New Paltz Village Board votes to make mayor’s position part-time; West threatens to resign
Routine budget talks in the Village of New Paltz quickly devolved into a heated conversation on April 17, when discussion turned to a potential $13,000 raise for the mayor. Mayor Jason West had proposed to raise the mayor’s salary to $48,000 a year, up from $35,000. Trustees instead voted to roll back their own raises...
Can Schreibman catch Gibson for Hinchey seat?
In the face of ugly numbers in a non-partisan Siena poll and unsettling cracks in his Democratic Party base, Julian Schreibman is going on the attack as he seeks to portray incumbent Congressman Chris Gibson as a Medicare-gutting, anti-abortion radical Republican. It’s a message the onetime Federal Prosecutor and Ulster County Democratic Committee Chairman hopes...
At New Paltz event, the Democratic candidates differ markedly in style
Based on applause following their 90-minute debate at the Woodland Pond senior-citizen complex in New Paltz on Monday, Julian Schreibman’s moderate approach to issues resonated more with the elderly audience than Joel Tyner’s sharp attacks on his opponent and at times moderator Gerald Benjamin. The two candidates for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the...
Frank Skartados and John Forman to face off in special election
Two men are gearing up to do battle for the hearts and minds of voters before March 20′s special election for the 100th Assembly District. Former Assemblyman Frank Skartados, D-Marlborough, is running against Dutchess County Legislator John Forman, R-Beacon, for a seat once held by Tom Kirwan, who died on Nov. 28, 2011. If either...
Hinchey’s exit to change region’s relationship with Washington
After nearly four decades of government service in Albany and Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey announced last week that he would not seek another term in Congress. The longtime lawmaker’s departure is likely to have major implications both in Washington, where Hinchey was a reliable mainstay of a dwindling corps of progressive liberal Democrats,...
Hinchey to retire
U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, congressman for our area since 1993, was scheduled to announce his retirement Thursday, January 19 at 1 p.m. at the same place he launched his first House bid 20 years ago — the Senate House in Uptown Kingston. He’ll serve the remainder of his term. Shortly after the blog Politico...
Zimet, Barry, Gallucci, Bacon, Mazzaccari and Marx win in the Town of New Paltz
The Democrats have once again taken the helm of the New Paltz Town Board. After a 15-year hiatus from the job, former two-term supervisor Susan Zimet easily moved into her old seat as her opponent, three-term incumbent Toni Hokanson, pulled out of the race to secure a full-time job in the private sector. Hokanson secured...
Gardiner voters pick Zatz, Reynolds, Wiegand, Blatchly and Haynes
Election night turned out to be a happy occasion for Gardiner Democrats who gathered to watch the returns at the home of Town supervisor candidate Carl Zatz. The Dems swept every contested race in the town, prevailing over their Republican/Conservative/Independence Party opponents. Former County legislator Tracey Bartels ousted incumbent District 16 legislator Jack Hayes by...
Voters go bipartisan in Lloyd, elect Hansut
Voters in Lloyd elected a mixed slate of two Republicans and one Democrat to the Town Board on Tuesday night. According to the Ulster County Board of Elections, former county legislator Paul Hansut will become the new supervisor. He earned 1,168 votes to his rival Jon Decker’s 809. “Obviously, I’m happy that I won,” said...
Veteran county legislator challenges incumbent in Gardiner’s District 16
Besides the local races for town supervisor, town board, highway superintendent and town justice, the citizens of Gardiner have the opportunity on Election Day to choose between two seasoned contenders as their District 16 representative in the Ulster County Legislature. Both incumbent Jack Hayes, 68, and former legislator Tracey Bartels, 41, have brag-worthy accomplishments under...
Three run for two Ulster County Legislature seats in Lloyd
Ulster County’s government shakeup and redistricting plan cut 10 legislators of 33 from the mix up in Kingston. Those changes will finally come home to roost next week, when voters in Lloyd, Plattekill and Marlborough get to decide who will represent them in the new District 9 and District 10. For some voters, they’ll only...
Five candidates vie for New Paltz-area seats in County Legislature
The Ulster County Legislature race for newly created Districts 17 and 20 have certainly taken some twists and turns on the way to the ballot box. First there was a behind-closed-doors move to endorse local Democrat Tom Cotton instead of eight-year incumbent Hector Rodriguez by a small cabal of New Paltz Democratic Committee members: a...