Letter-writers:
’Tis the season. With the general election coming on November 4, our print edition is being overwhelmed with letters backing or damning political candidates. Given our space limitation, that’s a mixed blessing. We have therefore reluctantly decided upon a three-week moratorium on long political letters only. For the issues of October 15, 22 and 29 only, we will limit the length of political letters to 150 words. Please give us the heart of what you want to say, and let it go at that.
Other letters remain limited to 300 words.
We much appreciate your understanding and cooperation. This note has been 110 words long.
— Hudson Valley One
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.
The road ahead of me
“This may sound a bit weird,” Ben said on that walk we finally took, “but I was reading a memoir-story by Ann Pathett in The New Yorker, and she relates going through a tunnel in the dark and having an intense sense of her own death. Looking back on the experience, she writes that that next day the vividness of her experience had faded.
‘That’s the thing about your own death,’ she writes, ‘you can hold the truth of it for only a few minutes, and then it reverts back into abstraction.’”
Knowing Ben, I waited.
“I’ve had the experience she’s talking about. I mean you really think that at my age you have death clearly in the crosshairs, but the fact is it’s still an idea, like a preview of movie in black and white. But suddenly it’s in full living color.” He laughed at his own image. “I don’t know,” he said, “maybe it’s the other way round. The abstract way of thinking about death is in color, but then suddenly. it’s in black and white.”
This is the thing about having a friend who’s older than you when you both know you are old. Who comes first? Or goes first. The odds are that he will go before me. I know this because he says things I haven’t even thought of yet. I might never. Ben seems to be up the winding road ahead of me, and his casual comments are like a flash of light in the dark where I know I’m headed.
He knows about the letters I’m writing our local paper. I told him I’d already written one about his saying, Don’t count on me. “Don’t get too morbid,” he said. “No one really wants to hear this stuff.”
Peter Pitzele
New Paltz
An exceptional candidate
There are times that a candidate for office, especially at the local level, has as a major consideration for his election that he can demonstrate his knowledge and experience in local government clearly, brilliantly, revealing his qualifications for the office he is seeking. Some are sorrowfully inexperienced and underprepared.
Fortunately for Gardiner voters, an exceptional candidate for town supervisor is in this race — Michael Hartner.
You may already know Michael, because you have witnessed him on the town board, learned of his participation on the Gardiner ethics board, observed his work on the Gardiner committees: the environmental conservation commission, drinking water protection, and board of assessment review — or even met him at your front door as he visits voters at homes in Gardiner.
Vote for the man who is best qualified to be supervisor. Vote for Michael Hartner.
Glenn McNitt
Gardiner
My truth cuts through spin
I often ask myself why I keep writing letters — especially when the issues I raise are routinely ignored, and defenders of the status quo respond not with facts, but with outrage. I’ve been called divisive, obsessive, even dangerous — for the simple act of naming what others would rather leave vague. The pushback is real. But so is the discomfort that truth creates when it cuts through spin.
My purpose is simple: to offer honest, verifiable information to those who still care. To those willing to stop following blindly and start thinking critically. I’ve long believed that if enough people read closely, ask questions, and speak up, we could become a vocal, cohesive community. And lately, that belief feels less like hope and more like momentum. The tide, it seems, is beginning to turn.
Howard Harris
Woodstock
In support of Esi Lewis
New Paltz and neighboring community members stand united in outrage over the recent discovery of vulgar and demeaning graffiti vandalizing a member of our community’s home. This targeted hateful act disrespects not only the dignity of the individuals attacked, but all of us.
Our community values inclusivity and respect for our neighbors. Certainly hatreds like misogyny and racism have no place in New Paltz, or our society, and we collectively condemn this abhorrent action. We encourage New Paltz and the greater community to speak out against hate and to support those affected by such intolerance.
We hope that law enforcement apprehends the vandals who attacked a highly respected and loved member of our community, and that they receive just punishment and counseling as to why their actions are deeply wrong and will not be tolerated.
Jen Metzger
Ulster County Executive
James Amenta
Ulster County Deputy Executive
Amanda LaValle
Ulster County Deputy Executive
Dina Suggs
Ulster County Chief Diversity Officer
Megan Sperry
Ulster County Legislator
William Murray
New Paltz Village Trustee
Barbara Graves-Poller
Ulster County
Democratic Committee Chair
Indivisible Ulster
Ulster Activists (U-Act)
Indivisible New Paltz
Board of Trustees
Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center for Black History and Culture
Elting Memorial Library and the Elting Board of Trustees
Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center
Resisterhood
Arborvitae School
Amber Merkens, June Wheeler, Michele Zipp, Neil Bettez, Dawn Winchester, Kristen Masson-Diedhiou, Jacki Brownstein, Lewis Brownstein, Jennifer Cook, Chris Oden, Judy Cohen, Melanie Cronin , William Charnock, Livia Vanaver, Joan Mandle, Jay Mandle, Renee Hack, Dan Torres , Alexandra Passas, Kathryn Adorney, Greg Olear, Amanda Gotto, Sherrill Silver, Pierrette T Farber, Cari DeLong, Brent Smith, Taylor Eskew, Tom and Carol Nolan, Diana Zuckerman, John Fricker, Stephen Cook, Christine Marmo, Crystal Middleton, Megan Cockett, James Frauenberger, Deborah Engel-Di Mauro, Jane Schanberg, Kevin O’Leary, Maya Hood, Isaac Murphy, Margaret Stanne, Stephen Stanne, Cara Lee, Kate Hymes, Monique Morrison, Necordia Morrison, Bebhinn Dungan, Vanessa Primus, Satara Brown, Heather Graham, Eddie Moran, Yvonne Fraser-Posey, Linda Welles, Hilary Cloos, Jeff Feinsod, Octavia Nicholas, Claudia Goldstein, Laurie Hlavaty, Stephen Bergstein, Richard Heyl de Ortiz, Anthony Ortiz, Sherry Runk, Dave Mudge, Rachel Markowitz, Gloria Waslyn
Amberly Jane Campbell
Rosendale
Vanessa Shea
Rosendale
Jennifer Fowler
Esopus
Wren
Esopus
Isa Coffey
Kingston
Victoria Berrios
Kingston
DJ Brumfield
Kingston
Cicily Wilson
Kingston
Christine Dinsmore
Saugerties
Ruth Levine
Saugerties
I’m for Tim Rogers
New Paltz finds itself at a pivotal moment. As we confront mounting pressures — rising property taxes, aging infrastructure, climate challenges, housing scarcity, and the inefficiencies of layered government — we need leadership that combines vision, experience and integrity. For me, that leader is Tim Rogers.
I have watched Tim in action over the years. He has delivered concrete results: securing millions in grants for sewer and water upgrades, championing affordable housing while preserving neighborhood character, and pushing for climate-forward projects. His track record is not one of grand promises but of steady, accountable progress.
What compels me to support him now is the bold ambition behind his campaign for town supervisor: a plan to consolidate village and town governments into one unified body. This is a transformational idea, not a cosmetic fix. Tim’s plan protects our core public services while ensuring village employees transition into town roles with civil-service protections. This approach balances change with care.
It’s not just about saving money. Tim’s vision is about building a community that works for everyone: securing clean water, expanding affordable housing, pressing forward on climate action, improving streets and pedestrian safety, and ensuring that state and federal funding is deservedly brought back to our town.
Beyond his policy accomplishments, I can also speak to Tim’s personal commitment to partnership and presence in our community. He and I have worked together. His dedication to collaboration and equity was clear. He has also often shown up on campus in support of events, demonstrating a willingness to engage directly with students, faculty, and staff, not from a distance, but side by side.
I do not endorse candidates lightly. But Tim Rogers deserves support. On Election Day, I will proudly vote for Tim Rogers for town supervisor, and I hope you will, too.
Anthony Dandridge
New Paltz
Show up once again
Without a crystal ball, I’m afraid we’re all just taking educated guesses at how we can turn the tide against the federal government’s terrifying march towards authoritarianism. So, perhaps we can do no better than to listen to the people who study history and learn from them.
I recently listened to a podcast with Hardy Merriman, an expert on the history and practice of civil resistance, and was encouraged to hear that, of the many kinds of coordinated actions that are most effective in the fight against democratic backsliding, peaceful protests are among them. As Merriman says, “Non-cooperation is very much about numbers. You don’t necessarily need people doing things that are high-risk. You just need large numbers of people doing them.”
The last No Kings event was one of the largest, single-day protests in U.S. history. And on Saturday, October 18th, we have the opportunity to show up, once again en masse, to demonstrate our anger and despair at the cruel, unlawful, and corrupt policies and practices forged by Trump and his loyalists.
Together, we can make October 18th the largest, single-day protest in U.S. history! In Ulster County alone, there will be three opportunities for your participation: rally in Saugerties (Market & Main), 12 to 1; rally in Woodstock (Woodstock Elementary School), also 12 to1; and rally and mMarch in Kingston (starting in Academy Green Park), 2 to 3:30.
If you’re traveling on the 18th, chances are there will be a protest near you.Thousands of communities, all across the country, have registered events. You can find those events at Indivisible.org.
Charlotte Adamis
Kingston
A MAGA wolf?
In June, Ryan Wiley received the endorsement of the town Republican caucus for town supervisor in Gardiner. He is running as a Republican and as an independent “Gardiner First” candidate. Well, what is “Gardiner First” all about? It appears to be an obvious dog whistle for Donald Trump’s “America First” movement.
This white nationalist trope has its roots in Americans who supported Nazis in the lead up to World War II. One can only imagine the type of person who would want to be associated with such a movement. Wiley describes himself as a father and local farmer-investor-businessman. Sounds very soothing and innocuous, but he is a MAGA wolf in sheep’s clothing, a far-right extremist with absolutely no experience in public service trying to bring this harmful agenda to our community.
In 2023, Wiley posted a tweet on his personal Twitter account asserting that “the problems faced by black people stem more from freedom than oppression.” Is he saying that black people were better off as slaves than as fully free U.S. citizens?
He was also a big fan of MAGA on Twitter, with such tags as “Donald Trump,” “Lara Trump,” “Tucker Carlson” and “Supporting @POTUS’s America First agenda and holding the Fake News accountable.”
You will not be able to see any of this now because after he decided to run for supervisor, Wiley deleted his own Twitter history! A supervisor runs for office on their own personal qualifications and history: Ryan Wiley, why did you delete your own Twitter history? The answer is obvious: to hide your MAGA roots from an unsuspecting public. Ryan Wiley is part of the MAGA cancer which now afflicts our nation. We cannot let this cancer spread to Gardiner.
John Bohan
Gardiner
A right to be free
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
The population of Palestinians and Jews in Israel and the occupied territories are roughly equal, at approximately seven million each. The roughly 3.2 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli occupation and martial law. They are deprived of freedom of movement. Israeli occupation forces and ‘settlers’ have killed 922 Palestinians in the West Bank since January 2022, including nine U.S. citizens.
Roughly 350,000 Palestinans live in occupied East Jerusalem. They are unable to obtain building permits, and existing buildings cannot be legalized. Jews can claim ownership of Palestinian-occupied homes if owned by Jews prior to 1948. The reverse is not allowed. Approximately 70 oercent of Palestinians in East Jerusalem live below the poverty line.
The Gaza Strip smoldered under a 16-year Israeli blockade, depriving its 2.2 million residents freedom of movement. Eighty percent of Gaza’s residents depended on intl. food aid prior to October 7, 2023, when Gazan militants breached the wall and rampaged through Israeli communities, killing 1139 Israelis and taking 240 hostage. In the two years since, Israel has killed at least 67,000 Gazans, including 20,000 children, and laid waste to one of the most densely populated enclaves on earth.
Just as Israeli Jews do, Palestinians have a legitimate yearning and right to be free.
Matt Frisch
Arkville
Musical interlude
Trump persecutees Jim Comey and Letitia James have both been indicted by Virginia grand juries. Readers should imagine the following song being sung to the tune of The Turtles’ “Happy Together” by Donald Trump as he contemplates the irony of the indictments.
This song is dedicated to Neil Jarmel and his fellow fanatical Feedback TDS sufferers.
“Imagine Jim and James: I do
I think about them sitting on a prison loo
They’re wondering what the heck they’re gonna do
unhappy together.”
George Civile
Gardiner
Religion rampant
Lying to children about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny is called “Christianity.”
Sparrow
Phoenicia
Signs of the times
The Town of Lloyd, as with so many of its neighbors, has been blessed with a plethora of political campaign signs once again. However, it is striking that among all those signs not once does the word Republican appear. Small wonder.
John Steele Jr.
Highland
Gardiner’s goals
As a Gardiner resident, I am pleased and thankful that Michael Hartner has chosen to run for the Gardiner town supervisor position. Not only does Michael possess extensive and successful leadership experience and skills, but he has also been and continues to be committed to protecting and enhancing the quality of life in Gardiner. Like Michael and hopefully all Gardiner residents, I want Gardiner to remain a beautiful, safe and healthy place for all of us to fully enjoy living here now and in the future.
Visit Michael’s website, https://michaelhartner.com, to learn more about Michael and his goals for Gardiner and its residents, if elected town supervisor. Also, do not hesitate to reach out to him with your questions and concerns. Michael Hartner is amazingly accessible and responsive.
With Michael Hartner leading the way with the support of residents, Gardiner will thrive.
Maryann Fallek
Gardiner
Reasoned but flexible
I got to know Mike Hartner well when he chaired Gardiner’s environmental conservation commission and I joined as a member. I came to deeply admire his focus and hard work regarding the issues that came before us, such as ensuring that groundwater supplies would be adequate for Gardiner’s hamlet area. Mike was instrumental in bringing together the experts who used water well monitoring instruments and drillers’ records to make actionable conclusions and recommendations.
Subsequently, I’ve observed Mike’s service as a member of our town board. I continue to be impressed by his level of preparation and willingness to take a reasoned-but-flexible stand on the many knotty challenges that arise in small town governance. I know he will be a dedicated and effective supervisor for our town.
Neil Rindlaub
Gardiner
A Saugerties Democrat
Vote Democratic! Keep MAGA Republicans out of Saugerties!
Meyer Rothberg
Saugerties
Burning to the ground
Posse comitatus bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement … Trump insists we make a war zone against the citizenry there. Trump can’t justify the deployment of the National Guard. He is making the U.S. less safe. We must slam the thuggery of ICE and not let military jackboots on the ground.
Trump’s imaginary mind stated, “Portland is burning to the ground …. All you must do, yes, all you have to do is look at the TV and read your newspapers.”
Folks, there is no insurrection bogeyman there. Portland, Oregon is not, and never was, burning down. This is not normal, and the public knows this. The only insurrection that Trump has witnessed happened on January 6, 2021, and he watched it play out on television in the oval office dining room. His insanity is on display:
“In the land of truth and smoke, where worlds collide,
false claims ignite like wildfires, yes, once more, truths are set aside.
Portland stands resilient, not burning to ash,
yet headlines scream, distort, and clash.
In shadows cast by rhetoric’s dark flame,
facticity and fiction intertwine, they’re all the same.
Portland’s streets, a canvas of protest,
yet fires and chaos are b.s. myths expressed.
Court judges hold back the soldiers, the streets remain free.
Fear is spun, by a miscreant authoritarian twisted with his manufactured decree.
Whom to believe? The made-up spectacle or your eyes.
In his theater of lies, authenticity again silently cries.
Let us not be fooled by the puppeteers’ play,
injustice thrives while his assault from dark shadows leads you astray.
Stand firm, seek clarity in the storm’s eye,
truthfulness cannot burn when it refuses to die.”
Neil Jarmel
West Hurley
Exposing propaganda
Regarding last week’s letter by Susan Puretz, one has to wonder if she actually believes her own propaganda. She cites one New York Times (NYT) reporter to support her ridiculous claim there is no genocide going on in Gaza. Meanwhile she turns a blind eye to the thorough investigation done by the United Nations committee resulting in officially proclaiming genocide is in fact being committed by the Israeli government.
Susan fails to respond to what every human-rights organization in the world has been saying for many months now, that having been in many combat zones around the world they have never seen the current brutality by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) upon Palestinian civilians, using starvation as a weapon, bombing hospitals, and murdering medical workers. This clearly violates international law. I find it interesting that Susan cites the NYT to try in vain to support her otherwise baseless assertions, but then disregards the NYT when they report on Israeli intelligence having had the exact Hamas plan a year in advance of October 11 and did nothing to prevent it from happening. That’s very curious for Israel, the leading country in the world on security issues, but not unusual for a country practicing the infamous “Hannibal Directive.”
The IDF probably issued a stand-down order for the six hours they were obviously missing in action. Susan desperately lobs accusations of antisemite for bringing up these compelling facts. Nevertheless, it will not persuade anyone with acute critical-thinking abilities who can see past all the propaganda gimmicks these genocide supporters use to cover their willful complicity.
Lastly, contrary to Susan’s final allegations, whatever the Palestinian verbal slogan is does not justify a brutal genocide against innocent Palestinian civilians.
Steve Romine
Woodstocdk
Repeated rhythms
From Vietnam’s jungles to today’s democracy, the echoes remain.
In Vietnam, I once strained to hear beyond gunfire and jungle heat. Thousands of miles away, what reached me were the chants of young protestors who knew nothing of my face but everything of the war’s corruption. Their voices cut through the command to “kill anything that moves” and planted the seeds of doubt — and survival in me.
Now, decades later, I watch as the moral ground beneath our democracy erodes. The slogans of “God and country” that once fueled enlistment are being replaced by drones and button-pushers. The promises from parents, teachers and generals that America was a moral lighthouse seem to have been sold to the highest bidder. Corruption spreads like smoke, thickening the air until it’s hard to breathe.
Mark Twain reminded us that “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Today, the rhyme is bitter. Many who once filled the streets with protest are now baby boomers calculating their 401(k)s. What was once fire has dimmed into embers, smothered by mortgages, prescriptions, and the struggle for survival.
Two landscapes still haunt me: the jungle of Vietnam and the hollowed agora of today’s America. Both demand reckoning. In one, young men were ordered to kill. in the other, citizens quietly barter away their consciences for comfort.
The question remains: what rises from such decay? A phoenix of renewal — or only drones, circling without memory, replacing resurrection with surveillance?
In the end, our battlefield is here. The voting booth is where a nation faces itself, where we must weigh life against capital.
Larry Winters
New Paltz
The fourth branch
We are taught that there are three branches to our government, and that the balance of power is what guarantees our freedom and our democratic system. I contend there are actually four, the fourth being We The People.
If the judicial branch refuses to uphold the Constitution, the legislative branch refuses to hold the executive accountable, the executive institutes unchecked abuses of power, and we the people do not rise up and “throw off such government” (as the preamble to the Declaration of Independence says we have a duty to do), then we will not have democracy. Nor do we deserve it. Vive la Résistance!
Mauriac Cunningham
Saugerties
Keep our republic
Chris Gibson was one of the most moderate, fair-minded and balanced members of Congress we ever had. A person of immense humility and integrity as well as a seasoned intellect, incredibly well-rounded, a man of unquestionable heroism, experience, dedication and devotion. A true leader.
Regardless of what you believe or see or hear, this institution, our experiment in democracy, is fragile. Finger-pointing will not get us through. Only dialogue, diplomacy, civility and compromise can endure.
Remember the words of Benjamin Franklin that went something like this: “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Purchase Chris’s book(s) or at least review this one: “The Spirit of Philadelphia, A Call to Renew the Founding Principles.”
Paul Andreassen
Malden-on-Hudson
P.S.: Turn off the television.
Questions about Pilots
Thanks to county legislators Sperry and Harmon for organizing Monday’s panel discussion about Pilots (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes). Comptroller Gallagher’s and IDA executive director Nichols’ presentations teed up the conversation well.
The discussion touched on local governments negotiating community development (or benefits) agreements with businesses to offset Pilot impacts. As a busy local government official, I’d prefer to avoid spending time and resources on individualized arrangements, and instead apply the same tax rate to everyone. But Gallagher and Nichols made solid arguments explaining how IDA assistance can add value, supporting job growth and helping new and existing businesses that local economies rely on.
There was also discussion of high construction costs — up to $500,000 for two-bedroom units — as justification for housing-related Pilots.
If our communities are facing an affordability crisis, how does lowering costs for developers help? Will the IDA require their savings — no sales tax on construction materials, no mortgage recording tax, and reduced property taxes through Pilots — be passed on to renters or buyers?
Trading away local-government revenue in exchange for housing stock and hoping the benefits trickle down is dubious at best. Numerous studies show trickle-down economics fails to deliver meaningful job creation or higher wages for most people.
New Paltz also has finite water and sewer capacity. We should reserve these public resources for comparable projects that don’t require tax breaks and offer clear, near-term benefits to residents. The UCIDA should take a much harder look at the real risk of their housing policy deepening income inequity in our region.
Tim Rogers
(individual capacity only)
New Paltz
Overreach and transparency
Ryan Wiley’s roadside signs are as thick on the ground as autumn leaves, so I searched and found his bare-bones website. I learned that he’s a farmer, real-estate investor, and owner of a construction company. What does he raise on his farm? What kind of real estate does he invest in? Where and what does he build?
He wants to encourage and support local business. The town’s been doing so for 25 years. Has the dude been in Gardiner lately? Local business is thriving. Parking near Main Street is often a challenge.
He wants to maintain open spaces. Gardiner has been heavily involved in that effort under Democratic supervisors. Does Wiley know that?
According to Daily Freeman and Hudson Valley One, Wiley has never held public office, nor has he volunteered for any Gardiner committees. Yet he’s concerned about “governmental overreach,” though he provides no hint of such overreach.
Finally, he values “transparency.” Yet when this paper reported that he posted a vile and repulsive comment on Twitter, he shut down public access to his account. Here’s how HV1 reported it: ‘Since Wiley tossed his hat into the ring, the Gardiner Democratic Committee has unearthed a June 2, 2023 tweet posted on Wiley’s Twitter account asserting that “The problems faced by black Americans today stem more from freedom than oppression.” Public access to the account was shut down after that report.’
That’s the opposite of transparency.
Don’t vote for a racist.
Barbara A. Edelman
Gardiner
Hold the memory
I hold a small bottle
of morning breeze
when leaf-falling
smell’s in the air.
I hold in memory
the last great family
gathering when we
all laughed together.
I hold the image
of clouds today
because we all know
they’ll never be
the same. Hold
the smiles of my
mother and her
mother safely in
my photo album,
safe in my mind.
Patrick Hammer, Jr.
Saugerties
An icy reception
Vote Democratic! Keep MAGA Republicans out of Saugerties! Ice them out!
Meyer A Rothberg
Saugerties
A professor for 60 years
The theme of the Resnick Institute at SUNY New Paltz’s 37th annual fall lecture series, Jewish Creativity in the Arts, features leading scholars in their respective fields in Jewish Studies: panting, filmmaking, photography, song writing, playwriting, poetry, and literature. I will be giving the final lecture in the series on November 18, “Saul Bellow and the postwar American Jewish writers.”
I have directed the lecture series since its inception in 1989. I am retiring from my position as director after 37 years, and as distinguished professor after 60 years.
I am working with the professor, a new hire, who will be succeeding me as director.
Gerald Sorin
New Paltz.
Don’t complain, organize!
We as a country are at a crossroads. We, as a strong democracy, have had the desire to do the right thing, and succeed by playing by the rules. Or at least it has appeared that way. We always knew that some corruption existed, but it was more or less taking place in the dark, and down alleys off the beaten path. It was ugly, so we did our best to turn our heads the other way.
Those in charge now have no desire to hide their corrupt intentions. We did our righteous best to look the other way, wishing the whole mess was going to get better somehow. It hasn’t gotten better. It’s gotten consistently worse.
What to do? The Jimmy Kimmel experience showed us all that we have a bottom line as Americans. Don’t mess with our free speech. That’s a horse of a different color!
The sleeping giant has awakened, and we are that giant. We just had a glimpse of our economic power. It’s purchasing power, where capitalism and democracy intersect. If we stop buying, the corporations will be forced to bend to our wishes. Remember what happened when we started boycotting Tesla car dealers? Tesla stock plummeted.
On October 18, we are planning another “No Kings” national protest. What’s next? Maybe we should get a few big trucks to block a couple of big highways. Maybe we should organize a general strike throughout the country. Why not? We are awake now. Nothing can stop us if we stay organized, and strategically use non-violent economic means to shift the power to us. It’s scary, it’s uncomfortable. But it’ll work.
Though it wouldn’t hurt to pray for divine intervention, prayer alone won’t save our country. “When you pray, move your feet,” John Lewis said.
Marty Klein
Kingston
Share and share unlike
The Public Service Commission (PSC) on June 20, 2024 issued an order establishing the 6GW energy [battery] storage goal and deployment policy. The order noted that in the next five to ten years the growth of intermittent renewable generation will require large increases energy storage. The combination of energy storage with intermittent renewable generation improves grid stability and reliability, and ensures a consistent source of renewable energy.
Additionally, in New York City and on Long Island energy storage will resolve local reliability problems and replace highly polluting peaking power plants. “The roadmap recognizes the value of energy storage statewide but notes particular importance in the near-term of locating storage assets in New York City and Long Island.”
Downstate fossil-fuel peakers have been adversely affecting residents of disadvantaged communities for decades. Thus, the storage roadmap allocates 30 percent of the 6GW goal, or 1800MW, to New York City to replace existing high-pollution-emitting peaker power plants. Upstate New York is allocated 65 percent of the 6GW goal, or 3900MW, to bolster large-scale renewable generation. NYISO’s Co-located Storage Resource (CSR) program encourages energy storage to collocate and pair with intermittent solar and wind resources behind a single point of interconnection.
The remaining five percent of the 6GW goal, or 300MW, is allocated to Long Island and the Hudson Valley. The proposed 250MW battery facility in the Town of Ulster fails to satisfy the priorities established by the PSC for replacing peaking-power plants or collocating with intermittent renewable generation. It’s also unlikely that one project that uses over 80 percent of the storage allocated for the Hudson Valley and Long Island would be approved by NYSERDA.
Ken Panza
Woodstock
Racism here in New Paltz
As the result of a disgusting and disturbing racist incident in New Paltz, the town board is addressing racism in our own home town. I join with the community in condemning this despicable and cowardly act of hatred.
Perhaps the board needs to also consider the racism on display every Saturday in New Paltz, where demonstrators carry Israeli/Zionist flags and spew vile and violent language and messages.
At its core, Zionism is racist. Zionists (mostly white Europeans) support the murder and forced removal of indigenous, dark-skinned Palestinians. Since 1948 millions of Palestinians have been murdered, expelled, or forced into refugee camps like Gaza.
The Zionist, apartheid, ethno-supremacist state of Israel’s ongoing genocide, land theft and ethnic cleansing of indigenous Palestinians is racist. In addition to the flag-waving and unbridled support for the murderous state of Israel, frequent expressions of violence, sexism, and transphobia are hurled at passing cars and pedestrians.
Perhaps the town board should consider a statement condemning this blatant weekly display of racism here in New Paltz?
Eli Kassirer
New Paltz
This is not acceptable
At Thursday’s town board meeting, well over 100 people turned out to express their love and support for Esi Lewis and their anger at the desecration of her home. The obscene spray-painted images and words were viewed by all as an abhorrent racist attack on a prominent Black woman and her child.
The eye-opener was that while many expressed shock that such a thing could happen in New Paltz, there were many others who were not surprised at all. A number of the attendees shared accounts of witnessing or even directly experiencing threatening racist behavior. Racist behavior targeting Black students, Black entrepreneurs, Black New Paltz citizens. Black women were particular targets, and many told of fear to walk alone at night, even on the SUNY campus.
This is not acceptable. Not in New Paltz, not anywhere. Right here in New Paltz on Thursday we heard the reality. And I was one of the ones shocked by the extent of such racist behavior in our community.
We also heard a number of thoughtful suggestions for actions to address and to reset this kind of thinking and behavior. As supervisor, I am following up on those suggestions and also researching programs that can be used community-wide. We have policies against discrimination of any sort. We clearly have work to do to make sure those policies are put into practice.
No person in our community should feel unsafe just because of who they are.
Amanda Gotto
New Paltz
Economic prosperity
Ulster County executive Jen Metzger made clear in the proposed 2026 county budget that she will stand up for the well-being of our most vulnerable neighbors. With cuts in federal spending expected to push costs for social services onto states and counties, Metzger’s funding for food safety and housing security is absolutely necessary.
True to form, Republicans are already challenging these priorities, but their proposed program-slashing is not fiscal leadership. It is short-sighted grandstanding. Real leadership for this moment can be found in Ann Peters, the Democratic candidate for Legislative District 2 in Saugerties.
Ann will prioritize investing in the long-term health of our county and all of its residents. Ann’s commitment to workers’ rights has earned the endorsement of labor unions: She is the candidate who will build a foundation of economic prosperity for all. Vote for Ann Peters on November 4!
Stephanie Bassler
Saugerties
Follow the money
Hudson Valley residents have traveled to Albany over the last three years to push our state government to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, a bill that would reduce wasteful and toxic plastic packaging. PRRIA has bipartisan support of local governments, 73 percent of New Yorkers, leading environmental groups, more than 130 faith leaders, and over 300 organizations.
So why did the bill fail to come up for a vote on the Assembly floor before their summer break? Follow the money!
An eye-popping 107 companies and trade groups are spending many millions of dollars to defeat it. These companies benefit from the status quo, while New Yorkers are left with the bill, toxic chemicals, and emissions from landfills and incinerators. I respectfully urge Assembly speaker Carl Heastie to put people over plastic, not special-interest lobbyists over the people, and bring this bill up for a vote in January. Our health, our pets’ health, our New York and our pockets deserve no less.
Brian Lynch
New Paltz
The least we can do
We’re a few weeks away from Election Day. This year, only local races are on the ballot, which usually translates into low turnout. This is unfortunate because many issues that affect daily life – the condition of our roads, who gets to build what where, the maintenance of local parks and recreation facilities – are decided by towns and counties.
It’s not only important to vote, it is also essential that we vote for the right candidates: People who are willing to donate their time and effort to make our community stronger and more resilient. People who listen to our concerns and put our interests first. For the Ulster County Legislature, this is Lindsey Grossman and Eric Stewart. For town council in Stone Ridge, that is Lisa Giannico and Max Stratton.
These folks are providing us, the public, a service. The least we can do is go out to vote for them.
Abudi Zein
High Falls
Leveling with us
If you drive through Saugerties these days, you may be surprised by all the campaign signs for Ron Polacco. He is running for the county legislature against Democrat Ann Peters.
There is no doubt that his signs outnumber Ann’s. Luckily, signs don’t vote. But I asked myself, who is paying for all these costly signs? I went to the state elections website to find out who has contributed to his campaign and how much. By state law all candidates have to file financial disclosure statements.
Regrettably, Mr. Polacco has not done so. He clearly knows about the requirement, because he filed disclosure statements in 2015 when he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Kingston. But nothing this year.
This is one more way in which he is failing to be upfront with voters. He is also remarkably quiet about his employment on the Trump 2016 campaign and a subsequent job in the first Trump administration. Rather than brag about this recent past, he now claims to be a teacher. Well, a substitute teacher, I understand.
We don’t need this. More signs or fewer signs, we need someone who will level with us. Ann Peters will do exactly that.
Kathy Gordon
Saugerties
Undoing racism
We are all still reeling from the revelation of how deep and wide racism persists in our community. It took the shameful desecration of the home of town-board member Esi Lewis, executive director of the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Black History Cultural Center and tireless advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, to expose the ugly truth.
One of the recommendations that came out of Thursday night’s town board community forum was that we all take a look at the final report of the police reform and reinvention collaborative. There is so much to learn there. On Thursday, we heard about numerous threatening incidents against Black women, Black elementary schoolchildren, Black SUNY students.
We learned on Thursday that racism is embedded in every strata of our community. We need to follow the recommendation that all members of the police department, town board, village board, school board (and preferably all school-district employees) participate in an assessment of their current location on the spectrum of cultural competency such as the Intercultural Development Inventory. I would add the SUNY police, the SUNY Office of Wellness, and New Paltz’s Office of Community Wellness. There was a call to provide Undoing Racism trainings. The People’s Institute Undoing Racism organizing workshops “are offered effectively on a virtual platform until conditions change.” I have contacted them about in-person workshops, but in the meantime the message on Thursday night was Do Something Now!
I’m hoping everyone who attended the Undoing Racism training can report on its strengths and weaknesses at the community forum at the village hall on Friday, October 17 at 7 p.m. What did we learn? How do we incorporate these lessons?
Esi’s final words at the meeting were “I can’t go home.” Every one of us must do all we can to make it safe for Esi to go home.
Kitty Brown
New Paltz
Polacco on priorities
In his LinkedIn profile Ron Polacco highlights his work as a political consultant and Trump operative. In recent posts, he criticizes Democrats in county government for their priorities, citing taxes, the travails of small business and families under financial stress — even though through Democratic priorities there hasn’t been a tax-rate increase in ten years at the county level!
Ron is pointing his finger in the wrong direction concerning increased financial stress. Tariffs, which are taxes on many of the things necessary to sustain our families and businesses, are paid ultimately by consumers. They are priorities of the guy for whom he used to work and under whose Republican banner he runs.
Democrat Ann Peters is aware of the nature and causes of her constituent’s challenges, and will work with her county legislative colleagues to continue to hold the line on taxes and promote values of equity and justice.
Marcus Arthur
Saugerties
A proven public servant
I am writing to express my support for Randall Leverette for town board. I have had the opportunity to work with Randall and witness his dedication to public service and the New Paltz community.
I am now a retired village police chief who first met Randall when he was appointed to the New Paltz police commission. My experience working with him was particularly impactful during his tenure as a police commissioner and when he chaired the police commission. Randall demonstrated a strong penchant for policy and budget. He meticulously reviewed regulations to ensure the police department was operating in an effective, equitable, and legally sound manner.
What truly sets Randall apart is his understanding of how to balance the needs of the community with a commitment to fiscal responsibility. He understands that good governance means providing high-quality town services while managing taxpayer dollars prudently. His understanding of budgeting helped the department craft fiscally responsible budgets that enabled us to serve the needs of the community.
Randall continues to serve his community. He is a member of the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), and was a member of the New Paltz police reform and reinvention committee. Randall is currently serving as a town-board member after being selected to fill a vacancy. His experience and knowledge means he is already effective. He understands the budget, the current projects, and the inner workings of our town government. This is vitally important as our governments explore consolidation.
Randall Leverette is a pragmatic leader with a proven, dedicated record of service to New Paltz. His expertise in policy analysis and his commitment to fiscal responsibility make him the ideal candidate to tackle the diverse challenges facing our community.
I urge you to join me in voting for Randall Leverette for town board in November.
Robert Lucchesi
Village of New Paltz
It was who you knew
You may recall that I ran for Gardiner supervisor two years ago, and fell but a few votes short. I ran for a specific reason. I felt then, and still do, that we can do better.
When I went door-to-door, I heard a common theme: In Gardiner it was who you knew, that in the worlds of George Orwell, “Some animals are more equal than others.”
I wanted to level the playing field, and have town hall be a place of equality and civility.
Two years later, we have that opportunity. We have three great Democratic candidates committed to the environment, excellence, ethics and public service. Vote Row A on Election Day, November 4, or vote early October 25 to November 2.
Tim Hunter
Gardiner
Committed to the job
It is election time again, and the Town of Hurley has the opportunity to bring Tim Kelly back to the town hoard. Please vote for the candidate who has shown by his past service that he will be committed to the job, attending all meetings and working to move our town in the right direction.
Tim has served on the Hurley town board previously, and has been an essential planner for some of our most important projects. This includes securing a $375,000 grant for the preservation and conversion of Hurley’s beloved old Main Street Library into a new community center, something the town has needed for a long time. Tim worked on the siting and planning for the new highway garage complex, and on Hurley’s landfill and its remediation. As a board member, he will continue to work on these projects as they move forward to completion, while maintaining responsible town expenditures to ensure Hurley remains affordable.
Tim supports transparency in government, including regular updates to citizens on town-hall activities, and asking for and carefully considering public input. Tim is opposed to the lithium battery site proposal at the former Coleman Catholic High School next door in the Town of Ulster — too big, too close, and too dangerous for the Town of Hurley!
Janet Smedmar Briggs
Hurley
These are serious times
I am writing in support of the re-election of Fred Costello as Saugerties town supervisor. These are difficult times where many are struggling to make ends meet. Fred’s opponent claims “This election is not about who resides in the White House . . .”, but folks it has everything to do with it.
Every candidate running for office who doesn’t denounce the president’s “Big Bad Bill” owns it. The president’s budget plan, if passed, will create cuts in Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), increased healthcare insurance premiums and on and on. Our county executive predicts drastic holes in the revenue stream that will filter down to every municipality in Ulster County, causing potential cuts in services and some hard choices for all town governments.
Fred, an experienced supervisor, is the fiscal steward of our town’s finances. Unlike other candidates, he can’t pander to the voters. He must make decisions that reflect the reality on the ground. He has to create a budget that maintains funding for highway projects, ensures public safety, protects our environmental resources, provides adequate funding for all town departments — while at the same time making every effort to keep our tax rates level.
These are serious times that require experienced leadership. I hope all Saugerties residents, regardless of party affiliation, support Fred Costello’s re-election as our town supervisor.
Mike Harkavy
Saugerties
How special Gardiner is
Michael Hartner will be an excellent supervisor for the Town of Gardiner, and I encourage all Gardiner voters to cast their ballot on November 4 for a true Democrat and community leader. Michael is an experienced, effective public servant.
After a long and successful career as a New York schools superintendent, he has used his administrative and personal management skills to serve Gardiner in the most exemplary way. Michael has served tirelessly on the Environmental Conservation Committee (ECC), The Board of Assessment Review (ARB), the Gardiner Drinking Water Protection Committee (as chair), and the Gardiner Board of Ethics.
He is currently a member of the town board, and has led the successful fight to stop the Plattekill mega-warehouse. While on the ECC Michael was the leader in efforts to stop illegal, unpermitted development on the Ridge. He understands how special Gardiner’s unique environment is and he works hard to protect it.
Please join me in voting for Michael Hartner for supervisor and for the rest of the Gardiner Democratic ticket: Roberta Clements for town board, Deb Clinton for county legislator, Bob Rich for town justice, Brian Sticia for highway superintendent, and Julia Hansen for town clerk.
Matthew Bialecki, AIA
Gardiner
Peace plan
I won’t waste any words on Israel supporters except to imagine that their Zionist ideology might somehow be awakened and transformed into something far less destructive to their immediate neighbors.
As for the Trumpanyahu 20-point peace plan, any respite in the unprecedented atrocities and suffering cruelly inflicted on Palestinian civilians, is a welcome Hallelujah, I won’t waste any words on Israel supporters except to imagine that their Zionist ideology might somehow be awakened and transformed into something far less destructive to their immediate neighbors. So is the return of hostages and the prisoner swap.
However, as stated by Progressive International on October 7, the plan, “far from paving a plan to peace, offers a blueprint for further colonization and subjugation of the Palestinian people.” Genuine peace initiatives must engage the U.N. in taking concrete actions to enforce a permanent ceasefire, provide unrestricted humanitarian aid, and a permanent end to the Israeli occupation. Pressuring Israel may also require a total arms embargo, divestment campaigns, and war-crimes charges against appropriate Israeli officials.
Among other considerations, we shouldn’t forget the vast natural gas and oil reserves just offshore of Gaza, whose wealth rightly belongs to the Palestinians. We’d have to be painfully naive to think that a bloodthirsty demon like Netanyahu isn’t motivated to extract that wealth, as well as absorbing Gaza itself into “Greater Israe,” an intention he has openly declared.
We can only hope that our own mainstream media fairly represent the Palestinian position. (Hamas has provided a careful, articulate, equanimous response to the proposed plan.) But this is a lot to hope for given the extensive influence of Zionist control over major institutions, media, culture, and the governments of the U.S. and Europe.
Liam Watt
Phoenicia
Remember free speech
So let me get this straight. If you are opposed to fascism — Anti-Fascist or AntiFa — you are now the enemy from within? First, there is no organized group called Anti-Fa. It is simply a label the government uses for activists opposed to their regime. Second, if our government is on the hunt for anti-fascists, is that an admission of their own ideology? Anti-fascists reject a government that tramples on democracy and individual rights. Is our administration admitting to checking all these boxes?
Every Republican needs to disavow the label that people who oppose or disagree with government practices is an “enemy.” Every Republican at every level of government needs to be held accountable for the disdain shown for of our Constitution, rule of law and judiciary. Every Republican is complicit in the unleashing of untrained, unidentified, overpaid, masked agents inhumanely detaining our neighbors.
Billionaires will enjoy tax breaks at the expense of every working family in Saugerties and Ulster County. Our tax dollars will have to make up shortfalls in our school and infrastructure funding. Your healthcare premium, already too high, is about to double or triple. Our local hospitals will be hit hard by the budget cuts.
We can only keep our fingers crossed that they will survive. Remember due process and free speech? Let’s try to hold on to those guaranteed rights.
I don’t believe anyone knowingly voted for this.
Our vote is the most powerful tool we have. Use your vote to support true democratic ideals. History has never been on the side of those who restrict human rights. The Republican Party has lost its way. Early voting starts October 25th.
Virginia Luppino
Saugerties
What effrontery
The inappropriateness of the comment to the effect that the owners of Winston Farm might pursue legal action if the Saugerties town board had the effrontery to consider any information not already included in the official (SEQR) record of public comment as of July 28 cannot be exaggerated. This comment made by Winston Farm attorney Michael Moriello amounted to a threat to many who heard him make it at the town board meeting Wednesday October 1. It is a shocking reminder of the mindset of the propertyowners about their apparent feelings of entitlement to do what they wish without taking into account or regard the many serious objections raised by Saugerties residents to their project, objections based on the reports of hydrology and biodiversity/ecology professionals as well as legal opinion.
Their supporters have consistently relied on personal loyalty, never bringing a shred of evidence to their claims that anything the owners want to do must be the best possible course of action or responding to the substantive concerns raised. That the three owners and their entourage walked out of the room as soon as their hydrologist’s privilege-of-the-floor presentation was concluded was visible evidence of their refusal to communicate regarding these concerns. That’s been the pattern all along.
I hope that HV1’s (10/08) report that supervisor Costello dismissed Mr. Moriello’s opinion on what the town board can and cannot consider when making their decision on rezoning reflects how he and the board intend to proceed. As one of the public commenters said at the meeting, the board is not only legally bound but morally charged to consider all relevant information, whether or not it was submitted during the SEQR public-hearing period.
Janet Asiain
Saugerties
Join the family! 
