Houston seeks third term in County Legislature

MILLBROOK — Dutchess County Legislator Deirdre Houston (R-25) is running for a third two-year term in the Legislature, basing her campaign on her experience as a small business owner and being a Dutchess County resident for more than 30 years.

District 25 consists of Amenia, the Town of Washington and the Village of Millbrook, and part of Pleasant Valley. She wants to keep Dutchess County affordable for middle-class residents and senior citizens on fixed incomes, believing that smart growth  and a strong economy can co-exist.

Running on the Republican and Conservative tickets, Houston wants to preserve farmland and open space; to that end she co-sponsored the Right-to-Farm Law.

She also hopes to expand services for children, seniors and veterans; she serves on the Veterans Affairs Committee. Houston is chair of the Government Services Committee, is vice chair of the Public Safety Commission and is on the Human Services Committee.

She also serves as liaison to the Dutchess Community College Board of Trustees and to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County, which among her other efforts supports the FFA.

Houston gained some of her expertise in public affairs by serving on the Millbrook Central School District Board of Education for five and a half years, participating in a number of diverse committees while doing so. She’s also a former trustee of the Millbrook Educational Foundation, and is a former board member of the Millbrook Arts Group.

She co-sponsored legislation that brought ethics reform to Dutchess County, resulting in county elected officials having to now file financial disclosure forms. The legislator also supported setting term limits for all county elected officials.

Working across party lines is essential, said Houston, to accomplish work for taxpayers.

She is a firm believer in having an open-door policy and makes herself available to her constituents on an ongoing basis, maintaining a flexible schedule for local residents.

Having lived in Millbrook for more than 20 years, Houston and her husband raised their children in the village and sent them through the Millbrook Central School District. Houston owns Millbrook Floral Designs on Franklin Avenue in the village.

She often attends Millbrook Village Board and Washington Town Board meetings to keep abreast of what is happening in the area, and to give reports of what is going on in the county. Throughout the COVID 19 pandemic, she has kept her constituents updated concerning masking, vaccinations and local mandates.

Related Articles Around the Web

Latest News

Home field advantage holds true for Webutuck softball and baseball

Olivia Wickwire, no. 2, tags out a runner at first base. The Webutuck Warriors varsity softball team beat the Germantown Clippers 14-7 at home Friday, April 25.

Photo by Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Webutuck girls varsity softball beat visiting Germantown 14-7 Friday, April 25.


Keep ReadingShow less
Historians and neighbors celebrate Revolutionary War veterans at old Amenia Burying Ground

Tim Middlebrook, President of the Columbia Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, left, Amenia Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, center, and Amenia Historical Society President Betsy Strauss unveiled a new historical marker at the Old Amenia Burying Ground on Saturday, April 26. The marker commemorates revolutionary war veterans buried at the cemetery where the Red Meeting House once stood on Mygatt Road.

Photo By Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Tim Middlebrook of the Sons of the American Revolution and Amenia Historical Society President Betsy Strauss unveiled a new historical marker honoring Revolutionary War vets in the Amenia Burying Ground.

Rain all morning had threatened the event, but historical society members, lovers of history and sons of the revolution persisted and the rain let up just in time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton ends Earth Day week with film and talk on pervasive plastics

From left, Deborah Maier, moderator, Megan Wolff, Nicole Clanahan and Olivia Skeen.

Photo by John Coston

MILLERTON — The Climate Smart Task Force celebrated the end of Earth Day week on Sunday, April 27, with a free showing of “Plastic People,” a documentary about humanity’s relationship with plastic, cosponsored by The Moviehouse.
The award-winning film portrays a pervasive role plastic plays in our lives and explores its effect on human health, especially as microplastics.

Microplastics have found their way into human organs and even into the placentas of new mothers. The film is a call to action by science journalist Ziya Tong, who talks with scientists and undertakes self experimentation to prove her points.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amenia Planning Board calls for more detail in Keane Stud subdivision covenant study
Amenia Town Hall
Photo by John Coston

AMENIA — A report from the town’s visual impact consultant in connection with the application submitted by developers of the proposed Keane Stud subdivision led to discussion of the type of detailed information needed to satisfy local requirements at the regular meeting of the Planning Board on Wednesday, April 23.

At the April 9 meeting of the Planning Board, Keane Stud subdivision’s Senior Planner Peter Sander of Rennia Engineering had reviewed plan changes that had reduced the number of lots planned from 27 to 23 with a corresponding reduction in total acreage from 704 to 605. Changes had been made to protect the viewshed from DeLaVergne Hill, Sander said.

Keep ReadingShow less