'Swingtime Canteen'
Swingtime Canteen cast in rehearsal. Left to right, Lucy Rhoades (“Katie”), Claire Marie Spencer (“Topeka”), Michelle Lemon (“Lilly”), Margaret Dudasik (“Marian”), and Sarah Beth Palmer (“Jo”)
Ellie McKissick
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Primary race for Assembly District 106 heats up in final weeks
Nathan Miller
Jun 17, 2026
Six-term Assemblymember Didi Barrett is facing a primary challenge from Democrat Sam Hodge, who argues the district needs stronger action on affordability and utility costs as voters head toward the June 23 election.
Barrett, a 75-year-old Columbia County resident who has represented the 106th Assembly District since 2012, is seeking a seventh term on a record she says includes delivering state funding to local communities and advancing legislation aimed at increasing oversight of utility companies and protecting ratepayers.
Hodge, a 39-year-old attorney and former chairman of the Columbia County Democratic Committee, launched his campaign in December, contending that Albany has failed to adequately address rising costs facing residents. The Claverack resident describes himself as a progressive and has centered his campaign on affordability issues, particularly utility rates, housing costs and access to childcare.
The district covers much of southern Columbia County and northern Dutchess County, including the towns of North East and Pine Plains.
Barrett said she is seeking reelection to continue the work she’s been doing over the past 14 years. She called attention to millions in state funding and grants that she helped deliver to organizations, municipalities and groups across her district, including funding for the NorthEast-Millerton Library, the North East Community Center, infrastructure and recreation upgrades across Millerton and the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.
She currently serves as chair of the assembly’s energy committee, a post that she has held since 2023.
Hodge presented his platform as a contrast to Barrett’s, saying that while securing grant funding for municipalities and nonprofit organizations is important, it does not solve the affordability crisis.
He aims to tackle affordability through greater regulation of utility companies and providing access to early childcare such as the Gov. Kathy Hochul-backed plan to eventually implement universal Pre-K statewide.
Both candidates agree affordability is a defining issue, but Hodge contends Barrett hasn’t acted to address it adequately. He said Barrett has been ineffective as chair of the energy committee.
“I looked into her record and I was thoroughly disappointed by it,” Hodge said. “That’s why I decided to jump in this race.”
Hodge called attention to rising utility rates in the region, saying the energy committee should be working to pass legislation limiting rate increases.
“Her responsibility is to make sure we can afford those bills,” Hodge said.
Barrett defended her record, calling attention to legislation that she said improves transparency and accountability at the Public Service Commission, a New York State regulatory board that oversees utility rate hikes.
Barrett championed the “Rate Transparency Act,” which passed in the assembly on May 14 and delivered to the New York State Senate. The bill had not been voted out of the Energy and Telecommunications Senate committee by the end of the 2026 legislative session.
The “Rate Transparency Act” would require utility companies to delineate some charges on customers’ bills under separate categories including delivery and supply of electricity and gas.
Barrett called attention to three other bills that she introduced in this legislative session that have passed the assembly and moved on to the senate.
Those bills include the “ASAP act,” which would set a new target for statewide solar energy production; a bill that would direct the Public Service Commission to enforce performance standards against utility companies; and a bill that requires the Public Service Commission to consider affordability in rate increase determinations.
“We passed a number of bills that are really refocusing the work that the Public Service Commission does,” Barrett said. “We’ve really looked at ways to protect consumers and ratepayers.”
Hodge said those efforts are too little and too late for the region. He pointed to the recent approval of a rate hike for utility company National Grid, which just entered the second-year of an approved three-year rate increase schedule.
Hodge argues that Barrett’s campaign contributions from energy industry political action committees raise questions about her approach to utility regulation.
Barrett has received a little over $160,000 in total contributions since the start of 2025, according to data from the New York State Board of Elections. Roughly $23,750, or about 14.6%, of the total contributions have come from energy industry political action committees.
“My votes have never been for sale, and during my time in office, I have sponsored, voted for and passed many bills to protect ratepayers and lower energy costs,” Barrett said.
She cited legislation she introduced as part of this year’s New York State budget that she said would require utility companies to return excess revenue to customers.
“Up until now, utility companies were allowed to keep profits earned above their approved ‘return on equity’ – but with my advocacy, that money will go back to ratepayers to give some relief from rising electricity costs. The utility companies have been fighting this bill since I first introduced it.”
Hodge rejected that defense.
The winner of the June 23 Democratic primary is expected to be heavily favored in the general election.
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Incumbent assemblymember rejects call for debate
Nathan Miller
Jun 17, 2026
Assemblymember Didi Barrett has rejected calls for a debate with primary challenger Sam Hodge, saying the first-time candidate has spent the campaign misrepresenting her record and failing to offer substantive policy proposals.
Hodge first posed his debate challenge to Barrett in early May following a public forum hosted by the Claverack Democratic Committee. The forum gave voters a chance to hear from both candidates for 30 minutes as they vie for the 106th district seat.
Hodge cited intense public interest in the forum as his inspiration for issuing the challenge, saying important questions went unanswered. He proposed hour-long debates — one in Columbia County and one in Dutchess County.
That challenge went unanswered, Hodge’s campaign said in a statement.
“Voters deserve the chance to hear our competing visions for the future of the Hudson Valley,” Hodge said. “People deserve a real conversation about solutions.”
Barrett questioned Hodge’s credibility when asked whether she would debate him.
“Sam Hodge has spent this entire campaign lying about me and my record while I have been busy doing the job I was elected to do,” Barrett said. “We just finished the legislative session;I have been in Albany almost every day of the week – often until 10 p.m. or later, and on the weekends my priority has been getting to events in my district. Given his track record with telling the truth and his failure to put forward any real policies, I will not be debating him.”
Barrett’s campaign disputed several of Hodge’s characterizations of her record, including claims that she opposes higher taxes on wealthy New Yorkers, citing her support for a tax on ultra-luxury New York City apartments.
Hodge decried Barrett’s statements as unfounded personal attacks. He rejected the assertion that he’s unfamiliar with Barrett’s record.
“I looked into her record and I was fundamentally disappointed,” Hodge said. “That’s why I decided to jump in this race.”
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Amenia Board delays subdivision project over water supply, town character concerns
Leila Hawken
Jun 17, 2026
Amenia Town Hall
File photo
AMENIA — Planning Board members have again delayed action on a proposed workforce housing subdivision, citing unresolved concerns over firefighting water capacity and the project’s potential impact on the town’s character.
Citing those two unresolved areas of concern, the Planning Board voted against approving a resolution that would have concluded the conservation analysis aspect of the application for the 28-unit proposed Cascade Creek subdivision, which would go up on 18 acres along Route 22 near the Freshtown Plaza. The conservation analysis step has been underway since 2024.
Passage of the resolution would have satisfied New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act requirements by certifying that the project would not have a significant adverse impact on the environment.
Reaching its vote of 4-2 against passage of the negative declaration resolution at its regular meeting on Wednesday, June 10, the Planning Board went on to ask the developer, Hudson River Housing, for more assurances about plans for an adequate supply of firefighting water storage and its concerns about impact on the town’s character as a whole.
Casting negative votes were chairman Robert Boyles, John Stefanopoulos, Ken Topolsky and Jamie Vitiello. Voting affirmatively were Nina Peek and Fox Bullock. James Walsh was absent.
If the negative declaration had passed, the action would have cleared the way for the Cascade Creek developer to submit site plans for the 24.13 acres where 59% of the land would be conserved. The development would contain 28 house lots.
“There is a balancing point between what’s reasonable and what will do the job,” said board engineer John Andrews, favoring the idea of moving ahead with the declaration, while stressing that the decision is up to the board.
Substantial discussion centered on the amount of water storage capability necessary for adequate fire protection.
Representing the developer, Engineer Richard Rennia said that the firefighting water supply would be available for the local fire department’s use to fight fires in the wider area, not just within the Cascade Creek development. Firefighters could use the supply to refill tanker trucks, Rennia said.
“So it’s going to be 60,000 gallons for community use,” Rennia told the board.
During a March meeting, the developer had first proposed 40,000 gallons and the fire district had recommended 180,000 gallons.
Discussion broadened to the number of planned lots, focusing on water supply within each lot’s well and any potential effect on neighbors’ wells.
“The number of lots presumes successful wells,” said Peter Sander, Senior Planner for Rennia Engineering.
“We don’t know until we drill test wells,” Rennia added. “The number of units is determined by well testing.”
Responsive to the variety of residents’ concerns heard during public hearings, planning board member Jamie Vitiello recalled the range of conflicting opinions voiced.
Board attorney Cassandra Britton noted that more public hearings will be held to hear comments on non-SEQRA issues during the site plan review phase.
“Once you start the subdivision site plan process,” Andrews told the board, “you have the ability to re-look at all this stuff. There are many issues that could bring a stumble. This is part of the process.”
Regarding concerns over impacts to the town’s character, Board member Ken Topolsky commented that the language within the code regarding community character is subjective.
Residents have voiced concerns over density, saying the proposed site is an agricultural field and that the surrounding neighborhood cannot support 28 additional homes.
As a next step, Andrews said that the applicant is expected to continue discussion with fire department officials to resolve the water storage issue. The developer will examine plans for any modifications to make the impact analysis acceptable.
“I would like for them to come back, so that we do not need to delay,” Topolsky said.
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North East’s new Town Hall held up by courtroom drama
Nathan Miller
Jun 17, 2026
North East Town Hall on Maple Avenue in Millerton.
Photo by Aly Morrissey
MILLERTON — North East Town Council members have come under fire over plans to relocate town court service to Amenia’s Town Hall.
Town Justices Dennis Johnson and Casey McCabe sharply criticized the plans during public comment at a regular meeting of the Town Board on Thursday, June 11. Town Board members have been discussing a proposal that would allow for court proceedings to take place at Amenia Town Hall to save floor space in the new Town Hall.
The debate comes as North East prepares to relocate Town Hall from its current Maple Avenue location to a former Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall on Route 22. The town purchased the approximately 4,500-square-foot building in 2023, with plans to renovate it into a new, fully accessible municipal complex. Town officials have said space constraints within the building have prompted discussions about whether a dedicated courtroom can be accommodated alongside other municipal offices.
The plans involve a proposed contract with the Town of Amenia that would allow use of its courtroom for North East Town Court proceedings. Court Clerk and justice offices would be located in the new Town Hall, located in a former Jehovah’s Witnesses hall on Route 22.
Johnson said he first heard of the plans from Town Supervisor Chis Kennan’s public comments at an Amenia Town Board meeting on June 4. North East Town Board members have been discussing the plans in public meetings since April.
Johnson expressed frustration over what he described as a lack of communication between the Town Board and the court.
“I don’t understand how it is that we got to this point,” Johnson said. “That neither of the justices had been consulted about this.”
Johnson described the multi-year process that went into designing the planned courtroom. He said the town’s court employees and justices had spent months working with the New York Office of Court Administration and designers to ensure the room would meet Americans with Disabilities Act and New York State standards.
Johnson defended courtroom plans, saying the space would be shared as the current courtroom in North East’s Town Hall on Maple Avenue currently is.
McCabe’s protests centered around courtroom organization and access to court records. She said it would be difficult for the court to adapt to unexpected circumstances if court records and documents were stored in North East while proceedings took place in Amenia.
She described the ongoing discussions among Town Board members as an unnecessary further expense, echoing pleas from Johnson that the justices be included in further plans for the town court.
Johnson and McCabe both described providing a town court in North East as a responsibility, saying that moving court proceedings out of town would be disenfranchising and unfair to residents and taxpayers.
Johnson and McCabe both declined to provide further comment.
“I gave my public comment,” Johnson said in response to further questions after the meeting.
Kennan clarified the town’s position following the meeting. He said the public comment at Amenia’s Town Board was an attempt to kickstart discussion with the town, not an official proposal.
He said Town Board members were exploring options for saving space at the new Town Hall. Kennan said court officials have insisted on a separation between the court and the Town Board.
“Justice Johnson has reminded me several times that the court is a separate unit of government and that the town has no role with the court,” Kennan said. “As I understand it, our only role is to find them space for their court clerk and for their courtroom.”
At the Amenia meeting, Kennan described requirements for the courtroom and associated infrastructure as “mind-boggling.” He said there are no laws requiring courts to be located within town limits and cited guidance from Dutchess County and New York that municipalities should be looking for opportunities to consolidate services.
Kennan said he has since reached out to the justices and expects to meet with them this week. He acknowledged that planning for the new Town Hall has taken considerable time, but expressed optimism that things can start getting underway soon.
“I am really looking forward to fitting out the former Jehovah’s Witnesses building as a really good, accessible Town Hall,” Kennan said. “It has taken too long — no question — but it will be a great location.”
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Millbrook High School class of 2026 celebrates graduation
Leila Hawken
Jun 17, 2026
Under the athletic field’s lights, the 60 members of the Millbrook High School Class of 2026 received their diplomas during a commencement ceremony on Friday, June 12.
Leila Hawken
MILLBROOK — A lengthy rain delay did little to dampen the spirits of the Millbrook High School Class of 2026 and the family and friends who gathered Friday for the school’s commencement ceremony.
The weather eventually cooperated, with a rainbow appearing over the field just before the procession began for the 60 seniors preparing to receive their diplomas.
Speeches offered advice and reflected on gratitude for teachers, administrators, staff and family, all contributing to the moment of transition from high school years to promising futures.
Principal Eric Seipp opened with welcoming remarks and thanks to all constituents within the school who had guided the Senior Class through their final year. He spoke of achievement and perseverance.
“Tonight is about transition,” Seipp told graduates. “The simplest message can be the most powerful,” he added. “You leave here with far more than a diploma. You will remember the people.”
“The world needs more people who choose kindness. How you treat others matters,” Seipp said.
Seipp noted that the Commencement would mark his final year as Principal of Millbrook High School, ending his eight-year tenure.
“It has been one of the greatest honors of my career to have served as your principal,” Seipp told the school community.
Confidently stepping into their futures, the 60 members of the Millbrook High School Class of 2026 received their diplomas during commencement exercises on Friday, June 12.Leila Hawken
Millbrook Superintendent Caroline Hernandez-Pidala advised graduates to show empathy for others.
“Read more; ask more questions,” she said.
Guidance Counselor Thomas Chanowsky said that he is often asked how he can stay so positive.
“I am just happy to be here,” was Chanowsky’s response. “I hope I made a difference.”
Salutatorian Lydia Kascsak had totaled the number of days she had spent at high school at 1,374.
“Work hard and never stop learning,” she told classmates, while thanking the school’s constituent teachers, administrators and staff, and her parents.
Valedictorian Dylan Vasquez spoke with assurance, urging graduates to “make sure you feel.” He went on to thank the school’s constituents and ended by reading a reflective poem written by his mother before he was born.
The ceremony ended with presentation of the Class of 2026 to the Board of Education, followed by recessional music performed by the high school band under the direction of Daniel Dunninger.
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Juneteenth graduation celebrates Berkshire’s next generation of leaders
Natalia Zukerman
Jun 17, 2026
Cohort 2026 members Abigail Horace, Adam Liccardi, Adrian Lynch, Cameo Brown, Chauncey Dozier, Claudette Grant, Erline Saintilet, Harmony Edwards, Kamayue Gomes, Mackenzie Colvin, Otis West, Shadre Domingo, TJ West and Tyeesha Keele-Kedroe and Blackshires’ leadership team John Lewis, Patrick Danahey, Dubois Thomas and Julie Haagenson gather at the Blackshires City Hall Fishbowl alongside Mayor Peter Marchetti and city officials Michael Obasohan, Brandon Gill, Katherine VanBramer, Heather Brazeau, Justine Dodds and Jesse Tobin McCauley.
Provided
When designer Abigail Horace joined the Blackshires Leadership Accelerator, she was looking for support as the founder of the Black Berkshires Social Club, which creates culturally grounded social spaces for Black and BIPOC residents in the region. What she found was something deeper: a community of peers invested in one another’s success.
“Finding Blackshires has been transformative,” Horace said. “Being a BIPOC founder in this region can feel isolating, and this community has changed that. They see my work, champion my business and have opened doors I couldn’t have opened alone.”
Horace is one of 13 fellows graduating from the Blackshires Leadership Accelerator on Juneteenth, June 19, at Ventfort Hall in Lenox. The free public ceremony marks the completion of a months-long civic and entrepreneurial leadership program created by the Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation and R3SET Enterprises.
Founded in response to conversations among Berkshire County’s Black leaders about economic opportunity, representation and community development, Blackshires has grown into a BIPOC-led network focused on leadership development, economic empowerment and cultural equity. The organization’s flagship Leadership Accelerator combines civic engagement, entrepreneurship, storytelling, networking and project development to help participants turn ideas into action. Since its launch, the program has graduated more than 40 fellows and distributed more than $100,000 in grants and stipends.
The 2026 cohort includes entrepreneurs, educators, artists and community advocates whose projects address needs across the Berkshires.
Among them are Adrian Lynch of Stubborn Ibex Studios, Claudette Grant’s Reckless Optimism Women’s Circle, Erline Saintilet’s Caribbean-inspired food venture Carib In-Fusion, the Westside Crosswalk Remix Project led by Otis and Tajare West in Pittsfield, and Tyeesha Keele Kedroe’s Seen & Celebrated initiative, which promotes meaningful representation of Black and Brown children in early childhood classrooms.
For Horace, one of the program’s most important lessons has been recognizing the impact of her own work.
“Creating a network of BIPOC leaders and entrepreneurs has revealed something I didn’t fully see before: the real reach of my work and what it means in this community,” she said. “My peers look up to me, believe in me and show up for every milestone. That recognition has shifted how I understand my own impact and leadership.”
The Accelerator culminates with each fellow creating an Impact Charter, a blueprint for how their project will contribute to the community. Participants also take part in leadership retreats, workshops, civic forums and site visits throughout Berkshire County. The program was recognized by 1Berkshire with its 2023 Breaking the Mold Trendsetter Award.
John Lewis, president of the Blackshires Accelerator and CEO of R3SET Enterprises, said the program is designed to remove barriers and strengthen connections among emerging leaders.
“By removing barriers to success and encouraging a cooperative framework, the next generation of community leaders will be more connected and skilled in the ongoing development and revitalization of our community and its families,” Lewis said.
Horace said the experience has reinforced a simple but powerful lesson.
“Being a leader and entrepreneur can be isolating, but this group has shown me that I am not alone.”
The graduation ceremony will take place at Ventfort Hall, whose history includes its mid-20th-century role as Festival House, a guesthouse and cultural center that welcomed Black and Jewish visitors at a time when many area resorts maintained discriminatory restrictions. On Juneteenth, the mansion will provide a fitting backdrop for a celebration focused on leadership, community and the future of the Berkshires.
The Blackshires Leadership Accelerator Cohort 4 Graduation will be held Thursday, June 19, at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum in Lenox. Admission is free and open to the public.
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