Haldane Board Names New Superintendent Candidates Go
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Beacon Second Saturday events — see Calendar | Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday at 2 a.m. Set clocks forward one hour FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014 69 MAIN ST., COLD SPRING, N.Y. | www.philipstown.info Candidates Go Head-to-Head in Election Forum Fundamental differences on village issues By Michael Turton he four candidates vying for two seats on the Cold Spring Village TBoard in the upcoming election met in a freewheeling forum Monday (March 3), hosted by The Paper/Philip- stown.info. A full house at Haldane’s mu- sic room watched as incumbent Trustee Matt Francisco and running mate Don- ald MacDonald faced off with Cathryn Fadde and Michael Bowman. Moderator Gordon Stewart, The Paper’s publisher, gave the candidates free rein, produc- ing a four-way conversation that was reserved early on but later turned testy. The complete forum can be viewed on Leandra Rice jumps for joy at a recent Anything Goes rehearsal, as sailors and chorus girls look on. See story on page 7. Philipstown.info. Photo by Jim Mechalakos Introducing the candidates The candidates’ opening statements set the tone. Fadde and Bowman empha- Haldane Board Names New Superintendent sized the need to improve village gov- Administrator assumes the site visit, praised Bowers. Horn said: ernment processes in order to complete “You really get a chance to meet that per- outstanding projects while Francisco responsibilities July 1 son, seeing them in their home district. and MacDonald stressed that their cre- It was awesome and we have a lot to look dentials will help get projects done while By Pamela Doan forward to. I’m truly excited about what asserting that village boards are work- she has to bring to Haldane.” r. Diana Bowers, currently super- ing effectively. In her opening remarks, Bowers’ ability to lead and her quali- Fadde said she is running “to get involved intendent of the Hamilton Cen- ties as a professional educator were tral School District, will be com- with village government — not village D noted frequently. The board approved politics. A lot can be done … if we just ing to Haldane as its new superintendent a resolution for a three-year contract take politics out of the equation. Things July 1, announced Haldane Board of beginning on July 1, 2014, and running Education President Gillian Thorpe at are not getting done.” Bowman built on through June 30, 2017. The search for a that theme. “I had high hopes after the the regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday Dr. Diana Bowers new superintendent was a major under- last election that things would change” (March 4). This concludes the board’s Photo courtesy of radiofreehamilton.com taking for the board and involved many search since Mark Villanti informed on such issues as the Butterfield develop- Thorpe read a statement from Bowers community members and teachers. them last fall that he was going to retire ment, open government and transparen- who was not present at the meeting: “I am Board member Evan Schwartz thanked from the Haldane superintendent post. cy. Instead, he said, “It just seems we’re excited about leading the Haldane School everyone for input on surveys, helping The board made their decision after having the same conversations over and District through the challenges and op- to define the type of leader that Haldane the final step in the process — a visit and over again.” MacDonald underscored his portunities that lie ahead. The transition wanted and needed. site inspection to Bowers’ school district (Continued on page 6) of leadership may be difficult for some of — made a powerful impression on every- the members within the district. It is my one who attended, including bargaining hope to ease the transition process by de- County Legislature Passes Resolution unit representatives, the PTA president, veloping strong connections and being and two board members. Thorpe said: available and present to all constituent “Dr. Bowers is a strong educational lead- Opposing State Police Use of County Seal groups. I truly look forward to getting to er, skilled in budgeting in tough times know the community, the educators and Both actions came during the legisla- and keeping vigor in her programming. Also backs unified state-federal most importantly, the students.” ture’s formal monthly meeting, held in We are very thrilled and I think Dr. Several board members and Leah Horn, primary but not in June the old courthouse in Carmel. Bowers is going to take everything that a middle school science teacher and the Mark did and take it to the next level.” County seal and New York Haldane Faculty Association representa- By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong gun control tive, who participated in the search and ith no opposition from either The issue of putting the county seal Drug Addiction: its own members or the audi- on state police letters regarding provi- Wence, the Putnam County Leg- sions of the NY SAFE Act — the 2013 gun Where to Turn for Help islature Tuesday night (March 4) unani- control law adopted after massacres of school children and faculty in Newtown, A local resource guide on Philipstown.info mously passed a resolution opposing unauthorized use of the official county Conn., and of firefighters responding Heroin addiction has been described as an seal, such as its inclusion on New York to a blaze in upstate New York — arose epidemic both nationally and locally. Ironically, State Police notices reminding handgun when Putnam County Clerk Dennis Sant one of the clearest indications of how widespread the problem is in Putnam County owners to re-certify their weapons. The protested the state police plans to use is the extent to which services and programs are available to support individuals legislature’s Rules Committee had previ- the seal that way. The legislature’s Rules and families dealing with addiction. After being spoken about only in hushed tones ously endorsed the ban. Committee took up his cause in late Feb- for many years, a more open conversation about the challenges this serious and On a second 9-0 vote, the legislators ruary, linking it to the SAFE Act, whose sometimes deadly disease presents has finally begun in this community. approved a resolution backing the con- repeal the legislature sought last year. No one who is fighting addiction or who has a loved one in that situation needs to cept of a unified state-federal primary The legislature’s resolution does not face it alone. Help is available in many forms. Go to philipstown.info for a listing of election — but not one held in late June refer to the SAFE Act by name but men- some of the resources to help those in need. when a federal primary occurs. tions unspecified (Continued on page 3) 2 March 7, 2014 The Paper www.philipstown.info | Philipstown.info Mouths to Feed for one beat … two … three, You can use whatever they come to life like an Oreo, combination of fruits, or a sea monkey. The dip in nuts, and/or choco- Hiding in Plain Sight liquid is almost like the final late you like, and alter step in the baking process, the booze to match By Celia Barbour allowing the texture to develop and the (bourbon is nice with flavors to blossom. walnuts, brandy with wouldn’t have bought them under nor- The name “biscotti” comes from the almonds, kirsch with mal circumstances. The biscotti from Latin bis which means twice and coctus chocolate) — or leave I Rock Hill Bakehouse cost $5 for a which means cooked. “Biscuit” has the it out entirely. package of two, a crazy sum even when I’m same root, though the things that qualify Biscotti improve feeling flush. But my friend Frances had in the United States as biscuits — cakey with age, so I had to mentioned them by name when I told her cylinders sometimes served with gravy — wait a couple days to I’d be stopping at a store in Sharon, Conn., do not reflect these origins. English bis- decide if mine were after dropping our husbands at the train cuits, hard cookies taken with tea, are a as good as Rock Hill’s. station so that they (the husbands) could more faithful rendition, as are ships’ bis- The thrilling truth? Very good biscotti Photo by C. Barbour head back to their respective jobs, like cuits and army biscuits, both of which Not quite! But almost. Edwardian gentlemen leaving their wives were traditionally overbaked so as to last a Which is a good thing, because my kids snack after school, but not so much that and children to holiday in the country. long, long time. To further confuse the no- like them enough to have one or two for a I need to bother hiding them — which Frances was our host, in other words, menclature, in Italy, where the things we means there will be one left for me. and we her house guests. And under those call biscotti originated, the word “biscot- circumstances $5 didn’t seem so bad — ti” refers not to sliced, twice-baked rusks, Very Good Biscotti not really outrageous at all. but to cookies of all shapes and flavors. You can use any combination of fruits and nuts to total one cup combined, and Turns out it was a steal. The biscotti These days, biscotti (the American ver- substitute your favorite liquor for the bourbon or brandy (or replace it with an were without a doubt the best I’ve ever sions) are less like hardtack and more like extra tablespoon of vanilla). Standing the sliced biscotti on end for the second had, and big enough that we couldn’t fin- cookies than they were when I was a kid, baking (step 5) helps them dry out evenly without browning.