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MILLBROOK — There are two seats on the board of Village Trustees up for grabs in the November election. The Millerton News asked all four candidates, two Democrats and two Republicans, what makes them right for the job. The following excerpts have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Julia BucklinPhoto Provided
Julia Bucklin, Democrat
Q: What is your professional background? If incumbent, how long in office?
I am a public high school social studies teacher. I have spent over 30 years with students teaching and learning. I hope to use my skills as a listener and an effective distiller of information in my role as trustee.
What would be your top priorities?
My priorities include writing grants to get important village projects funded by state and federal entities. This will help alleviate some of the burden on village taxpayers. Reaching ‘bronze’ certification as a Climate Smart Community will help us to achieve that goal and get funding for the work that needs to be done. The Comprehensive Plan for the Village of Millbrook has not been updated in almost 30 years. Having a clear set of objectives and goals to work toward will provide a road map for the future.
Why are you the best person for the job?
I am deeply committed to the idea of public service. I believe that being part of a community means participating in the good governance of that community. I have a strong work ethic and I’m a good listener. I look forward to conversations with residents of Millbrook and working with the other Village Trustees to work to keep Millbrook a truly special place to live.
Elizabeth Molella SocciPhoto Provided
Elizabeth Molella Socci, Republican
What is your professional background?
I have a deep connection to the Village of Millbrook, where I am a fourth-generation resident and have lived my entire life. My husband and I are raising our two daughters in the Village, teaching them the value of family and hometown traditions. I am a certified business education teacher. I hold an MBA, which has strengthened my ability in strategic planning and management. I have over twenty years of experience in property management, and, prior to teaching, I owned a business in Millbrook, which gave me a thorough understanding of the challenges small business owners face. I also have experience in marketing and inventory management, skills that help me analyze data, solve problems, and manage resources effectively.
What would be your top priorities?
My top priorities as a Village Trustee would be maintaining fiscal responsibility and upholding ethical standards, making certain that our resources are used responsibly, and that all decisions are made with transparency and integrity. I would focus on public safety by ensuring strong support for the Millbrook Fire Department and emergency services, Police Department, Highway Department and water and sewer services. I am also committed to prioritizing our local veterans and supporting the VFW, ensuring that they receive the recognition and resources they deserve.
Why are you the best person for this job?
I feel that I am the best candidate for this position because I bring a unique combination of lifelong dedication to our Village, professional experience, and hometown values. My education, along with my experience as a business owner, teacher, and property manager, has given me the practical skills to make informed decisions, manage resources, and plan responsibly for the Village’s future. I am passionate about preserving Millbrook’s traditions, ensuring fiscal responsibility, and advocating for public safety and veterans, all while staying true to our hometown values.
Kay Vanderlyn and FamilyPhoto Provided
Kay Vanderlyn, Republican
What is your professional background?
I hold a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture with a focus on urban planning & food systems. Since 2018, my husband and I have run Julien’s in the Village. With no kitchen staff, we cook together every night for the community. I make all the sushi and more! I also handle all the accounting, ordering, design and management of the business. Thanks to the support of our wonderful village we were able to grow and expand, even through the lockdowns that hurt many businesses. In 2022, we opened Julien’s Bar.
What would be your top priorities?
I am interested in developing more youth based programs in collaboration with the town. Our village hall and basketball courts are currently underutilized. I am a mother of five wonderful children and I know the challenges of long winters inside and filling long summer days outside with activities for the littles. This summer, my husband and I ran the snack bar at the Town Pool. It is an amazing space but also underutilized! Our neighboring Millerton just received a grant from NY SWIMS capital grant program for $6.38 million to revitalize their pool [sic]*. I will seek out relevant grant programs and do the legwork needed to obtain them. The village and town have the infrastructure already in place — I am passionate about building upon and further developing what we already have to better the community for our children and the future of the village.
Why are you the best person for this job?
For the last seven years, I have held a seat on the Village of Millbrook Planning Board. I understand the impact that local government can have on a community. We chose to raise our children here & to build and grow our business here. We are deeply dedicated to this beautiful village and I am ready to take that dedication along with my resiliency & experience to work hard for the Village of Millbrook!
Shannon MawsonPhoto Provided
Shannon Mawson, Democrat
What is your professional background?
I am a fitness and wellness consultant and educator in South America and domestically. While living in Belize, I developed and secured funding for a non-profit animal shelter and initiated collaboration with US canine rescue organizations to home them in the states. In addition to my wellness career, I also created marketing tools for firms participating in apparel industry trade shows.
What would be your top priorities?
I will continue discussions with Town officials and potential funders to maintain the Town recreation program at Village Hall. As a Trustee I shall hold the line on Village taxes and fees so we stay within the tax cap.
Why are you the best person for this job?
I have a long record of success as an entrepreneur because I have the discipline to budget, to listen closely to client needs and to tailor practical solutions for them. I collaborate with clients and colleagues to get things done. I will use these skills to help our new government team develop timely, cost-effective methods and to promote responsive solutions to problems that Village residents deserve.
*There is not currently a pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park in Millerton. The $6 million NY SWIMS grant funding is for the construction of a brand new pool and pool house.
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Letters to the editor: Oct. 17, 2024
Oct 16, 2024
Help support the NorthEast-Millerton Library proposition
On Nov. 5, the NorthEast-Millerton Library will be asking voters to vote on a proposition to secure $50,000 of funding from the Town of North East. This is money that the library already receives from the town, so no new money is being requested, and no tax increase will be incurred by the residents.
The funding provided by the town is only used for operating expenses, which includes salaries, material and supplies, programming for all ages, maintenance and utilities.
To answer any questions you may have regarding the proposition, the library trustees will be holding two Open Houses. The first is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., followed by another on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please join us in the library to hear more, and see some of the wonderful things happening at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.
The proposition will be on the back of the ballot. It is important to reiterate that this is not a new tax. A “yes” vote will secure the money already given by the town.
The staff and trustees of the NorthEast-Millerton Library appreciate your continued support.
Debbie Ruppel
President,
Board of Trustees
Millerton
Energizing the New York State Senate
New York needs more legislators like Michelle Hinchey. In just three years since she was first elected to the New York State Senate, she sponsored 82 bills that were signed into law. She is full of energy, demonstrates the integrity we need from all our elected officials, and has shown genuine sincerity in caring for all people in her district.
So many younger generation residents in our upstate communities have found it difficult to find meaningful jobs and careers that pay wages sufficient to cover housing, food and other living expenses. As a result, it is often our best and brightest who move out of New York to find careers elsewhere. These younger generation residents need representatives who understand their dilemma and who have the intelligence, creativity and energy to do something about it. At just 36 years of age, Michelle Hinchey understands what younger residents need and want, has experience beyond her years to figure out solutions, and has the passion and perseverance to get things done.
After only three years in the Senate, she has already been selected Chair of the Agriculture and Food Committee, and she serves as a member of 11 other committees. She already has sponsored legislation that addresses the accessibility and affordability of housing, cut middle class taxes, expanded the child tax credit, raised the minimum wage, makes it possible to address healthcare deserts in pockets of our state, enhances availability of reproductive healthcare, assists seniors on utility bills and rent stabilization, etc., etc. She also is the recipient of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Award from the New York Water Environment Association for her work to advance clean water initiatives and investments. That is only part of what she has done in only three years.
We not only need to ensure that Michelle Hinchey is re-elected, we need more senators like her.
Dean R. Nicyper
North East
Supporting Charlie Miller for Amenia Town Board
I am honored to run the vegetable garden at the food pantry at St. Thomas Church in Amenia. With the help of countless volunteers, we provide fresh vegetables to over 600 people every week. About five years ago I ask for volunteers to help spread compost on the garden beds. That’s when I first saw Charlie Miller in action. He show ups with a big smile and boundless determination to get the job done. Since then he has installed additional irrigation throughout the garden, replaced broken system sections and helped on numerous other projects. Charlie is the neighbor you call when you need someone to show up and get to work- he has always been there when the food pantry needs him. It is because of his dedication to our community that I am writing to express my strong support for Charlie Miller’s campaign for a seat on the Amenia Town Board. Having lived in Wassaic for over 35 years, I have only see a few people who give as much volunteer time as Charlie does. I hope you will join me in supporting him.
Marsha Kaufman
Wassaic
Vote Charlie Miller for Amenia Town Board
I have been a resident of Amenia for 40 years and pride myself on being active in the community. I am a member of the Amenia Zoning Board of Appeals and the Amenia Wastewater Committee. I also serve as the Warden of the Vestry at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. It is through my role at the church that I first met Charlie Miller in 2018 when he joined me and our neighbors volunteering at the Food Pantry’s Giving Garden. He was an enthusiastic member of the team, ready to do any chore, especially the heavy work. In 2020, we asked Charlie if he could design an irrigation system for 28 new raised beds in the Garden. He not only designed it; he donated the whole system and installed it! This story captures who Charlie is and what he accomplishes. He is an imaginative, hardworking, and a dedicated advocate for improving the lives of everyone in Amenia.
I state this with confidence because since working together in the Giving Garden I have served with Charlie on Amenia’s Wastewater Committee. He joined in the fall of 2021 and in the summer of 2022, after I stepped down as chairman, he was elected to that role. He has been a tireless leader - from working out the best layout for the proposed wastewater system, to rallying the community’s support for its construction, to figuring out how to navigate the county and state departments to advance the prospects of the project. And most importantly, he has relentlessly researched how to assemble grants and no cost loans to keep costs down. Not supporting municipal wastewater in the Amenia Hamlet is writing off its residents, businesses and the revitalization of our downtown.
Charlie is focused on making Amenia a great place to live affordably, work and raise a family. He seeks to find ways to make it possible for kids who grew up here to stay here as adults. Another way Charlie works toward achieving these goals is through his chairmanship of the Amenia Housing Board. In this role he leads a group of residents who are working very hard to build affordable housing in Amenia. One more thing! Earlier this year he was appointed to be Amenia’s Director of Finance, where he has worked to bring transparency to how our tax dollars are spent.
Charlie is the best candidate to fill the open position on the Town Board. He has proven this by his service and by his accomplishments as a leader on both the Housing Board and Wastewater Committee. Join me in voting for Charlie this November 5th.
One last point: Charlie has a great sense of humor, is a great cook and gardener.
Jim Wright
Amenia
Dan Aymar-Blair for Comptroller
I write to support Dan Aymar-Blair for Dutchess County Comptroller. Dan’s commitment to public service is evident from the fact that he left positions in major private financial institutions to manage budgets for the New York City Department of Education. Since 2019 Dan has served on Beacon’s City Council. Importantly, Dan has 20 years’ experience in finance. By contrast Dan’s opponent, Gregg Pulver, himself questioned whether he was appropriate for the position of Comptroller when he was appointed to fill that position after he lost his seat in the County Legislature. At that time, he told The New Pine Plains Herald that his experience was in governing, not accounting, and that he would have to rely on the Comptroller’s staff to keep track of the numbers. As reported by The Daily Catch, he was “initially hesitant to commit to running for comptroller this year due to his lack of experience in an oversight role.”
Here’s an idea: how about we elect a Comptroller with a background in finance so that he can be relied upon to direct and supervise his staff?
Pulver’s judgment in financial matters, even as a legislator, is open to serious question: he strongly (and, unfortunately, successfully) advocated that $25 million in federal COVID relief funds be used for, of all things, major improvements to a minor league baseball stadium. This was despite the absence of evidence that this huge investment in a private enterprise would be more beneficial to Dutchess residents than, for instance, improvements in health care, education, transportation and other basic services. He supported this huge investment in the baseball stadium because, he said, like planting crops, “you hope that the conditions are right to [be successful] . . . you gotta have a little faith.”
Pulver’s understanding of financial matters, however, was sufficient for him to decide that it would be a good idea, as one of his last acts as a Dutchess County Legislator, to vote in favor of a 30% salary increase for the Comptroller — the job he was about to assume.
Dan Aymar-Blair’s 20 years of experience in the private and public financial sectors makes him the far superior — and indeed an excellent — candidate for Comptroller. We deserve a Comptroller who has the experience to do the job with knowledge and integrity.
Amy Rothstein
Pine Plains
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Photo By Kimberly Yarnell
MILLERTON — What began in the warmth of the NorthEast-Millerton Library as a small group of young parents exchanging information and ideas has grown into the internet equivalent of a friendly neighborhood with plenty of room to welcome newcomers.
Founded in conjunction with the now retired Youth Services Director Lynn Buckley, the informally named Millerton Parents Group, uses the messaging program WhatsApp instead of chats over backyard fences as they build community.
Anyone with the common interest of family is welcome to join, de facto leader of the group Kimberly Yarnell said. Through laughs she said that while there is no head, “I’m the bossy Mom in the group ... I try to synthesize group communications, activities and opportunities to team up and meet up.”
She says the group formed “after the height of the Pandemic when we were all kind of crawling out of our holes and sort of having gone through a shared experience, many of us with 3, 4 and 5 year olds. We emerged with a real hunger for connections in a way that wasn’t really being serviced by the area.”
Yarnell, who has “two great kids,” 4 year old son Mathew and 1 year old daughter Margo said, “we can laugh about it now,” but it was difficult, especially for those who gave birth during the Pandemic.
With access to the Library and support in developing programming, the group brought in speakers for topics of general interest such as sleep issues and doulas.
But as children and family sizes grew, crowded schedules evolved. It became difficult to attend meetings, so connections moved to the internet where families now swap information on critical issues such as the best babysitters, pediatricians, dentists and the like.
They also provide support when someone has a sick child and set up play dates, walks on the Rail Trail and share information about interesting events. Each Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., interested members gather at Eddie Collins Memorial Park where they take turns bringing pizza and the children romp while the parents find adult companionship.
Recently, members looked “into their closets” to find outgrown clothing for it’s second and hopefully continuing clothing swap. Because of scheduling conflicts at the Library where Buckley had helped to organize the initial event, the Northeast Community Center provided the needed space for some 25 participants.
As can be the case with that sort of event, some items were not chosen, but following the spirit of reaching out, Yarnell said those were donated to Ben and Gracie’s Thrift Shop in Poughkeepsie. The shop determined the value of the merchandise and presented vouchers in that amount to the Grace Smith House in Poughkeepsie which provides shelter and support for those facing domestic violence.
Yarnell says the vouchers, in turn, were given to residents who can gain a sense of “empowerment” as they are able to use them at the shop to make purchases for their own families instead of being handed a bag “of stuff” chosen by someone else.
Anyone interested in joining is welcome to email kimberlyyarnell@gmail.com for an invitation to the group’s WhatsApp.
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MILLBROOK — Having received conceptual planning describing a major capital project to include needed maintenance and upgrades, the Board of Education at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8, agreed to hold two public forums in advance of a mid-November referendum.
Postcards summarizing the project are being sent to all households to announce the forums planned for Wednesday, Oct. 30 and Wednesday, Nov. 13 at the Middle School Auditorium, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The referendum to vote on the capital project is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 19, from noon until 9 p.m.
To view details of the plans for the capital project prepared by BBS Architects, go to the Millbrook Central School District website at: www.millbrookcsd.org.
As presented by BBS, the capital project is divided into three major partitions. The first would see improvements to HVAC systems in all schools within the Central School District, supported by three bonding propositions.
The second would address building condition issues (maintenance and repairs) needed at Elm Drive and the Middle School, as well as Alden Place, supported by two bonding resolutions.
And the third would promote energy performance in all the schools, supported by three bonding propositions.
The total cost for all three partitions as now proposed would be $59,867,973, although some of the impact would be offset by available state funds and energy savings over time.
BBS engineers noted that state law requires that a school Building Condition Survey be completed every five years.
Existing HVAC systems are aging out, according to BBS, particularly at the Elm Drive School, where a “dedicated outdoor air system” is being proposed.
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