elections 2024

Nicole Ahearn seeks full term on Amenia’s Town Board

Nicole Ahearn seeks full term on Amenia’s Town Board

Nicole Ahearn

Photo Provided

AMENIA — Republican Nicole Ahearn was appointed to the Amenia Town Board in 2024. The following excerpts have been selected and edited for ease of reading.

Q: What is your professional background?

A: I was appointed to the Town board in March 2024. Previously, I was the chairperson of the Recreation Commission and a part time building clerk. I have been a bus driver for Webutuck Schools for the last ten years and I have a strong background in customer service.

What would be your top priorities?

Highway garage construction is vital to the community and our employees. Amenia’s crumbling infrastructure needs to be addressed following two water main breaks in the past eight months. Smart growth is also crucial for Amenia. We need to preserve Amenia’s rural qualities while broadening the tax base through more housing options and other efforts to attract businesses of all kinds to our town. I also want better Town/school district coordination so we can be sure our students receive all the tools they need for quality education. I will continue to work with our partners in county and state government to keep Amenia a safe place to live and raise a family.

Why are you the best person for the job?

I’ve lived in this area my whole life. My husband and I have six children in public schools here. I go to work in our school district every single day. As the only full-time resident in this race, I understand our community’s needs. I am committed to keeping taxes low because I know it is tough raising a family these days. I’ll make sure your government works for tax payers, not itself. I’ll ensure we have the services and infrastructure necessary to keep Amenia a beautiful place to live, raise a family and possibly start a business. I’ll never forget who I work for.

elections 2024

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Classifieds - June 26, 2025

Classifieds - June 26, 2025

Help Wanted

PART-TIME BOOKKEEPER: The Millerton Antiques Center is looking for a full-charge bookkeeper with knowledge of accounting principles. Flexible hours. Only 1-2 hours per week plus an additional 3-4 hours at the beginning of the month. Most work can be done from home. Weekly/monthly data entry; accounts payable; payroll; monthly financial reporting. Must know Quickbooks. Pay determined by skills and experience. Call or text Bob at 917-301-2509.

Business Development Manager (Amenia, NY), Duties incl: 1. Strategic Planning and Implementation (30%): Dvlp & execute fundraising strategies or school progs & initiatives. 2. Grant Writing & Management (20%): Research, write, & submit grant proposals to secure funding from gov’t agencies, foundations, & other sources. 3. Donor Relations & Stewardship 20%): Cultivate & maintain relationships w/current & prospective donors through personalized communications, events, & meetings. 4. Collab w/Staff (15%): Work closely w/the Dir. of Finance, Principal, & other admin staff to ensure alignment in fundraising efforts & budgeting. 5. Event Planning & Coordination (10%): Plan & execute fundraising events such as auctions, galas, & community engagement activities. 6. Data Management & Reporting (5%): Prep reports & presentations for the school board to highlight fundraising outcomes & future goals. A Mstr’s deg in Biz Admin + 2 yrs exp working in Biz Dvlpmnt or Biz Mgmt is req’d. Sal $143,811.00/Yr.Email res to Olivet Academy at jenyank@olivetacademy.org.

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Juneteenth and Mumbet’s legacy

Juneteenth and Mumbet’s legacy

Sheffield resident, singer Wanda Houston will play Mumbet in "1781" on June 19 at 7 p.m. at The Center on Main, Falls Village.

Jeffery Serratt

In August of 1781, after spending thirty years as an enslaved woman in the household of Colonel John Ashley in Sheffield, Massachusetts, Elizabeth Freeman, also known as Mumbet, was the first enslaved person to sue for her freedom in court. At the time of her trial there were 5,000 enslaved people in the state. MumBet’s legal victory set a precedent for the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts in 1790, the first in the nation. She took the name Elizabeth Freeman.

Local playwrights Lonnie Carter and Linda Rossi will tell her story in a staged reading of “1781” to celebrate Juneteenth, ay 7 p.m. at The Center on Main in Falls Village, Connecticut.Singer Wanda Houston will play MumBet, joined by actors Chantell McCulloch, Tarik Shah, Kim Canning, Sherie Berk, Howard Platt, Gloria Parker and Ruby Cameron Miller. Musical composer Donald Sosin added, “MumBet is an American hero whose story deserves to be known much more widely.”

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A sweet collaboration with students in Torrington

A sweet collaboration with students in Torrington

The new mural painted by students at Saint John Paul The Great Academy in Torrington, Connecticut.

Photo by Kristy Barto, owner of The Nutmeg Fudge Company

Thanks to a unique collaboration between The Nutmeg Fudge Company, local artist Gerald Incandela, and Saint John Paul The Great Academy in Torrington, Connecticut a mural — designed and painted entirely by students — now graces the interior of the fudge company.

The Nutmeg Fudge Company owner Kristy Barto was looking to brighten her party space with a mural that celebrated both old and new Torrington. She worked with school board member Susan Cook and Incandela to reach out to the Academy’s art teacher, Rachael Martinelli.

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In the company of artists

In the company of artists

Curator Henry Klimowicz, left, with artists Brigitta Varadi and Amy Podmore at The Re Institute

Aida Laleian

For anyone who wants a deeper glimpse into how art comes about, an on-site artist talk is a rich experience worth the trip.On Saturday, June 14, Henry Klimowicz’s cavernous Re Institute — a vast, converted 1960’s barn north of Millerton — hosted Amy Podmore and Brigitta Varadi, who elucidated their process to a small but engaged crowd amid the installation of sculptures and two remarkable videos.

Though they were all there at different times, a common thread among Klimowicz, Podmore and Varadi is their experience of New Hampshire’s famed MacDowell Colony. The silence, the safety of being able to walk in the woods at night, and the camaraderie of other working artists are precious goads to hardworking creativity. For his part, for fifteen years, Klimowicz has promoted community among thousands of participating artists, in the hope that the pairs or groups he shows together will always be linked. “To be an artist,” he stressed, “is to be among other artists.”

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