As part of this year’s budget, we allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars to expand mental health services in NW Dutchess. Join me Tuesday night at a Mental Health Town Hall hosted by the County and learn about the services available to you and your family. Share your experiences and feedback with the professionals who work for us!

Red Hook Community Center doors open at 5:30 with the event starting at 6.

If you can’t make it or want to share your comments online, click here.

Each year, Dutchess County allocates money for grants to worthy projects. I’m pleased to announce the following local grants to benefit residents of our district and Dutchess County.

With the federal government being dismantled and turned against us, we still control our destiny here in New York. Local elections are now more important than ever.

Our legislative caucus, like our great comptroller Dan Aymar-Blair, is focused on oversight and good government. We’ve blocked an unnecessary sales tax hike, allocated more money for mental health and opioid recovery services, restored public transit lines, and we are working to improve ambulance response times.

November elections are just two months away, and I need your help. County Republicans have targeted only four Democratic incumbents this year, including me, and have raised record amounts to defeat us. As we celebrate Labor Day weekend, I am proud to have the support of local labor in my campaign and will continue to support our union brothers and sisters.

Please consider contributing today to support our November campaign. Click here.

I’m pleased to announce that the following organizations have been awarded grants by Dutchess County through the 2025 Veterans Microgrant program.

On the August agenda is the annual decision as to whether to admit specific properties to the county’s Agricultural District. Red Hook has two properties under consideration this year.

The first is a 4.82 acre property at 243 Feller Newmark Rd. owned by Brian Denu. The second is a 4.22 acre property in the Village of Red Hook at 25 Fisk St. owned by Paul Sturtz (and Polina Malikin). Both properties were recommended for addition by the county’s Agricultural Farmland Protection board based on their soils and ability to contribute to agriculture in general.

Admission to the district, in conjunction with an ag assessment (a separate, unrelated process), would give the property owners protection against local laws that “unreasonably restrict farm operations”. It also aims to protect the right of farmers to engage in “sound agricultural practices,” which are defined as practices that do not cause bodily harm or property damage off the farm.

The village property, located on the NE corner of Fisk and Elizabeth across the street from the VFW, has been the focus of some controversy over the past year as the owners have tried to expand their operations and the village has worked to update its zoning to cover farm operations.

The property owner feels that the village has not done enough to work with them, that they have been singled out, and that without this designation, they will be unable to achieve their goals. Some of the neighbors have signed a letter in support of the change.

The Red Hook village board has submitted a letter opposing the inclusion, with the Mayor expressing her concern that while the farm’s current operations may be compatible with and supported by the neighborhood, future expansion could be detrimental if the village were no longer able to regulate it.

The final decision will be made Monday at 6:30 pm in the Dutchess County Legislature.

If you have any thoughts on this or anything else, do not hesitate to reach out and let me know.

Last week, I had two meetings with local activists focused on clean water and the issues at the Village’s wastewater treatment plant, as well as any future expansions. We discussed how the county might be able to assist with testing, guidance, and other needs.

The Saw Kill Watershed Community (SWKC) presented water testing results from various locations around Red Hook. The group discussion suggested that waste levels in the streams near the treatment plant are dropping. The village has reported that the facility’s discharges have returned to compliance.

There are still concerns about whether any contaminants at the brownfield that hosts the treatment plant have migrated and how storm runoff at the location could impact that. Many questions and not many answers so far.

While the state is primarily responsible for implementing, overseeing, and enforcing environmental regulations, the county has its own Water and Wastewater Authority that manages treatment plans and water systems. They took over the Tivoli system a few years ago.

The county administration has still not provided the Q2 EMS numbers that were promised over two weeks ago. We continue to request them.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, reach out anytime.

The fiscal update provided on Thursday shows our tax revenues are close to the numbers projected in our budget. There was also a lot of discussion of the new Federal budget and its potential impact on the state and our county. A lot of the local fiscal impacts will depend on how much of the burden Dutchess County is asked to share. But millions of dollars are at stake.

We have not yet received the Q2 EMS data we were promised. As you might recall, we approved $2M to help reduce ambulance response times. So far, the results have been disappointing for our area, but hopefully, the second quarter numbers will have some good news for us.

If you want to attend Monday’s full board meeting, it begins at 6:30 pm on Monday at 22 Market St, 6th floor.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, reach out anytime.

As I prepare for our July meetings, I thought I’d flag a couple of interesting items on the agenda.

Aside from the usual appointments to various volunteer committees and routine paperwork, we have the Dutchess Community College (DCC) budget, a fiscal update from the county, and, hopefully, a breakdown of the Q2 EMS numbers.

The DCC budget is expected to be approved, and the county’s contribution (~$17.5M) will remain flat year-over-year as rising enrollments (up 12%) and residence hall commitments (up 20%) have helped buoy the college’s fiscal position. Tuition will rise 5% to $5,250, which is still lower than the surrounding counties.

Thursday night, we will receive a fiscal update from the county administration detailing how our sales tax receipts and expenditures are matching up against our budget and tax projections. At last look, sales tax was lagging a bit behind what the administration had projected. And with the disastrous Federal budget that was just passed by Trump and the GOP, we can expect harsh budget seas ahead.

We have also been told to expect a first look at the Q2 EMS data. As you might recall, we approved $2M to help reduce ambulance response times. So far, the results have been disappointing for our area but hopefully the second quarter numbers have some good news for us.

If you want to attend the committee meetings, they begin at 5:30 pm on Thursday at 22 Market St, 6th floor. The full board meeting begins at 6:30 pm on Monday.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, reach out anytime.

I want to thank everyone who came out to support me, those who contributed to the campaign, and those who gave their time to share our message and help get out the vote. There are too many to name here, and many will not want public recognition, but thank you.

I’m honored that the voters have chosen me to represent them on the Democratic line this November. I’m looking forward to taking some time off to relax and recharge before the general election campaign begins.

And, of course, continuing to represent our community in the Dutchess County Legislature.