatever your beliefs, this is a sharp turn for CCSD and should be noted, highlighted, and underlined. The district, through the interim superintendent, shared its feelings on the murder of Charlie Kirk so community members — especially students — have the right to share theirs with the school board and administrative personnel.
The next school board meeting is on Monday, September 22 at 7 p.m. at Cornwall Elementary at Lee Road.
Leah Brickley
Cornwall
End gun violence
When I penned last week’s letter to the editor I had of course no knowledge of the wave of gun violence that would soon follow. The shooting that took place at the public school in Colorado. The shooting that took place on the college campus in Utah.
It’s like Groundhog Day. Once again, lawmakers offer prayer and more hateful speech to combat this uniquely American scourge.
How many more times are the American people expected to stand by and watch people die because our lawmakers can’t or won’t stand up to the gun lobby? How many more times will we be asked to give up our lives, our liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to uphold the current zealous and dangerous re-interpretation of the Second Amendment?
I’m afraid that nothing will change until all of us, no matter where we are on the political spectrum, stand together to condemn gun violence. That’s a vision for the future we should be striving for, a vision our children and our children’s children deserve.
Charlotte Adamis
Kingston
Off the Roadmap
Despite what assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha thinks, batteries are not a renewable resource. If a battery is charged with fossil-fuel-generated electricity, the battery inserts fossil fuel electricity back onto the grid. There’s no magic allowing batteries to convert nuclear, hydro or fossil fuel generated electricity into renewable energy. What goes in comes out!
The Public Service Commission (PSC) filed an order updating “New York’s 6GW Energy Storage Roadmap,” offering policy options for continued growth in energy storage. The PSC order defines the role of battery storage for the “renewable ecosystem we need to build” and identifies priority applications.
The Terra-Gen project in the Town of Ulster doesn’t make the cut as a priority, and Hinchey and Shrestha fail to explain how this project could reduce the use of fossil fuels. The first paragraph of the Roadmap states, “New York State is committed to developing a zero-emission electric grid. Over the next five to ten years, large, planned increases in the amount of intermittent renewable generation at both the bulk and distribution level, primarily in the form of on- and off-shore wind and photovoltaic (PV) solar, will require new methods and resources to balance supply and demand, including the use of energy storage.”
The Roadmap envisions bulk-storage facilities that replace peaking power plants and integrate large amounts of intermittent renewable generation. The Terra-Gen project Hinchey and Shrestha are supporting fails to advance New York’s energy transition.
Ken Panza
Woodstock
Bears and bees
Bees exists so that bears can have dessert.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Errors that weren’t mine
Thank you for publishing my letter in this week’s op ed section. I appreciate the opportunity.
After reading the printed version, I noticed that several sentences were changed and typo errors appeared that were not in the draft I submitted. Because it took real courage to speak publicly about the proposed closure of my elementary school for district consolidation, and because I am an educator, it was disheartening and embarrassing to see errors that were not mine.
I am sharing this so the issue can be prevented in the future. If it is possible to correct the online edition or note a correction, I would be grateful. If not, I understand and simply wanted to make you aware. Thank you for your attention and for your work on behalf of the community.
Matt Elkin
New Paltz
Disdain for science
I watched RFK’s testimony before the Senate committee recently. When he was asked if he accepted the fact that one million people died in the pandemic, he replied, “I don’t know how many died.”
What! You, the Secretary of HHS, don’t know how many people died in the pandemic? How can this be? Mr. Kennedy went on to defend his position by complaining that “data chaos” at the CDC and Biden’s record-keeping during the pandemic were inadequate.
As a nurse, I think the scientific evidence demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. Those who have chronic disease(s) are most at risk of complications from communicable disease and most in need of their protection.
I raise the issue of chronic disease because several times during the testimony Mr. Kennedy mentioned “chronic diseases.” As a nurse who based my entire practice on scientific evidence I find Secretary Kennedy’s disdain for science frightening. His anti-vaccine platform ignores scientific research and undermining his stated concern about chronic disease.
The question becomes; how does Mr. Kennedy’s scorn for scientific knowledge impact the health of the individual and healthcare delivery in the U.S. as we know it?
Margaret Foster
Clintondale
Sorry
I am sorry, Little Ant.
I almost stepped on you.
Sorry I did not have
a feather to brush you
like a Hindu ascetic
from the concrete path.
Sorry, Squirrel, startling
you, making you run.
Sorry, Small Bird, you
had to take flight because
you saw me nearing.
Sorry, Honey Bee, sorry,
Fly, that I am not the same
size as you so you wouldn’t
have to flee from me. Sorry,
Dear Doggie, I am not all
fur and unconditional love
like you, not smart enough
to be canine, too, like you.
Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Saugerties
Flags at half staff
Charlie Kirk was not “a great American patriot,” as Donald Trump refers to him. He was a hate-mongering, racist opportunist, like so many of Trump’s prominent allies in his MAGA movement.
The fact that he was murdered speaks more to the proliferation of guns in our warped American society than it does to “radical leftist ideology,” as the right is framing this tragic event — clearly for political gain. The flags being lowered to half staff shows blatant disrespect for the many decent Americans Charlie Kirk disparaged.
Scott Goldwyn
Woodstock
Reject willful denial
Recent statements by state senator Michelle Hinchey and assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, along with coverage in the Daily Freeman and Hudson Valley One, compel me to respond. Issuing a negative declaration under SEQRA for the 250MW Terra-Gen lithium-ion battery project at the former Coleman High School would be a grave mistake. Such a decision would short-circuit the full environmental review this unprecedented project demands and expose the Town of Ulster and state officials to liability.
Assurances that “state guard rails” guarantee safety are not borne out by experience. Battery fires remain unpredictable and extremely difficult to control, even at facilities fully code-compliant. The Coleman site is ringed by homes, schools, houses of worship, and businesses. Placing an industrial battery plant as close as 22 feet to residences is reckless. Fires, explosions and toxic gas releases have already occurred at similar projects nationwide. Claiming “it can’t happen here” is willful denial.
Under SEQRA, a negative declaration is allowed only if no significant adverse impact exists. Here, risks include toxic releases to soil, air, and water; possible closure of the New York State Thruway; disruption of emergency services; and displacement of residents. These impacts are documented realities, not hypotheticals.
Battery storage is vital to our renewable future, but safer chemistries such as sodium-ion are advancing and should be prioritized. Central Hudson has 64 substations suitable for such projects in less dense areas. The Coleman site was chosen for convenience, not safety.
I urge the Ulster town board, NYSERDA, and all reviewing agencies to reject a negative declaration, to require a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and to pause approvals until stronger, enforceable statewide BESS safety standards are in place.
Public safety must come before corporate profit.
Tim Kelly
West Hurley
Violent reactions
Looking in my notebooks I found this letter dated October 14, 2020. For many years I was a tutor for junior-senior high school students. Four years ago on the day after the election, my grandchild was a senior in middle school; that class could vote for the first time this year.
Hillary Clinton didn’t win. Many teachers were unprofessional. Some kids said, “Kill the president.” No teacher challenged this.
I would have said, “Do you realize the president has a son your age in middle school? Someone should murder his father because they disagree with him!? Choose a man who is important to you, tell what is important about him, and how you would feel if he was murdered. It is to be on my desk in the morning and will be returned as your private diary, unread. The grade is 100 percent or zero for no paper.” (A note would go home assuring the parent it was not political,– my assignment, and not school-generated.)
My concern is the knee-jerk reaction of violence. I hope realizing this will lead to discussions of more acceptable ways of coping. As adults, we have failed our children by our role model. We have murdered and disrespect authority.
Young people are paying attention. Where will we be in four more years when the youngest class in middle school will vote? We all lose, especially the children because of the hostile world we are giving them.
Are we proud of ourselves? I’m not. It’s time we get our priorities straight. Charlie Kirk was assassinated because someone disagreed with him.
Martha Pearson
Kingston
But for the incentive
The following letter was sent to the members of the Ulster County Industrial Development Authority
How will you manage your formal hard look at a “but for” statement from the applicant seeking a tax abatement at 151 N. Chestnut? How will the applicant certify that “but for this incentive, this project would not happen here, in this form, at this time?”
If 151 N. Chestnut was the only large housing project being considered in New Paltz, one might be able to assert that the project wouldn’t happen here in our community without your incentive.
But the other large new projects (Zero Place, NP Apartments, and the two Baxter buildings on N. Chestnut) have not been before your board.
It seems unlikely the more “in-depth cost-benefit analysis” you just requested from 151’s developers will successfully support their request for a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (Pilot), considering the four other large projects. Because of these four other projects, your “but for” review seems easier than usual.
If the developer asserts they absolutely need predictable expenses afforded by a Pilot, then we may entertain negotiating a Community Host Agreement or a Community Benefits Agreement to offset the Pilot. But we are asking that you be our supportive partner.
Because of “but for,” it seems there are just two possibilities: 1) either this project is denied a Pilot by your board or 2) if you grant a Pilot, there needs to be a crystal-clear offsetting agreement that supports all the local taxing authorities.
We trust that we have your support.
Please see the Village of New Paltz resolution adopted on 9/10/25, found here: https://tinyurl.com/151NChestnutPILOT
Mayor Tim Rogers
Deputy mayor Alex Wojcik
Trustee Bill Murray
Trustee Stevie Susta
Trustee Stana Weisburd
New Paltz
Sun Day 2025
September 21 has been designated Sun Day. Third Act, the climate activist organization for seniors, is promoting this national day of action in celebration of solar and wind power, and the movement to leave fossil fuels behind. Communities throughout the country will be participating in a wide range of events, from fairs to net zero home tours.
In New Paltz, at 11:30 am, the village will hold a ribbon cutting for the newly installed solar array at the new net zero fire station on H. W. Dubois Dr. Playback Theatre is presenting Climate Change Theatre Action 2025 at the Rail Trail Café, 310 River Road Ext., New Paltz, at 5:00 pm.
The Sun Day celebration extends through Climate Solutions Week (September 21 – 28). On Gardiner Day, September 27, the town will celebrate this year’s climate projects at Majestic Park at noon with a ribbon cutting for the new town hall solar array and a brand-new town-owned electric Chevy Blazer.
It took six months for the current administration, with the blessing of congress, to make a complete climate U-turn, advocating construction of new gas and oil infrastructure. It is reinvigorating the dying coal industry and has proclaimed that solar and wind power are enemies of a strong economy. The EPA has announced that it will no longer collect data on greenhouse gas emissions. Federal incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles end this month. Residential solar incentives will cease at the end of the year.
Sun Day is one response to this new federal policy which is based on climate change denial and the administration’s alliance with the fossil fuel industry.
More information about Sun Day can be found at its website.
Mark Varian
NP Climate Action Coalition
New Paltz
Journalism vs. Nimbyism
I’m catching up on the controversy over the lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) proposed at the site of an abandoned school on the outskirts of Kingston. Now that HV1 has reported the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) view that “safety trumps promised energy gains,” I have a question.
The article quotes a local fire department captain at length about lithium-ion battery fires become fierce and tenacious. He has fought a few in EVs and fears a severe BESS fire could force the evacuation of the neighborhood.
Thing is, we haven’t banned EVs. Instead, we weigh the risks. (A 2023 study found that 25 EVs catch fire per 100,000 versus 1530 gas engine cars per 100,000.) Anyone who drives, anyone who cooks over a gas stove, anyone who navigates the modern world faces potential hazards all the time. Hence, safety standards.
Why didn’t HV1 talk to state safety and BESS experts? The reporter would have learned that after three battery fires in the state in 2023 (no injuries, no toxic waste spills), a state safety task force got to work. They inspected all 57 battery projects now in service. They drew on the expertise of the New York City Fire Department. (New York City has BESS plants.) They consulted dozens of experts with decades of experience and produced the toughest BESS safety standards in the country.
Who hates BESS? The fracked gas industry. The more battery storage we add to our electric grid, the fewer new power plants they get to build. Who do think pushes lithium-ion battery scare stories?
We should view BESS for what it is, a breakthrough technology upscaled from our phones and laptops to EVs and homes and now to the power grid.
Please, HV1, take your finger off the panic button and give this proposed project a fair hearing.
Will Nixon
Kingston
Genocide’s an opinion
Since there are various versions and information out there concerning the activities in Palestine since October 7th, it appears that the term “genocide” seems to be open to opinion rather than being a clearly substantiated fact.
I’m guessing that Steve Romine thinks I made up all the information and statistics I cited last week, even though he and others can simply Google various phrases on the Palestinian situation and find the same data I found. I also suppose that Steve thinks that Hamas has no responsibility for any wrongdoing and is just an innocent scapegoat in all of this tragedy. Let’s just sweep under the carpet that Hamas used Palestinians as human shields while setting up operations in and under hospitals, schools, libraries, and other public places of heavy population.
It’s as if Steve and his sources want us all to believe that the IDF has systematically been picking off Palestinian citizens while intentionally starving all the remaining survivors. And I also suppose that all the attempted deliveries of aid by twelve different countries is just a figment of pro-Israel imaginations. So, let’s also sweep under the carpet that Hamas is intercepting and looting of aid had nothing to do with any starvation problems.
And Steve probably asserts that all of Susan Puretz’s well-written pro-Israel letters also are a figment of her imagination. Susan’s suggestion of how to stop the bloodshed is right on target. Her solution is something that could have been done long before now, but it’s been clearly obvious to anyone paying attention that Hamas has demonstrated no interest in any kind of peaceful resolution, just as Putin is not the least bit interested in a peaceful resolution of any kind with Ukraine.
John N. Butz
Modena
Another Greek scholar
I read The Night Sky faithfully. We recently came back from a trip and had to catch up on reading the 9/3 and 9/10 issues. The Night Sky was informing but only up to a point. Then it was all “Greek” to me. I went to the 9/10 issue figuring there would be a correction or letter explaining the glitch, but found none. Can you tell me what language that was?
Thanks.
Charles Haferman
Hurley
Born into privilege
Secretary Kennedy said “Make America Healthy Again.” While I’d love to see America be healthy, one has to wonder how taking away funding for Medicaid and Essential health plans will achieve that. When it comes to what’s legally only entitled “An Act” (falsely labeled as the Big Beautiful Bill by MAGA politicians), Kennedy either had no influence or perhaps didn’t care.
While I believe health care is a right, I wonder why millions here in New York and elsewhere will lose their essential health plans. As workers, what exactly have we done to deserve losing our insurance in the eyes of the bigoted meritocracy? How dare we not be born into privilege, as Kennedy and the Washington elite were!
Tim Scott, Jr.
Saugerties
A blur of tears
I have an old man’s eyes. I see the world through a blur of tears. Dismay turns darker every day. I am 84. I have two grandchildren in my own bloodline and six in my wife’s; and in her line, which is surely mine after more than 40 years, we have five great-grandchildren.
My mother and father were born in 1911, both poor and both orphaned. Both made good lives for themselves and gave me the security and education that allowed me to make my way. My daughter was born in 1972, a time that for all its discontents seems idyllic compared to the world our grandchildren are growing up in.
I cannot tune out the world because it is the world in which those I love are living and will outlive me. My forebodings, stoked by every public murder and every ecological cataclysm, rattle my hard-won peace of mind.
Gloom is not healthy for my spirit. I have my own sanity to take care of. So many of us who are old, regardless of our politics, share this fear about a future we are helpless to influence. If aging gracefully is our wish for ourselves, and surely our children wish this for us, we must be forgiven if we tune down and sometimes tune out.
We are helpless spectators to the present. We see the world through a blur of tears.
Peter Pitzele
New Paltz
Some questions for Tim Rogers
Since no one has stepped up to sponsor a debate between supervisor Amanda Gotto and mayor Tim Rogers, I’ll ask Tim some questions here.
1. Eliminating the village government, planning board, building department, environmental commission, ZBA, historic preservation commission through dissolution will mean half as many people will do twice as much work. What is your plan to shift this workload to existing staff and volunteers?
2. Will you pledge not to appoint a town manager and a town planner at a potential cost of $300,000 or $400,000 annually (including benefits) to perform this extra work?
3. You have proposed either tearing down or renovating the village hall to make a new combined municipal center. Currently, there are 26 cars parked at town hall every day. There is limited free parking at village hall. Where will employees park and work? How will you provide free parking for the public?
4. Only village residents can vote on a dissolution plan, but that is the plan on your website. How can town-outside-of-village residents vote on dissolution?
5. You canceled the July 9th public hearing on village dissolution but plan to begin the process in January, 2026. Has the public been given enough opportunity to review the plan? Will you release the videos (not the AI transcripts) of the steering committee meetings?
6. There is no candidate for mayor on the November ballot. If you win the supervisor’s race in November, will you ask your board to appoint a mayor to fill out your term in December? Who would you recommend?
Kitty Brown
Deputy supervisor, New Paltz
New York City as a new Havana
Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent endorsement of Socialist-Communist Zohran Mandami illustrates her blind quest for power, despite the damage the election of Mandami would do to New Yorkers. She aligns herself with an antsemitic, anti-American communist bent on opposing the president of the United States.
Blinded by Trump Derangement Syndrome, she would put New York City on the road to becoming a new Havana. Both Mandami and Hochul must be defeated. We must save New York by getting to the polls to vote for common-sense leaders, not radical leftists motivated by hate and rebellion.
Rev. Bill Banuchi
Newburgh
I’ve done my jobs well
It is an honor to serve on the New Paltz Town Board, and I am happy to announce my candidacy for councilperson in November’s election. While politics have changed since my campaigning for supervisor a few years ago, my outlook and hopes for the town have not. At the conclusion of that race, I quoted Thomas Jefferson; and those words still reflect who I am. Jefferson said, “I’ve never considered a difference of opinion in politics, religion, or philosophy as cause for withdrawing from a friend.”
This election is important for three reasons: affordability/livability; financial security; and experience managing the town and its resources.
As a councilperson, I’ve worked to restore the independence of the police commission and improve town finances and operations to protect taxpayers from unnecessary expenditures. I serve on the school district’s audit committee and was a member of the district’s DEI committee. I’ve been a board member of the Elting Library and Woodland Pond, chaired the police commission for six years, served as co-chair of the town’s Reimagining Police Committee, and chaired the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for over eight years.
As IDA chair, I protected taxpayers by abolishing 25-year Pilot agreements and implementing policies to keep the IDA out of the housing business. Housing is the current political “hot topic,” and while affordable housing is needed, we must be mindful of the potential for unfairness to school districts and taxpayers.
Public service and governance is my passion, and I have the facility and knowledge to do it well. My life has been shaped by my professional and volunteer activities, and serving as your councilperson will allow me to bring a unique perspective to our government and its citizenry, irrespective of political persuasion. I would be honored to have your votes come November.
Thank you.
Randall Leverette
New Paltz
Budget conservatively
With the Big Beautiful Bill came massive cuts to virtually all services in New York State formerly supported by the federal government. The good news is these cuts have barely begun to roll out yet. The bad news is that they’re going to roll out in the next six to twelve months, conveniently, some say, right after the critical midterm elections.
It’s imperative that our towns plan accordingly and understand that these cuts are real, huge, and are going to hurt our most vulnerable in Ulster County — the aged, the unwell, the unhoused, the unemployed, the hungry, those in need of mental health or social-services support, children, families who depend on meal services, and many others.
Now’s the time to plan and factor in the strain these will place on our county and town budgets. We’ve both ample warning and the details of what will be cut, and by how much. I urge town leaders to carefully review every line item on their budgets critically and conservatively. There are always discretionary items such as new vehicles, buildings, parks, and other examples of big-dollar expenditures that, although nice to have, may not be critically needed in the next year or two. Delaying or altogether cancelling some of these big expenses will help make up some of the shortfall we’re going to be experiencing.
Ulster County cannot afford to raise taxes on its already financially strained population. We’re already paying some of the highest utility costs in the nation, health insurance continues to be unaffordable for many, and housing costs have put us in a housing crisis. Our population is aging and transitioning to fixed incomes while basic expenses become more crushing. We cannot and should not continue to budget and spend as if nothing has changed. It has. We just aren’t seeing the impact quite yet.
Andrew Cowan
Saugerties
Is it too late?
In 1993 I saw an intriguing and fascinating movie called “Swing Kids.” It took place in fascist Germany, just before the beginning of the Second World War. I learned much about the slowly increasing intimidation efforts of the German government against their own citizens. But I was initially shocked and became wide-eyed when I comprehended the deadly intimidation by the German government toward their own military leaders. This film was a wake-up call to me about the potentially devastating effects of fascism.
Today we are watching our democracy being taken over by an administration with the desire of turning our country into a fascist state. It’s not looking too good for our country, in spite of the good resistance taking place. Is it too late? I’m not sure, but I certainly hope that we can step up and find creative ways of thwarting the takeover of our democracy. Only time will tell.
In 1993, I was deeply affected by “Swing Kids,: and was expecting to hear wonderful reviews about the film. But mysteriously the film quickly vanished from the theaters. Gone forever. What? Why? What had happened?
I’m guessing that some people with lots of money and power had decided the movie was too close to be revealing the possibility of what could happen to our country. They either wanted to squash that scary picture, or wanted to hide that inevitable truth from the American public for some diabolical reason. I’ll never know for sure what happened. But I know I do not like what is happening to our country right now!
“Swing Kids” is a must-see for us at this crucial time in our nation’s history. The film is one hour and 52 minutes long, and it’s a wake-up call for all of us. Check it out.
Marty Klein
Kingston
Join the family! 
