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[FREE] Serving Philipstown and Beacon Back from the Dead Page 15 SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 161 MAIN ST., COLD SPRING, N.Y. | highlandscurrent.com Wappingers Falls Two Primaries Disbands Police in Beacon Consolidation with sheriff Results won’t change who’s could save $582K on ballot, only where By Jeff Simms By Chip Rowe eacon residents who are registered he Wapping- Democrats will vote in two prima- ers Falls Vil- Bries on Tuesday, Sept. 12, although Tlage Board of the results will not keep anyone running Trustees voted 5 to 1 for the Beacon City Council off the Novem- on Aug. 30 to disband ber ballot. its police department and In the race for two at-large council seats, enter into a shared-services voters will choose between three Democratic plan with the Dutchess County candidates — Lee Kyriacou, George Man- Sheriff’s Office. sfield and Ali Muhammad — to determine The move is part of a larger initiative, which two will appear on the Democratic ordered by the state of New York, com- line in the Nov. 7 election. But all three have pelling counties to consolidate services. also filed petitions to appear on other lines, County executives have a Sept. 15 deadline Main Street, Cold Spring Photo by June Marie Sobrito either as independents or representing other to submit their plans. parties. A draft of the Dutchess County plan out- In the 16th district of the Dutchess lines 37 projects, including the Wapping- Too Many Visitors, or Not Enough? County Legislature, which includes parts ers Falls-Sheriff’s Office deal, that it proj- Main Street merchants share and Nelsonville. of Beacon, Ved Shravah and Frits Zernike ects would save taxpayers an estimated The event, held at the Cold Spring fire- are vying for the Democratic candidacy. $15 million in 2018 and $12.5 million an- concerns with county house on Aug. 30 and organized by Hud- Zernike is a Beacon resident who served nually thereafter, saving each homeowner son Valley Pattern for Progress, a nonprof- on Transit Oriented Development commit- about $118 annually in property taxes. By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong it think tank based in Newburgh, drew tees under Mayors Steve Gold and Randy Disbanding the Wappingers Falls de- about 40 attendees, including Cold Spring Casale. Regardless of the outcome, he will partment and creating a smaller force of hortly before the busy Labor Day Mayor Dave Merandy. appear on the November ballot on the Wom- full-time officers is expected to save the weekend, consultants dispatched by Pattern for Progress is surveying busi- en’s Equality and Working Families party village $582,000 annually, with the po- SPutnam County asked Main Street nesses in nine commercial corridors as lines. Shravah, a Fishkill resident and the lice budget dropping from $1.49 million merchants to describe the positives and part of a study commissioned to inform former president of the Wappingers Board to $906,000. The (Continued on Page 3) negatives of doing business in Cold Spring county initiatives and grant applications. of Education, filed only as a Democrat. “Let’s think about all the good stuff (Placing a candidate on multiple lines on and bad stuff,” Joseph Czajka, senior vice the ballot, representing various parties or as president for Pattern for Progress, asked an independent, is known as “fusion voting.” participants. Everyone obliged. The belief is that this will translate into more votes, because while one may never vote for a The challenge of tourism Democrat or Republican, who can be against Much of the discussion involved tour- women’s equality or working families? Some ism. Comments ranged from “tourism have called for a law that would require can- consumes our infrastructure well beyond didates to choose one party, to reduce confu- our ability and sales to pay for it” to “tour- sion at the ballot box.) ism is not a problem, it’s a solution” to “we Paul Yeaple, the Green Party candidate need to embrace it” to “Beacon is killing for the Ward 1 council seat in Beacon, will us; they welcome people with open arms.” also be on the primary ballot, but he is un- Greg Miller, co-owner of Go Go Pops in contested for his party’s line. Other than Cold Spring, said “for us on Main Street, the Democrats and Green Party, no other tourism is a great thing” because it pro- party has a primary in Beacon. vides a living. But he said some residents Kyriacou and Mansfield are the incum- contend the number of visitors makes it bent at-large council members, while Mu- difficult to stroll down Main Street. hammad represents Ward 4 but is leaving Besides tourism, other positives cited by that seat to run for an at-large position. participants, in random order, included: Kyriacou and Mansfield both filed peti- • The Hudson River, mountains and tions for the Working Families and Bea- scenery; con United parties, and Muhammad filed TEST RUN — Members of the Class of 2030 practiced riding the bus during • Strong property values; as an independent candidate, so all three kindergarten orientation at Haldane Elementary School on Sept. 1. The 35 • Talent and creativity in the arts, entre- will appear on the November ballot to face students also enjoyed frozen treats donated by Go Go Pops. Photo provided preneurship and services; Republican newcomer Amando Downer. • A strong sense (Continued on Page 7) (Continued on Page 3) 2 SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 The Highlands Current highlandscurrent.com Hudson Valley Five Questions: CHRISTINE KAUFMANN AND EILEEN LAHEY Job Stats By Alison Rooney Report finds stability since 2011 he Hudson Valley, Albany region and 5hristine Kaufmann and Eileen La- Long Island have the highest “labor hey have worked together behind participation” rates in the state, all the counter at The Main Course in T C over 60 percent, according to a report re- Cold Spring for the past decade. leased on Sept. 4 by the state comptroller. Can you tell in advance what The rate measures the percentage of someone is going to order? people age 16 and older who are employed Eileen: Most of our customers come in among those who potentially could be in here all the time, so we don’t even bother the labor force. The other 40 percent in- to ask. cludes, for example, students, retirees, stay- Christine: If we don’t know, I know the at-home parents or caregivers, people with questions to ask to help them figure it out. disabilities and the long-term unemployed. We have a lady who arranged for her phys- The unemployment rate dropped in all ical therapy to be done in Cold Spring just 10 regions of the state over the past five so she could stop here. years. But only four — the Hudson Valley, What scone do you wish more Long Island, New York City and the Alba- people would try? ny region — saw increases of more than 2 Eileen and Christine (in unison): Key percent in the number of people employed. lime ginger! By contrast, in much of upstate New Christine: Also, the raisin pecan. People York, noted Comptroller Thomas DiNap- don’t know it because we don’t have it that oli, the lower unemployment rate has not often. Those two, definitely. translated to more people working because Eileen Lahey (at left) and Christine Kaufman Photo by A. Rooney the size of the labor force fell at the same What’s the longest anyone has time. This happens, he said, when people taken to order? How do you stay sane, working so move to other parts of the state, leave the Eileen: It can go 10 minutes. What’s the oddest question you’ve closely and on your feet all day? state or drop out of the workforce because Christine: It’s because our entrées and been asked? Christine: You learn the dance. Eileen: I use the word hence a lot, as in, of retirement, school or family reasons. sides change each day. We hear a lot of Eileen: You come to know each other. “Yes, there’s chicken in it, hence the name The Southern Tier, for example, which “You gotta give me a minute.” And we have good shoes: I wear Keens Chicken Caesar.” includes the counties west of the Catskills and she wears Columbia. Plus, we have Christine: Some of the questions are … along the northern border of Pennsylva- padded mats. [trails off]. But we don’t shame people. We nia, lost nearly 27,000 workers in the past just bring things to their attention. five years, or more than 8 percent of its labor force. The size of the labor force in the Hudson Valley has remained essen- tially unchanged. Get Mail Delivery of The report also notes that the number of workers in New York aged 65 and older The Current rose by 26 percent over the past five years, and that nearly 24 percent of workers in highlandscurrent.com/md the state are members of unions, more than double the national figure. www.cityofnewburgh-ny.gov Purchase and restore this historic building. Hudson River Views. Minimum bid price of $119,560. More info at: www.cityofnewburgh-ny.gov, Department of Planning and Development, “Buying Property from the City of Newburgh” 845.569.7387 or 845.569.9400 City of Newburgh The City of Opportunity on the Hudson Join us! Starts Wed. Sept. 13, 7:15-8:45 p.m. Sing! songs from the great singer-songwriters of the 60s and 70s. 27 Travis Corners Rd., Garrison, NY Dreamed up and directed by Cat Guthrie Questions? Call Cat 914.420.4515 or go to harmonyandco.com Session fee: $160 for 14 weeks No auditions, no sightreading All are welcome.

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