Millerton voters to cast their ballots on March 21

MILLERTON — Come Tuesday, March 21, voters in the village election will have the chance to select their next mayor and two of their village trustees, as a total of four candidates vie for the positions.

 Debbie Middlebrook

Democrat Debbie Middlebrook earned the endorsement of both the Democrats and the Republicans this year. A trustee since 2008, Middlebrook has twice served as deputy mayor under the leadership of outgoing Mayor Marty Markonic. 

Markonic decided not to run for re-election this year, and has given his blessing to Middlebrook in her quest for the top office.

Middlebrook has long been an advocate of improving the village’s infrastructure.

“I feel like a broken record when I say over and over again, it’s infrastructure,” she said on naming the most important issue facing the village. “And we need to get our sidewalks repaired. We’re supposed to be a walking village. And a more pressing issue is our aging water system. We need an accurate mapping of our aging water lines, and I think this will be the focus in the next few years.”

Talk of a sewer system, she said, is also on her radar, though the mayoral candidate said the water system upgrades will have to come first.

“The sewer system, I think, will follow once everything is done with the water system,” she said.

As far as local politics goes, Middlebrook said she thinks they’ll survive the storm brewing on the national front.

“We’re at the local level, so we have more common issues than party issues,” she said. “And I don’t think as a local politician I will have any impact on national politics. But I will do what I can to have an impact on our little corner of the world.”

Middlebrook added that she takes it as a sign of community solidarity that she was cross-endorsed by both parties.

“I think people recognize that we have to work together, especially in small communities,” she said. 

 Christine Bates

Four candidates were chosen at this year’s caucuses for two village trustee positions, minus one nominee who announced he’s not seeking office.

One of those candidates is current Trustee Christine Bates, who has already served on the Village Board for two two-year terms.

Bates, who belongs to no official party (NOP), has been endorsed by the Democrats. She said she decided to run again because while there are some important changes that the village has undergone, she wants to push other changes forward.

Renovating Village Hall is at the top of her list.

“It’s something that is our calling card, and it looks very shabby,” Bates said, adding the infrastructure at Village Hall is in poor condition.

She would also like to see the water system be mapped — something both she and Middlebrook have long hoped for. Additionally, Bates said she’s trying to develop project plans so the village will be ready to apply for grants to help with necessary work, like repairs to the water system.

“We have very effectively been chasing down leaks in the water system, and I think we’ve really reduced the amount of water pumping, because leaks have been identified and repaired correctly,” she said.

In general, Bates said running a village can be challenging.

“It’s so much more complicated than the town, because we have the police department, sidewalks, water, streetlights, and it’s very difficult for a part-time mayor and board, and a small staff, to handle all of these components that make up the village,” she said. “You’re talking about fewer than 800 people with a lighting district, water, police and sidewalks.”

One improvement Bates said she’d really like to see made has to do with village recreation. She said improvements to Eddie Collins Field are sorely needed. The village was recently awarded a matching $5,000 grant to do a schematic layout. It’s also set aside $30,000 to improve the basketball court.

 Madeleine Bambery

The other candidate endorsed by the Democrats is Democrat Madeleine Bambery, who is making her first foray into politics.

She may be a familiar face to those who frequent the Manna Dew restaurant, which she manages. Bambery has been at the restaurant, which is currently in its spring hiatus, for nearly seven years.

While she hasn’t served in public office before, Bambery said she’s been interested in the community since moving here from neighboring Connecticut, and got the idea to run from North East Councilman John Midwood.

“He kind of approached me and said we need more young people in the village, and I just felt like it would be a really awesome opportunity to make a change,” she said. 

The main issues facing the village, according to Bambery, include recreation.

“Budgetwise, we talked about how we think there should be more affordable summer camp options for kids,” she said, “And upkeeping the village, giving it a facelift. I’d like to make the sidewalks safer. But mostly, aesthetically, I think, improvements are needed.”

Though Bambery said she’s only been to a few Village Board meetings, she said she has met with both Middlebrook and Bates to talk about village life and local government.

The candidate said she looks forward to the possibility of serving her community and learning about the village’s needs as they are presented to her.

 Jenn Najdek

Among the trustee candidates, Jenn Najdek has the longest history in Millerton. Her family has  lived in the village for 10 generations.

While endorsed by the Republicans, Najdek is registered NOP. She has never run for elected office, yet she has vast experience in civic life.

Najdek was the village’s recreation director for nine years. She worked as a lifeguard, taught swimming and was aquatic director for many more years at the village pool. She’s a board member of Townscape, is in charge of the holiday food baskets through the Millerton Food Pantry, and is a volunteer assistant girls varsity basketball coach at Webutuck High School.

“I don’t know that it’s all so busy, that’s just how my mother raised me to be,” she said. 

Her mother is the late Mariley Najdek, who served as village mayor and frequent volunteer in Millerton. 

“She was always involved in everything, yet managed to have time to raise us kids and do the stuff she wanted to do. It was instilled in me — I was born to do it.”

Because she has been around local government — in one form or another — for so long, Najdek said the time felt right to run for office.

“I have knowledge of the way the village budget works. I’ve always been around it but was never part of the decision-making process, so when the Republican party asked me if I would consider it, I decided it was time to step up.”

Her passion, she said, is recreation. 

“We had a great facility down there, with the handicap-accessible playground, the pool. But some of that stuff has run its course, and it’s time to revitalize that and bring back the field,” Najdek said. 

One way to accomplish that, she added, is to pursue grants. Already, a Greenway grant is helping. 

There are other important issues, she said, including infrastructure, water repairs, the potential for a sewer system in the business district and the undergrounding of electrical wires on Main Street.

“I don’t know if those are projects to be tackled in one term, but there are definitely some projects we can make some headway on moving forward,” she said.  

 Stephen Waite

The Republicans, in a show of support for current Village Trustee Stephen Waite, nominated Waite for re-election at their caucus this year. Waite, however, had already announced he did not plan on rerunning due to personal reasons.

While Waite stands by that decision, he said he was “humbled” by the GOP recognition, and added that maybe one day he will return to public life.

 Where and when to vote

Election Day for village voters is Tuesday, March 21. Polls are open from noon till 9 p.m., at the Village Nutrition Site on Simmons Street. The nutrition center entrance is at the north side of Village Hall, located at 21 Dutchess Ave.

For more information, call 518-789-4489.