The Council Commits

In a special meeting late Friday afternoon, the Common Council voted to purchase 701 Union Street and rehab it as the new facility for the police and the city court--something that the City of Hudson has needed for at least nineteen years.

It is rumored that, in the days and hours prior to the vote, former mayor Rick Scalera (now Fifth Ward supervisor) and Fourth Ward supervisor Bill Hughes lobbied some of the aldermen to persuade them to vote against the project. In the end, of the aldermen present at the special meeting, only Robert Donahue (Fifth Ward) voted no, explaining before he cast his vote that he thought the City should build a new building. Wanda Pertilla (Second Ward) and Cappy Pierro (Fifth Ward) both effectively voted no by not showing up for the meeting. 

The yes votes of Council president Don Moore and the seven other aldermen [John Friedman (Third Ward), Nick Haddad (First Ward), David Marston (First Ward), Abdus Miah (Second Ward), Sheila Ramsey (Fourth Ward), Ohrine Stewart (Fourth Ward), and Chris Wagoner (Third Ward)] were sufficient for the resolution to pass.