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.
Taxpayer-funded mess
I just received my 2025 Kingston schools-tax bill. Most of the voters who approved the seven percent increase are supported by taxpayer funding. A majority of the community has difficulty paying rent. Buying food. And paying utilities.
Our leaders are also supporting a remotely-run battery storage facility that is not only dangerous, but will have no onsite security or any employees there. Ulster County has a few billionaires who are artificially supporting the drove of non-profits that assist with a good portion of the community survival. We continue to fill iPark87 with taxpayer-funded tenants. And iPark87 is suing taxpayers for its tax assessment.
We need to stop the poli-tricks. This area is a mismanaged taxpayer-funded mess.
Ryan Van Kleeck
Town of Ulster
We let the dogs out
On September 14, the Saugerties Chamber of Commerce hosted our annual Street Art Event at SPAF (Saugerties Performing Arts Factory.) This year’s theme was “Barkin’ Around Saugerties.” Thirty-five artist-painted Labradors graced the streets of the town and village of Saugerties from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The auction was a great success, attended by almost 150 people and raising $30,250. The proceeds are to be divided among the artists, the chamber (which uses the money to support community causes and events), a scholarship to a graduating Saugerties High School student, and The Saugerties Animal Shelter. The shelter uses no taxpayer dollars and depends upon donations to do their amazing work.
We thank Vince Buono and the American Legion Hall for giving us the space for the artists-meet-sponsors event in March, John Livermore and the staff at the Stone Pony for hosting our preview in May, Josh Price and the crew at SPAF for again doing such a wonderful job, and Hudson Valley Dessert Company for beautiful and delicious cookies.
Big thanks to all the participating artists, the sponsors, the DPW for installing and removing the dogs, mayor Bill Murphy, Jeannine Mayer and the Saugerties village office, supervisor Fred Costello, deputy supervisor Leanne Thornton, and the Saugerties town office. Also, Bob and Macy Siracusano for getting the paddles raised and the funds donated with their great auctioneering skills, Jen Gutheil-Denier of Sawyer Savings Bank (and her helpers) for taking care of the banking at the event, John Iannelli of Iannelli Photography for doing the online part of the auction, and chamber bookkeeper/admin Gail Alison-Post for keeping this all in place.
It takes a village and a town to make events like this successful. We hope to see you next year.
Mark Smith
Chamber of Commerce chair
Peggy Schwartz
Chamber vice-chair
Saugerties
The currency of fear
I walk the river’s edge, where swollen banks collapse and roots dangle like cut cables. The erosion outside mirrors the erosion within: trust frays when fear dictates choices.
Fear is a currency. Like money, it moves faster than reason can weigh its worth. Once in circulation, it shapes what we build, what we hoard, and what we destroy. Fear held too tightly becomes a tax on the soul, fear spent recklessly bankrupts communities.
The object I carry now is a keyboard, not my father’s watch. Its worn keys remind me how truth itself feels typed to exhaustion. Each keystroke promises connection, yet so often distorts. Sometimes I press too hard, as though pressure could force honesty. Other times I barely touch the keys, afraid silence might reveal more than words.
We live on this surface of keystrokes, each capable of building or erasing trust. The soldier has brought home our moral injury, and we pay to hide from it — in entertainment, outrage and digital noise. The keyboard becomes confessor and accomplice, recording what we fear to speak and deleting what we cannot face.
It is not only veterans who carry war inside them. We all live with its aftermath in a society where truth is treated like a rumor and trust is like disposable code. This wound does not bleed, but it spreads — across families, headlines, and the flickering glow of our screens.
I imagine the soul keeps its own ledger, hidden beneath the keyboard: what was given in love, what was taken in panic, what was left unpaid. The ink smudges, but it does not disappear.
So I vow: May fear sped itself in wisdom. May money move as a gift. May trust return to our words. May truth flow steadily as a river.
Go well.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
AI detection tools
Educators are using AI detectors on students’ papers. They don’t work.
Weeks of work for a paper in my computer ethics class had gone to waste. It was all because a machine learning algorithm decided that a third of my paper was written by AI, and is the reason why my professor had deducted a third of the points on my final paper.
I’m not the only one. On social media, reports of students getting flagged half to 70 percent. In one account, a student who stated they never had a single conversation with a chatbot had their paper flagged 90 percent by an AI detector their professor used. Educators have found themselves in a battle against machine, and students have found themselves in the crossfire.
Scribbr, one of the many providers of AI detection tools online, says that results are based on the perplexity (how “unpredictable or confusing” the text can be) and burstiness (the variation in the structuring or length of sentences) of the text. AI tends to write with low perplexity and burstiness, constantly aiming for clarity and conciseness.
While it sounds like a good way to weed out lazy students, it’s hurt a handful of honest ones in practice who happen to write in those styles. Online, people have discovered that pasting the full Declaration of Independence into ZeroGPT, another popular AI detection tool, will flag it as nearly 97 percent AI. It’s been years since I had taken American history in high school, but I don’t recall anything about how Thomas Jefferson had used ChatGPT to write our nation’s founding document.
Why are we trusting the judgment of a black box? Maintaining integrity and the value of honest work in an age of artificial intelligence is a battle worth fighting for. But AI detectors just aren’t the right weapon of choice.
Patrick Dizon
Pomona
The towers are ugly
Verizon wants to build a celltower on the mountain behind my house here in Phoenicia (Mount Romer). Last Wednesday I gave a talk at Shandaken’s town hall:
Here’s what I said:
When you get old, you get conservative. I looked up “How long have human beings been in North America?” The answer was, at least 23,000 years. For 23,000 years we’ve lived without cell towers, and somehow we’ve survived. If a car breaks down on Route 28, someone helps them.
This is the heart of the Catskills; it’s not Westchester.
I have no idea if microwaves are harmful. I do know that cell towers are ugly. My friend Phoebe – I’ll give her that name – says the tower will hurt tourism, because visitors like being in a place where they can unplug from the outer world.
Verizon is not a social-service agency. They won’t waste money researching whether microwaves hurt people. And if microwaves are dangerous, you know they’ll get the best lawyers to protect themselves. We, the people, will pay.
Let civilization stay in the cities! The root of the word “civilization” – “civitas” – means “city.” The less civilization here the better.
Sparrow
Phoenicia
New Paltz fund separation
State municipal law has strict rules regarding interfund borrowing. A local government (town, village, city, county, district) cannot allow a water fund to borrow from another fund unless the borrowed amount is repaid — with interest — before the end of the fiscal year.
While borrowing to cover cash-flow timing is permitted, using it as a long-term financing tool is not. Allowing one fund to subsidize another violates both the letter and spirit of these legal requirements and undermines transparency in municipal finance, as I learned when I took the state comptroller’s Introduction to Governmental Accounting multi-day course as a new mayor on 2016.
We have been working toward a legally defensible solution to provide water to the county’s 911 Center. During the process, a town official explained that Town Water District #3 has an outstanding debt of $31,500 borrowed from the townwide — a debt that has gone unpaid for years, a violation of state law. Is interest is being paid or accounted for? When was the last time, the town and its water districts have been audited by the state comptroller’s office?
Small water or sewer districts with only a few users often cannot sustain the full cost of their capital projects. Yet this is exactly what state law requires. A more responsible approach would be to share costs across a larger collectively-owned system managed by the municipality.
Consolidating town and village could allow the village to become a town water district, which could then be merged with the town’s five other water districts to form a single community-wide district funded solely by ratepayers.
A water fund has three expense categories: source, treatment, and transmission. Only municipal water users, based on their metered consumption, should be paying into these buckets.
Tim Rogers
Village mayor, New Paltz
Ready for college?
Elting Library is offering a free series for students getting ready to apply for college. Jump-start your college application in three workshops led by me, college counselor and former Vassar admissions officer Paola Deborah Engel-Di Mauro. I will guide participants through three phases of the college selection and application process.
The college search is Tuesday, September 30 at 5:30 p.m. Its phases: Understanding college fit to and developing a personal rubric, questions to ask as you research colleges and develop a balanced list, where are reliable sources for college information.
The college application is Tuesday, October 7 at 5:30 p.m. What are the different types of applications? What are the parts of an application and how are they evaluated by colleges? And understanding application timelines.
The college essay is Monday, October 13th at 5:30 p.m. What essays are required for a college application? How to write an impactful college essay, and how to write an effective supplemental essay
I will also hold three drop-in office hours so that students can get help with their essays or any other part of the process. I will be available for walk-in consultations on the following dates: Saturday, October 18 from 1 to 3 p.m., on Tuesday, October 21 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 28 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Parents and students are welcome to attend all sessions, and registration is not necessary. Please call the library at 845-255-5030 or email frontdesk@eltinglibrary.org with questions.
Deborah Engel-Di Mauro
New Paltz
A slippery slope
This is not the first time government has targeted comedians who say things they don’t like. If you don’t know about Lenny Bruce and the Smothers Brothers, please look them up. One of the things that makes America great is that this is the birthplace of stand-up comedy. We need comedians to push boundaries and help society look at itself.
There are some comedians whom I personally dislike or, worse, find boring. I choose to not buy a ticket to those shows. I choose not to watch their specials.
Censoring comedians is a slippery slope to state-run news and entertainment. The FCC chair said that he wants the agency to return to enforcing that broadcasters operate “in the public interest.” The Smothers Brothers were hugely popular hosts of a highly rated show, so was their cancellation in the interest of the public, or rather in the interest of a powerful few who didn’t like what they were saying? The public was interested enough in Lenny Bruce to pay to see him, yet the government charged him with obscenity, rather than letting the public choose what they were interested in.
History has shown that the Smothers Brothers and Lenny Bruce were not the bad guys. It’s clear the country is divided into camps of our guys versus their guys, but for the sake of humanity it’s time we put down our guns to learn “How to Talk Dirty and Influence People” — and to take a joke.
Talk hard, or at least talk
Jen Armstrong
Kingston
Scales of justice can’t be found on a fish
Imagine our disgust when the weekly Kingston No Kings rally participants arrived at our new protest site in Midtown Kingston at Post Office Park and discovered piles of rotting, dead carp had been dumped. We can only assume the fish were intended to send a message that we were not welcome.
This, after our voluntarily leaving Firemen’s Park after nearly five months of peaceful protesting every Saturday.
This, only days after the killing of Charlie Kirk and the right-wing extremists’ reaction, which has been to capitalize on his death as an opportunity to squash dissent expressed by people exercising the most fundamental of our American liberties, the right to assemble peacefully.
Some have asked if the 70 of us who rallied at our new site were afraid. I was not afraid. Nor did I get the sense that any of the other rally attendees were afraid. There is something about being physically in community that brings us back week after week after week.
Is there a risk to getting involved with the resistance? Absolutely. But if we can’t commit to showing up, what do we have? A country where it’s okay to snatch our neighbors off the street, among the myriad of horrors too long to list here. And isn’t it even scarier to sit alone in your room and do nothing but doom scroll?
I met a man in his early eighties at the Labor Day protest in New Paltz. It was his first protest. “I’ve been so alone with my thoughts until now,” he said, tears welling up in his eyes. He promised to continue to show up.
I hope you will, too.
Charlotte Adamis
Kingston
Charles Kirk and hate
Murdering anyone to silence them is despicable.
However, hate flowed from the lips of Charles Kirk.
One of our most gifted gymnasts, Simone Biles, posted that she was the focus of verbal assaults from this renowned conservative, also.
Maralyn Master
Woodstock
Suggestions for change
Much appreciation for Larry Winters’ contribution regarding letters. I think it should be the editor’s decision whether a given letter of more than 300 words warrants publication in its totality. Editors can edit! As a long-time freshman English teacher (college, university), I am available to do this job, if you can’t find anyone better!
I would also really like to see a more coherent organization of letters by topic: letters commenting on a particular candidate for office, for example, or a particular local issue. And in this vein, I would love to see all letters not concerned with local issues (or state issues directly affecting the HV1 region) separated out from those that are national and international problems I don’t need to read about in the local weekly.
Week after week, the same small group of people address each other in HV1. I know many people who find this tiresome. I think maybe they should just get a (Google chat) room? But at least their own section in the paper.
Janet Asiain
Saugerties
Perpetuity’s a long time
Do I want to see New Paltz town and village work together to keep our community the vibrant, fiscally sound place we love – sure! Am I open to change – certainly! But I have questions about how, what and where exactly dissolution/consolidation can accomplish meaningful changes that won’t disrupt important services or disparately impact some residents more than others.
The most recently announced village-town consolidation, version 2, is so far just the village dissolution plan. The modest cost savings haven’t changed, and the search for meaningful efficiencies in government operations and citizen interactions presents the same loosely defined opportunities and unacknowledged hurdles as before. And the issue of village taxes going way down while town taxes go up is still a concern.
That brings us to the CETC tax credit, a million dollars in perpetuity. Perpetuity is a heck of a long time. In actuality, this is a state budget item that has to be appropriated every year. During the height of Covid in 2020, this item was in question, finally receiving a portion of what had been allowed previously. With the current pressure on the state budget due to federal cuts, it is hard to predict how this item may fare. And even the full million may not be enough to protect town taxes from increasing. That was certainly the case for the Town of Orange when the Village of Nyack dissolved.
I need facts, not promises. I expect you do too.
Amanda Gotto
Town supervisor, New Paltz
Battery-fire safety
I’m disappointed with Will Nixon. He insults his friends and neighbors by calling them Nimbys and supporters of frack-gas power plants. One expects sharper and more creative insults from a poet. We deserve better from Will.
Nixon discussed the state safety task force that investigated three BESS fires that occurred during 2023. The task force wasn’t formed because state fire officials thought battery technology is safe. It was formed because lithium batteries are inherently dangerous and prone to spontaneous ignition. The task force added to the BESS safety standards and recommendations for fire companies that may respond to a BESS fire.
Building a large-scale battery facility in a residential neighborhood ignores obvious common-sense safety precautions.
Batteries, despite what Nixon thinks, don’t generate electricity. Batteries can only store electricity generated elsewhere. In its comments on the six-gigawatt project, the state Independen System Operator (NYISO) Roadmap stated, “Storage resources represent additional net load to the grid because they must consume more electricity to charge than they can later inject.” Adding substantial quantities of BESSes before renewable resources are sufficiently built out to provide charging energy may result in storage resources relying on fossil-fired, and other non-renewable generation to charge.”
Ken Panza
Woodstock
Signs of the times
Your paper may be interested in our Project 7 Bridges. I live in Saugerties village and am within twelve minutes of nine bridges over the New York Thruway. The project’s goal is to simultaneously hold seven 50-foot-long signs on seven consecutive bridges at 4 o’clock until 5:30 for three consecutive Friday afternoons. Likely there will be more Fridays.
We will be showing seven different signs that create one connected message. They will be shown to vehicles coming up the Thruway at that time both because it is the end of the work week and the peak time for weekend travelers.
We are a group of private citizens and believe the message is important for people across the political spectrum. These are the seven messages: Project 2025 is Fascist. First they axe jobs. Next our Medicare/aid. Then your health care. Next Social Security. Then tariff groceries. Stop the billionaires.
Dave Minch
Saugerties
Never forget 9/11
On September 11, 2001 nearly 3000 people died at Ground Zero, 80,000 were left sick and dying, 20,000 of whom were first responders. Two of the latter I will never forget. Stephan Orsulich (Woodstock) and Rudy Dent (NYC) died as a result of being exposed to highly toxic fumes on “the pile” at Ground Zero looking for trapped victims in the tragic aftermath.
Rudy was a veteran of the Vietnam War, military demolition expert, NYC police officer, firefighter and fire marshal (recognized as an expert witness on fires by New York courts). Rudy witnessed the collapse of the 47-story World Trade Center (“WTC”) Building 7, not hit by any hijacked plane, and saw all the windows blown out before it collapsed in six seconds. Rudy told me it was clearly a case of controlled demolition.
Stephan Orsulich, a sandhog, took lots of photos of the destruction of WTC Tower 1 & 2 showing no massive piles of debris from the collapse of two 110-story buildings. The photos show what was left of those buildings easily fit in their lobbies because most of the buildings material was “dustified” into talcum-size powder, indicative of controlled demolition. That powder was collected by four teams of scientists who published their findings in a peer-reviewed study unchallenged to this day (https://benthamopen.com/contents/pdf/TOCPJ/TOCPJ-2-7.pdf). The study documented all the collected powder samples contained exploded and unexploded residues of highly “energetic pyrotechnic or explosive material” being nano thermite, a classified U.S. military incendiary explosive.
Never forget 9/11, the victims or the forensic facts.
Steve Romine
Woodstock
Praise for Tom Kuglinski
Two years ago the Gardiner election incited disagreements between longtime friends within the local Democratic party (GDC). The community-wide mutiny resulted in blurred party lines and a surprisingly close election. Let’s face it, local elections are run by volunteers who receive few rewards for herculean work.
It’s especially jarring when appreciation is absent or, worse, when disagreements are interpreted as disrespect. Tom Kruglinski was chairman of the GDC then, and he was always excellent. For years I had marveled at his meticulous organizational abilities and I had been grateful for the help and respect he consistently gave me personally.
I still recall the amusing time Tom sneaked up behind me in a town meeting and whispered encouragement to be “a squeaky wheel.” We had been good friends and he had been a guest in my home. In that context, it was extremely difficult to choose to campaign against his (the committee’s) nominee, even though I had strongly supported that same candidate in previous elections, once even when they ran as a Republican. Following the election, Tom resigned.
My role in local politics has always been fun. I’m an activist. I am not home full-time. I have never served on a board or committee and I would make an abysmal candidate for office. But I think I’m good at community organizing, which I can contribute even from a distance. I suppose I’m an attention-seeking loudmouth and sometimes a thorn, but I have no ego involvement. The candidates I support almost always win, and when they don’t I can go on to annoy another day.
I hope that Tom knows that his work as committee chairman was deeply appreciated, and I hope that we can all move on, heal wounds and work together again in a mutual goal to create a better Gardiner,
Samuel Cristler
Gardiner
PJs
Back in flapper days
if you were fire like today
you were the cat’s pajamas.
I have a cat and she certainly
does not wear pajamas,
jammies, jim-jams, PJs
or any of the like. Women then
were just finding themselves
comfortable and fly, as they
say today, in PJs. But my cat
ain’t into it. She’d never
slip into satin and silk, rather
tear them. Despite the lack
of nifty garb, she’s still
the gnat’s whiskers to me.
Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Saugerties
Unruly home rule
It seems our two state representatives, Hinchey and Shrestha, are two for two in using the home-rule doctrine to do an end run around local opinions and opposition to two local projects. Home rule is when state officials defer to local officials, in knowing what’s best for their common communities and constituents.
Home rule was invoked by representatives Hinchey and Shrestha to allow the proposed new Hurley highway garage to be constructed in a town park, just feet away from the basketball court and baseball field. And, there were no public hearings on this proposal, thanks to home rule and state provisions.that give towns, as lead agents, discretion to conduct public hearings or not..
Now we learn our representatives Hinchey and Shrestha are urging quick approval of the proposed lithium Ion battery storage facility off Hurley Avenue in the Town of Ulster. Will an environmental “neg dec” be issued by the Ulster planning board without a public hearing?
Stay tuned. Once again, state representatives are deferring to and depending on town officials to shepherd the project through the local regulatory approval process. It’s good Town of Hurley officials have come out against the battery storage facility. However, letters alone will not deter the powers that be, who will try to push this through in spite of overwhelming outspoken public opposition.
It may be the only thing that will stop this project now is outrage, public uproar, and brave actions by local public officials and groups with the resources to mount legal challenges, so home rule doesn’t become unruly and run amok.
Glenn Kreisberg
Woodstock
Harris’ seven bucks
As a member of the hard-working Woodstock Library board of trustees, I feel compelled to respond to Howard Harris’s letter to Hudson Valley One.
I don’t think Mr. Harris has any idea of the workings of the Woodstock Library and its excellent Friends. The Friends were never expected to fill the holes in the library’s construction budget, which came about due to unforseen and unforseeable costs. The largest of these was the necessity to purchase and install a water pump to make up for insufficient pressure at the site to operate a sprinkler system. The sprinklers had to be installed due to legal requirements. As a business site, the building did not require a sprinkler system, but as a public building it did.
The pump alone accounted for more additional expense than the small amount the library is now asking our town to provide through an additional bond. If Mr. Harris can’t afford the additional seven bucks and change a year that the bond will cost taxpayers, I will gladly offer to pay it for him.
Leslie Gerber
Woodstock
No hero Charlie Kirk
President Donald Trump ordered the nation’s flags to be lowered to half-staff after the tragic shooting death of Charlie Kirk. He didn’t do this for recently assassinated Minnesota representative, Melissa Hortman and her husband, both Democrats. Nor did he do it for the many schoolchildren shot and killed all over this nation.
We can all agree that no one should ever be killed for their beliefs or statements, but we should not pretend the death of Charlie Kirk is a loss of a great political hero — a humanitarian, an advocate of democracy, or a healer of our nation’s great divide. Kirk said, “Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously.” He called the Civil Rights Act of 1965 “a huge mistake.” He said black Americans were “better off under Jim-Crow laws.” Martin Luther King, Jr. was “awful,” not a good person. He said he would be scared if the pilot of his plane was black..
He said children should be made to watch executions, and all executions should be televised. He said Democratic women “…want to die alone without children,” and that birth control “makes women angry and bitter.” He said abortion is “the exact equivalent of Auschwitz.”
He said George Floyd did not die because a cop knelt on his neck for nine minutes, but died because “he overdosed.” He said America doesn’t need any more immigrants, “especially people from India.” He begged Taylor Swift to submit to her future husband, Travis Kelce so he could “make her more conservative, reject feminism, and realize she was not in charge.”
We didn’t lose a hero. We lost a misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic, anti-democratic racist, an anti-gun control, anti women’s rights, right-wing divider of people and an enemy of world peace and domestic tranquility.
Eric Glass
Saugerties
Dame Prudence
The poet William Blake wrote that “Prudence is a rich ugly old maid courted by Incapacity.” Though he lived to be 70, these words were written when he was 35. His “Prudence” may be rich and ugly but she is an old lady, a crone, an elder. She knows something the young poet doesn’t want to hear.
C.N. in our Graceful Aging group tells us, quite matter-of-factly, that she has stopped riding her bike. This step only came after a long period of deliberation. It was not taken lightly because cycling was for her a recreation and a joy. She did not stop because she had injured herself; she stopped because she recognized that she might, and that injury could accelerate her aging and dependency. The mental or spiritual guidance she received could be said to have come from Prudence.
As a girl’s name, Prudence came into favor among the Puritans in the 17th century. Then the word still carried its Latin meaning of foresight and good judgment; it was a moral virtue. Hard to imagine anyone these days naming their daughter Prudence, for we live in a culture that prizes daring, independence, and initiative. Extreme sports are our contribution to the Olympics.
Prudence may not be the right medicine for the young. However, there’s no doubt in my mind that the “gracefulness” we aspire to in our aging depends in part on our capacity to notice the whisper of Dame Prudence, to have the patience to pay attention and reflect, and then the courage to yield. Thus, though we may deprive ourselves of a pleasure, we may spare ourselves harm. This is common sense; we need not call it wisdom.
Peter Pitzele
New Paltz
Sanctifying Charlie Kirk
Pat Ryan has voted “Yea” for a congressional resolution praising Charlie Kirk as “a courageous American patriot,” and “a devoted Christian who boldly lived out his faith with conviction, courage and compassion.” Not only that. “Charlie Kirk became one of the most prominent voices in America, engaging in respectful, civil discourse across college campuses, media platforms, and national platforms, always seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding, and strengthen the republic.” And don’t forget: “Charlie Kirk’s commitment to civil discussion and debate stood as a model for young Americans across the political spectrum, and he worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction.”
Excuse me. Charlie Kirk was a racist troll, as a swarm of commentators have pointed out with a litany of ugly bilge Kirk delivered with glee. Sure, he brought his charm, confidence and blue suit to debate at the Oxford Union, but he rose to fame by mocking, demeaning, villainizing, and laughing off violence. Watch his podcast clip urging “some amazing patriot” to bail out the man who attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer. “Why is the conservative movement to blame for gay schizophrenic nudists that are hemp jewelry makers breaking into someone’s home?” he asked with a snarky sideways sneer.
We should mourn his death not for the life he led and despite the views he espoused. Not even Charlie Kirk deserves the Charlie Kirk treatment. But to sanctify him as a great American patriot? Does Pat Ryan understand how deeply Kirk’s style of vitriolic politics offends many of us? Has Pat Ryan spoken with religious leaders about what it means to be “a devoted Christian”? I’m sorry. I need to re-read 1984 to understand the logic of this resolution.
Will Nixon
Kingston
Against the tide
Most of us still believe: if you take issue with a law, you work to change it. You don’t break it. Bill McKenna seems to believe otherwise. McKenna hasn’t led, he’s ruled. Arbitrary orders, procedural shortcuts, and a disregard for public process have become the norm. He’s bypassed not just the town board and town attorney but the very procedures designed to protect transparency and public trust.
Previously, he altered a mass-gathering permit not to uphold Woodstock’s laws but to violate them — greenlighting a breach of our noise ordinance. And now he’s rehired an employee the town board voted to fire, an action the town attorney has since confirmed that McKenna overstepped his authority.
Woodstock’s laws aren’t optional. They’re the guardrails that keep power accountable and protect residents from executive overreach. When those guardrails are ignored, so is the public’s right to fair, lawful governance.
And let’s be honest: beyond photo ops and platitudes, what has McKenna actually done to strengthen governance, rebuild trust, or serve Woodstock’s long-term interests? Where’s the substance?
Thankfully, we’re nearing the end of his term. Let’s hope he leaves without further eroding the civic foundation he was elected to uphold or the reputation of Woodstock itself.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
WFP endorses Tim Rogers
The Working Families Party believes that government should work for everyone, not just the well-connected elites. Achieving this goal requires both fair policies and competent execution. We need leaders who not only fight for rights, opportunity and equality, but who make government work in the everyday ways that matter — from fixing roads to delivering benefits and services without red tape.
This balance is especially vital for our local elected officials, those closest to the people. Their work can either make daily life harder or truly strengthen our communities. Now more than ever, local leaders must step up as both principled champions and practical problem-solvers.
That’s exactly what Tim Rogers offers New Paltz. As village mayor, he has shown vision, attention to detail, and a fierce spirit of service to his hometown. Tim’s effective approach tackling the village’s water and sewer infrastructure challenges, particularly his calm leadership during the February 2020 water crisis, demonstrated that he can bring the community together to solve urgent problems sustainably.
His commitment to collaboration and transparency in decisionmaking have built lasting trust. With his economics background and strong financial skills, Tim crafts budgets where every penny of the people’s money is fully accounted for and connected to real community needs.
Most telling is Tim’s proposal to unify New Paltz’s government by eliminating the very office he currently holds to improve the efficiency of service delivery for New Paltz residents. That’s not politics as usual; it’s principled, courageous leadership. The Working Families Party is proud to nominate Tim for town supervisor. He understands that government’s purpose is not to serve the few, but to strengthen the whole. With both progressive values and proven competence, Tim Rogers is the kind of leader who makes government truly work for everyone.
Jeremy Koulish
NYWFP, Ulster-Dutchess Chapter
Modena
Where does this end?
It does not matter which side you are on or who you like or dislike, the way Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off the air is the beginning of the end of any reasonable social discourse we have, even with our friends and neighbors.
We are marching to a bad place in our long history. Where does this end?
Paul Andreassen
Saugerties
Sticks and stones
‘Brevity is the soul of wit.’ according to Polonius.
I wholeheartedly support the letters-to-the-editor’ policy regarding brevity.
Since this epistle is still under the 300-word limit, I’ll simply say, ‘Sticks and stones can break your bones and words can break your heart.’
Wishing all a happy day.
Paul Brown
New Paltz
He can be stopped
As the Trump administration controls more of our federal government, large numbers of people are becoming disaffected. Over 51 percent of Republicans regard Trump unfavorably. He is destroying our democracy and many of our governmental institutions. He still can be stopped. We need only a few Republican senators and congressmembers voting against his programs to stop his march toward totalitarianism. If you have family and friends in red states, and they are amenable, urge them to contact their congressmembers.
Hal Chorny
Gardiner
Kirk’s real character
Donald Kass eloquently described Charlie Kirk’s demeanor and style in engaging people, especially our youth, on how to peacefully and civilly discuss differences of opinion on all issues while espousing non-violence, love, God and family.
However, on the other side of the coin, from another planet, and being an obvious closed-minded lefty, Scott Goldwyn totally forgot to acknowledge and mention these qualities in Charlie Kirk. Instead, Scott comes up with far-fetched, undocumented verbal assassinations of Kirk as a hatemonger and racist opportunist.
Scott pretends that radical leftist ideology has nothing to do with the mentally deranged Tyler Robinson, and instead blames it on “warped American society.” Scott delusionally asserts that the right’s raising the obvious point of radical leftist ideology as “clearly for political gain.”
Hardly, Scott. The right’s just citing reality and facts. Proof of this is Martha Pearson’s simply stated truth that Kirk was assassinated because someone disagreed with him, the someone being a lefty lunatic. If Scott’s views were accurate, Kirk would have no following, and millions of Kirk’s youth brigades would be running for the hills.
The above should correct the demented mind of Jimmy Kimmel, who incredibly identified the assassin as a MAGA advocate!
Some late-night clowns are finally getting the message about why their shows are getting canceled. The public grew tired of their monotonous and severely biased political rants in place of real entertainment. They crossed the line of claiming First-Amendment rights when they spewed venomous hate speech sprinkled with a few outright lies.
I guess they forgot why Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and David Letterman were so successful. These kings of late night did real comedy and had interesting guests — and did not lose half their viewers or more by continuously bashing a president and politicians they didn’t like.
John N. Butz
Modena
A few protest signs
If you don’t like being called a fascist, don’t be one.
As Americans, it’s our civic duty to be anti-fascist.
The treasonous Supreme Court gave us Trump II.
Fascism is corporations doing a tyrant’s dirty work for preferential treatment.
To condemn Israel’s actions is to be human.
Giving a criminal absolute power, what could go wrong?
If Putin didn’t own Trump, what would he be doing differently?
Where in the Constitution does it say that the president has absolute power?
Is John Roberts sleeping soundly?
Between Trump and Science, American voters chose Trump but Science will not be denied.
Netanyahu and Israel are doing wonders for Hitler’s image.
Mass slaughter, starvation and displacement are okay when Israel does it?
Kimmel got fired for saying that Republicans were trying to use Kirk’s murder for political advantage?
Trump’s only goal is to increase his own status.
Did the Founding Fathers want the president to ride around in a golden carriage?
They wanted a Caesar. They got a Nero.
If they can kidnap one person, they can kidnap you.
By violating the rules of war, Israel jeopardizes itself.
Make America genocidal again.
Putin and Xi won’t be canceled.
Dictatorship is better. Only one guy to bribe.)
Corporations and dictators are interested in the same thing: Themselves.
What do Ryan and Riley have in common? They’re both shills for Israel.
Matt Frisch
Arkville
Affordable housing
It is no surprise to anyone in Ulster County or the mid-Hudson region that we are in a full-blown housing crisis. In the Town of Marbletown, where I am a former town supervisor, the consequences of the lack of good housing that most people can afford means that our senior parents and grandparents, our kids who may choose to live here after high school or college graduation, and our working families are being squeezed out of our community.
The reality is that private-sector builders, who have their own financial constraints and obligations, are faced with the choice of building high-end, expensive single-family homes that are very profitable or building something more affordable that might take years to gain approval. The choice for them is clear, as is the conclusion that market forces alone will not solve the problem. Instead, it will require bold and innovative solutions that require participation and action from every level of our community including elected leaders, businesses, nonprofits, educational and faith-based institutions, and ordinary citizens like you and me.
On Saturday, October 4, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the High Falls Firehouse our community will have the opportunity to come together to discuss and explore the opportunities to expand housing options in Marbletown and beyond. All are welcome. Please come and learn, contribute your thoughts and ideas, and help keep our community accessible for all of us.
Vincent C. Martello
West Hurley
Exciting new expenses
In last week’s letter to the editor, I asked mayor Tim Rogers to pledge not to hire a town manager if he was elected supervisor. Boom! Tim just announced he wants to hire a village manager.
Read the village manager job description. What the heck is left for the mayor to do? As mayor, Tim earns $10,000 more per year than town supervisor Amanda Gotto. Yet he represents less than half the people she represents.
Worst of all, the mayor’s new law specifically exempts the village manager from living in New Paltz. Mike Baden, the village planning director, doesn’t live in New Paltz and is earning $125,000 a year, including benefits. Mike, who doesn’t pay taxes in New Paltz) has been present at four IDA hearings for projects seeking tax-exempt Pilots in the village. As a planning-board alternate, Tim is at those meetings, too.
Let’s see what the mayor, village trustees and Town of Rochester resident Mike Baden have to say about more Pilots in the village on October 7th. Between Pilots, village managers and dissolution consultants, what other exciting new expenses does Tim have in store for us?
Vote for Democrat Amanda Gotto for supervisor on November 4th.
Kitty Brown
Deputy supervisor, Town of New Paltz
Join the family! 
