Public Defender steps down, puts new focus on community

Tom Angell

Provided

Public Defender steps down, puts new focus on community

STANFORD — After more than three decades in the Dutchess County Public Defender’s office, Stanfordville’s Tom Angell stepped down at the end of last year to open a part time private practice and spend more time with his children and grandchildren.

A graduate of Rhinebeck High School, Angell has lived in the Hudson Valley since he was 11 years old. After attending Earlham College and Hofstra University Law School, Angell returned to Dutchess County, where he first joined the public defender’s office in 1989 as senior assistant public defender. In 2004, he was appointed chief assistant public defender, after which he became acting public defender in 2011 and public defender in 2013.

Reflecting on his time in the public defender’s office, Angell emphasized what a privilege it was to work with people who had been charged with crimes. He was interested in becoming a public defender from a young age, inspired by the prospect of doing good for people who were less fortunate than he was. Most of his clients were part of the local community, and he noted that it was a privilege to stand up for people who were looked down upon and watch them transform their lives, using their skills to better themselves and contribute to the communities they lived in.

Through his career at the Public Defender’s office, Angell recognized a change in the attitude toward substance abuse and mental health problems within the justice system. He noted that while there is now more recognition and understanding of the role that they play, there has been little systemic progress in actually addressing or changing the way that the courts interact with these issues. Despite this, he acknowledges the importance of the strides made in treatment options and “treatment courts,” programs through which defendants convicted of certain nonviolent substance-related crimes may opt to receive a reduced sentence in exchange for participating in court-supervised treatment. Angell was particularly enthusiastic about these programs, as he believes that it is often counterproductive to send people to prison for extended periods of time.

In addition to new perspectives on mental health and substance abuse, Angell recognized an improvement in the way that the impact of race in the courts has been discussed, but again acknowledged a lack of systemic change.

Despite his recent departure from his role as Public Defender, Angell is far from finished turning out for his community. A strong believer in the importance of farming and rural communities, he recognizes the role that farms play for everyone, not just those living in rural communities.

“The heart of America is its rural communities,” he said. “When the rural communities are strong, America is strong.”

Currently serving as the chairman of the Dutchess County Agricultural Society’s scholarship committee, Angell is especially passionate about involving younger people in the world of agriculture.

“Children who are raised in farm families have a tremendous amount to offer society,” Angell said.

Angell has also brought some of his community involvement closer to home. He continues to live at Bentley Farm, which his family has owned for nearly a century. He once welcomed students to the farm from a charter school in Harlem, some of whom he said had never set foot on grass and received immense joy from rolling down the hills. Angell also serves as the chairman of Stanfordville’s planning board and zoning commission, where he is working to establish a right to farm law. Most importantly, since leaving the Public Defender’s office he has been spending far more time with his children and grandchildren.

Latest News

'Gather' at Troutbeck

Romane Recalde speaking about her new business at Gather.

Natalia Zukerman

Hosted by Jason Klein and Sascha Lewis, an ongoing series called “Gather” at Troutbeck in Amenia brings together a curious crowd of local entrepreneurs, artists, and others with a story to tell for an intimate midday chat. On Thursday, Jan. 16, floral designer Romane Recalde, owner of the newly opened Le Jardin in Amenia, took center stage to share her journey from modeling in Miami to cultivating flowers in the Hudson Valley. Gather is a place to share stories, swap advice, and celebrate some of the unique businesses that make our area vibrant — all with a delicious lunch on the side. The gatherings are unconventional in the best way, with no agenda beyond good conversation and community building.

Recalde’s story isn’t just about creating a flower shop; it’s about a complete reinvention of self. “I hated Miami so much,” said the French-born Recalde, recalling her time in Florida before moving to New York. She worked as a model in New York, and eventually met her husband, James. Their pandemic escape to Turks and Caicos turned into a six-month stay, which in turn led them to Millbrook and finally to their home in Amenia, where Recalde’s connection to nature blossomed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mad Rose opens ‘Assembled’ exhibition

Mad Rose Gallery’s “Assembled” exhibition opened Saturday, Jan. 18, with a public reception.

The eclectic exhibition — on view until March 2 at the gallery on the intersection of Routes 22 and 44 in Millerton — gathers together work from a group of diverse artists with decades of experience between them. The exhibition itself is true to the name, featuring photographs, sculptures, drawings and mixed media works in all shapes and sizes.

Keep ReadingShow less
The fragile bonds of family: a review of Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters'

Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters' is written with such verve and poetic imagination that it’s hard to fathom how it could be the author’s first novel. Ms. Lerner, 64, has worked for three decades as a literary agent, editor, and non-fiction writer, but at some point during the Covid pandemic — without any forethought — she sat down and typed out the first line of the novel exactly as it now appears in the book, and then completed it without telling anyone what she was up to.

The novel takes place over twenty years — from the 1970s into the ’90s — and is a kind of guide for that era. It reads like a memoir accompanied by some bouncy dialogue, but is actually a work of what’s called autofiction in which Lerner mixes her own experiences — including her own struggle with mental illness — with things she simply makes up. The fictional narrator is Amy Shred, the younger of two sisters in an upper-middle-class, secular Jewish family living in the suburbs of New Haven, Connecticut.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lazy, hazy days of...winter?

This small stream is fishable, despite the wintry conditions. It probably won't be a pleasant or productive experience, but it can be done.

Patrick L. Sullivan

When syndicated columnists run out of ideas they do one of two things.

First they collect the last couple year’s worth of columns and call it a book. These are published to great acclaim from other syndicated columnists and show up in due course in gigantic, ziggurat-shaped mounds at Costco for $4.98 a pop.

Keep ReadingShow less