New Kingston GOP chair looks to push party’s reset button
Kingston Republicans have a new leader who will take on the task of reviving the party’s flagging fortunes in an increasingly Democrat-dominated city.
Politics & Government
Notes from the Saugerties Village Board
Topics include: Budget discussions, bluestone sidewalk project, upcoming election.
Renovation of Woodstock town offices to cost $2.3 million
Woodstock’s Town Bord will soon ask voters to approve borrowing $2 million to bring all Comeau Drive offices to the first floor for accessibility as well as renovating the building and the supervisor’s cottage, too. All-in, with furniture, incidentals and professional fees, the project is expected to cost $2.3 million.
Saugerties Town Board names officials and sets salaries at reorganizational meeting
Saugerties’ “new” town board — which only has one additional new member but a slew of fresh initiatives — cleaned up shop at their January 8 reorganizational meeting at the Frank Greco Senior Center, designating citizens for town committees, establishing pay raises and divvying up town board liaison positions.
Kingston’s Donaldson ends up with the legislature chairmanship
A day after professing allegiance to county legislature chair Tracey Bartels in her run for re-election to the body’s top job, 13-term Kingston legislator Dave Donaldson ended up being elected chair himself. He beat Heidi Haynes (R-Hurley/Marbletown) by a 13-10 vote at the legislature’s reorganizational meeting on Jan. 8.
New Paltz hopes green-energy initiatives will lead to state grants
The town hopes to receive Climate Smart bronze or silver certification. Actions it has taken toward that end include preparing plans to reduce emissions from municipal sources, an assessment of the town’s vulnerability to climate change and enacting community choice aggregation legislation, which changed the default electricity supply option for residents to renewable sources.
In Ulster, DA, sheriff, state lawmaker all in favor of changes to new bail law
Just two weeks after it went into effect, state lawmakers are weighing changes to New York’s historic bail reform law, which effectively ended bail in most cases. The main change cited was the need to give judges discretion to require bail when the defendant was deemed to be dangerous.
Ulster’s first woman chief assistant DA appointed
A veteran prosecutor with expertise in sex crimes and domestic violence cases will serve as Ulster County’s new chief assistant district attorney. Incoming DA Dave Clegg announced this week that he had appointed Katherine Van Loan to the number-two spot in his office.
‘County Exec Pat’ likes ‘Mayor Pete’
Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has weighed in on the 2020 Democratic primary throwing his support behind fellow veteran and thirtysomething Pete Buttigieg.
Walsh awaits finishing touches on several Rosendale infrastructure projects in 2020
Some represent the final steps in multiyear projects addressing flood damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee way back in 2011. Another is a streetlight replacement project that was begun by former councilwoman Jen Metzger, now serving in the State Senate.
