In Woodstock, council member Anula Courtis is running unopposed for supervisor, while two newcomers to town office are also unopposed for town board.
Courtis, elected to the town board in 2023, is finishing her second year as a council member. She received more than 60 percent of the vote in the June Democratic primary, which included two opponents, David Wallis and Erin Moran.
Courtis co-founded the Woodstock Women’s March and served for four years as chair of the Woodstock Human Rights Commission. She currently serves on the Bear Task Force and the board of the Good Neighbor Food Pantry.
More recently, she spearheaded opposition, along with Council Member Bennet Ratcliff, to the hiring of Michael Innello, a Level 3 sex offender, as a maintenance department laborer. Her current focus is on ensuring the town has a fiscally sound budget when the new administration starts in January. She believes Supervisor Bill McKenna’s proposed use of $2 million in surplus funds for a 17.5 percent tax cut is fiscally irresponsible and will not leave the town with enough reserves.
In response to concerns about PFAS and other “forever chemicals” in the town water supply, Courtis plans to implement a quarterly water testing program and publish the results on a public dashboard. She supports researching and installing the correct filtration systems.
Courtis promises to prioritize the full cleanup of the illegal fill at 10 Church Road and enforce existing town laws prohibiting the dumping of construction debris.
She supports the proposed zoning changes as part of a multi-pronged approach to the housing crisis but notes they must be implemented with proper safeguards.
Courtis plans to work on a noise ordinance that balances the need to respect neighbors with maintaining a vibrant music scene. She believes shutting down outdoor live music at 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays is unreasonable. Earlier this year, McKenna declined to bring forward a proposed noise ordinance that restricted hours of outdoor music, citing lack of support.
Courtis is the proud mom of two young dogs and two senior cats. She is the first-generation daughter of Greek and Polish immigrants.
Lily Korolkoff moved to Woodstock in 2015 with her husband, Ben Rollins, and then 4-month-old son, Theo. They opened Station Bar & Curio in 2016.
Korolkoff believes a granular activated charcoal system could be a viable solution to the town’s water issues, combined with education about responsible practices to prevent chemicals from leaching into the water supply.
On the Shady Dump, Korolkoff believes the long-term solution is removal of all the material but realizes it may be legally and logistically difficult. Continued monitoring, soil and water testing are wise steps, she said.
Korolkoff said the current zoning doesn’t provide incentives to build affordable housing. Zoning changes, along with better enforcement of short-term rental violations, would help, she said.
On the noise ordinance, she said the key to equitable enforcement is using decibel meters, not cellphones, and giving more flexibility with hours, especially in the peak summer season from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Korolkoff grew up primarily in Manhattan, but her parents had a house in Halcott Center, so Woodstock has been a part of her life since childhood.
Laurie Osmond, a 20-year Woodstock resident, served on the Onteora Board of Education for 14 years and was board president and vice president multiple times. She was engaged in budget discussions, personnel matters and future planning.
Osmond said the town needs to continue monitoring and testing town wells and embrace the work of the Drinking Water Source Protection Program. Every effort should be made to determine the course of the PFAS, and water filtration systems need to be installed, she said.
All materials need to be removed from the Shady Dump, Osmond said, and the town needs to seek assistance from the state and hold the property owner responsible.
The proposed zoning changes, with “some tweaks,” will help with the affordable housing shortage, Osmond said. However, she noted, the process must balance development with maintaining the rural character and wild areas of the Catskills. Developments need to be tightly controlled.
Osmond prefers to call any legislation governing outdoor music a “sound ordinance.” “Music is not noise,” she said. There should be measurable sound limits and realistic decibel thresholds, measured at appropriate locations, she said.
Osmond grew up on Eastern Long Island and attended Brown University and San Francisco State University. She was a writer and producer for film and television. She is known around town as “Fenner’s mom” and is currently a real estate agent.
Richard Husted is once again running unopposed as town justice.
Join the family! 
