Mayor versus Common Council

On Tuesday, the Common Council passed a resolution expressing the opinion that the Mill Street parcel, the site of the proposed Mill Street Lofts, is municipal parkland and its conveyance for a nonpark use may constitute an alienation of parkland which requires specific authorization by the New York State legislature. 

Today, Mayor Joseph Ferris, who extended the agreement to sell the parcel to Kearney Realty & Development Group without the knowledge or authorization of the Common Council, issued this statement:

The Mill Street resolution sent to my desk earlier this week by the Common Council aligns a fellow lawsuit defendant with the party suing us.

The Common Council had been briefed by Planning Board and Corporation Counsel prior to Tuesday's vote on this matter. The vote goes against the guidance provided by our taxpayer-funded attorneys.

I believe the best course of action in regard to this lawsuit is to let the legal process play out in the courts. The resolution before me--regardless of the Council's semantic gymnastics--attempts to weigh in on a matter that is central to the lawsuit.

By the power vested in me by § C6-2 Approval of legislation; veto power of the Hudson City Charter, on this day, October 2, 2026, I veto Common Council Resolution No. 6 of September 29, 2026.

The same paragraph of the charter cited by the mayor indicates that the Council can override a mayoral veto with a two-thirds vote. On Tuesday, nine of the eleven members of the Council voted in support of the resolution, and two abstained.

News of Galvan and Bard

There are still many unanswered questions about the Galvan gift of Hudson properties to Bard College. Information is appearing incrementally. On September 29, Bard issued a press release regarding the future of services formerly provided by Galvan Housing Resources.

Bard College announced today a partnership with Hudson River Housing, Inc. (HRH) to affiliate in the administration of the work done by the Rural Preservation Company (RPC) formerly performed under Galvan Housing Resources. The Rural Preservation Company facilitates the Home Improvement Program, which provides financial assistance in the cost of home improvement for qualified residents, and the Home Ownership Protection Program. which helps homeowners prevent foreclosure. The RFC also provides a range of housing counseling and community preservation services to assist residents throughout the region. There are currently 59 Rural Preservation Companies operating throughout New York State, with one RPC operating per county. Given its 40 years of experience in preserving quality affordable housing, Hudson River Housing is the ideal partner in administering Columbia County's RPC. This partnership gives HRH, with its stellar reputation in community development and strong track record on housing security in Dutchess County, the opportunity to extend their longstanding, impactful work in housing protection in Columbia County.

Rural Preservation Companies (RPC) are community-based nonprofit organizations that utilize state and federal grants to provide a variety of housing assistance programs in rural communities, such as home improvement and rehabilitation, emergency repair grants, weatherization, housing counseling, first-time homebuyer education, foreclosure prevention, community preservation.

The announcement builds on a landmark gift made to Bard in 2025 by Galvan Foundation, a longtime community development leader in Hudson. The gift, representing both organizations' commitment to advancing the common good, includes a large portfolio of affordable housing properties, mixed-income housing units, single-family homes, and reinvigorated commercial and public-use properties in Hudson.

"Galvan Foundation's gift provided Bard the opportunity to expand its commitment as a private institution serving the public good, and we are proud to now be able to continue this work through a collaborative partnership with Hudson River Housing," said Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Taun Toay. "Hudson River Housing has deep experience in the space and are the right partners to see through this commitment."

The complete press release, which includes a quote from Mayor Joseph Ferris, can be found here.

Intel from the Budget Workshops

The budget for the Mayor's Office was among the budget proposals submitted for consideration during the BEA workshops this afternoon. In the budget being proposed, Mayor Joseph Ferris is reducing his own annual salary for 2027 from $79,182 to $70,000.

Foreclosure Update

In May 2025, when the process of trying to collect property taxes that had gone unpaid for years began, there were 121 properties that were in arrears, and the amount owed in uncollected taxes and penalties totaled more than $2.5 million. At the Common Council Finance Committee meeting last night, City Treasurer Heather Campbell reported that only fifteen properties still remained on the foreclosure list, representing slightly more than $1.43 million in unpaid taxes and penalties. Almost 75 percent of that amount is owed by five properties, two of which owe more than $300,000 each.

Campbell talked about the importance of enforcement going forward, to begin efforts to collect unpaid taxes before years go by and the payments and penalties get out of hand. "It's not the City being greedy," Campbell said of enforcement. "It's much easier to pay $5,000 than $45,000."

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Weed Wars: Following Up

In the wake of Andrea Elliot's exhaustive article in the New York Times, Spencer Walsh has a piece today in the Register-Star: "Hudson's Hughes eyes March dispensary opening." In the article, Hughes expresses confidence in the success of his endeavor.

"I come from one of the largest Black families here in Hudson and Columbia County, and those tentacles go wide," Hughes said. "I know when I open my doors, they're coming to my shop, and they're not going to go anywhere else. Their friends are coming to my shop, and they're not going anywhere else. I know that. I can say that very confidently."

Meanwhile, at the Common Council Finance Committee meeting last night, the disappointing revenues from the cannabis tax were a topic of discussion. In 2024 and 2025, high on the promise of new revenue for the city from the 4 percent cannabis tax, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment anticipated revenue considerably greater than what was realized. In 2025, projected revenue from the cannabis tax was $235,000. The actual revenue from the cannabis tax in 2025 was less than half that amount. Last night, City Treasurer Heather Campbell reported that $40,000 had been projected in cannabis tax revenue in the most recent quarter of 2026, but only $18,000 had been received.

Commenting on the situation, Councilmember Mohammed Rony (Second Ward) observed, "The informal economy still exists. The legal side does not eliminate the illegal side." Recalling how the lines went around the block in Great Barrington when the first cannabis dispensaries opened in Massachusetts, Councilmember Rich Volo (Fourth Ward) suggested, "It's just a trend that's kind of over." Noting that there was now a dispensary in Greenport and soon to be one in Claverack, Campbell suggested the problem was market saturation.

In the Register-Star article, Hughes, whose dispensary will be the third in Hudson and the fifth in the area that shares the 12534 zip code, responded to the notion that the market for cannabis was oversaturated:

"I always laugh at that," Hughes said. "Do we have a saturation of bars and breweries? Is there a saturation of hotels? Do we have a saturation of coffee shops? It's laughable. Customers are going to choose the business that they want to patronize."

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Update: A reader informs Gossips that a second dispensary is soon to open in Greenport, on Route 66 across from The Falls.

The Council on Mill Street

At its meeting tonight, the Common Council passed a resolution expressing the opinion that the Mill Street parcel, the site of the proposed Mill Street Lofts, is municipal parkland and that the sale of the site "may constitute an alienation of municipal parkland requiring direct and specific authorization by the New York State Legislation." The resolution can be found here. Prior to voting on the resolution, the Council agreed to amend the title to clarify the resolution was expressing the opinion of the Council.

In the discussion that preceded the vote, Councilmember Mohammed Rony (Second Ward) said he thought the resolution was "inappropriate at this time." He argued that the matter should be left to the courts. Mill Street Neighbors have taken legal action against Kearney Realty Group and the City of Hudson for removing parkland from public use without due process as well as for failing to review and mitigate the impacts on the neighborhood of the proposed Mill Street Lofts project. Councilmember Claire Cousin (Fifth Ward) concurred with Rony and further stated, "The entire Council does not share this opinion."

When the vote was taken, both Rony and Cousin abstained. All the other members of the Council voted in favor, and the resolution passed. 

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Watching the Budget Being Made

Yesterday, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA), composed of the mayor, the Common Council president, and the treasurer, began the process of reviewing departmental budget requests for 2027 and crafting next year's city budget. That process will resume tomorrow and continue through the month of October. 

The workshops in which the budget is hammered out will all be hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. (The dates and times of the workshops and links will be posted in Gossips' "Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead.") For even greater transparency, the budget requests submitted by the various city departments are posted on the city website and can be found here.

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A Weekend of and for Dogs

This weekend, there are several events happening in and around Hudson that involve dogs--some that feature dogs, some for dogs to attend. 

• On Saturday, October 3, from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., it's Dalmatian Day at the FASNY Museum of Firefighting, 117 Harry Howard Avenue. Dogs of this historic breed associated with firefighting get together with their humans and their admirers for this family friendly community event.

• At 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, in celebration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, there is an all-faith Blessing of the Animals at the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA, 111 Humane Society Road. All animals are welcome. Dogs must be leashed, cats and birds secured in carriers, and livestock transported in trailers.

• On Saturday, October 3, from noon to 8:00 p.m. in the 700 block of State Street, Hudson Oktoberfest includes local animal shelters and rescue organizations in the festivities. Hudson Paws, Animalkind, Incredible Pups, Columbia-Greene Humane Society, and Everlasting Hope Animal Rescue will all be represented. You can learn about their work, discover ways to volunteer, and help support animal welfare throughout the region. From every full-price ticket for the event, $5 will support participating shelter and rescue partners.

• On Sunday, October 4, the block party celebrating the closing of Lil' Deb's Oasis will include a Dog Costume Contest at 3:00 p.m. Dress your dog (or yourself as a dog) as your favorite Lil' Deb's Oasis menu item. For more information, visit Lil' Deb's Instagram page.

• From 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., on Sunday, October 4, Christ Church Episcopal holds its annual Blessing of the Animals on the circular drive at 431 Union Street. 

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The Planning Board and HHA

On Wednesday, the Planning Board holds a special meeting. The only thing on the agenda for the meeting is the proposed redevelopment of the Hudson Housing Authority properties. John Madeo of Mountco, HHA's development partner, is hoping the Planning Board will vote on granting site plan approval at this meeting, but there is no guarantee that will happen.

One of the things the Planning Board will do at Wednesday's meeting is review and discuss the applicant's responses to issues raised in the public hearing--either at the hearing or in written comments. The most recent responses, submitted to the Planning Board on September 10, can be found here. The document contains some interesting information.

In response to concerns about the instability of the soil, a condition that caused redevelopment plan proposed in 2019 to be abandoned, the following information is offered:

HHA/Mountco's structural and geotechnical teams have designed a stone column ground-improvement system for the project. The stone columns will be installed beneath the proposed buildings to improve the engineering characteristics and load-bearing capacity of the underlying soils and to provide suitable support for the proposed building foundations.

Approximately 890 stone columns will be installed beneath Buildings A and B, consisting of approximately 290 stone columns beneath Building A and 600 stone columns beneath Building B. The stone columns will be approximately 1.5 feet in diameter and will extend to an approximate depth of 20 to 25 feet, depending upon subsurface conditions and final engineering requirements. Installation of the stone column ground-improvement system is expected to take approximately 9 weeks.

Building A is the building proposed for the Bliss Towers site, west of the existing structure. Building B is the building proposed for State Street, where the playground and park with the gazebo are now located. 

Regarding the vibrations resulting from driving 890 stone columns 20 to 25 feet into the ground over a period of nine weeks, the following information is provided:

The installation of the stone columns will cause ground vibrations at the project sites and may result in perceptible vibrations in portions of the surrounding area. Based on vibration monitoring conducted to date, the average vibration readings have been less than 0.5 inches per second, which is well below the 2.0 inches per second damage threshold for residential buildings identified by the design team. Throughout the stone column installation, ground vibrations will continue to be closely monitored to ensure that vibration levels remain within the established project limits and to minimize potential impacts on surrounding properties and structures.

For anyone who has read Margaret Schram's series of articles about Lake Albany clay, Columbia County's Sleeping Dragon,* this information doesn't seem all that reassuring. What happens if, while being closely monitored, the ground vibrations exceed the damage threshold for residential building identified by the design team?

Also of interest in the document is the construction timeline, which has Phase I construction starting in April 2027 and ending in July 1, 2029. The following timeline anticipates the demolition of Bliss Towers will take place in December 2029 and Phase II will be completed in March 2032.

The entire document can be found here.

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* Margaret Schram's series Columbia County's Sleeping Dragon was originally published in 1988 in The Independent. In 2019, Gossips republished the eleven-part series. Those posts can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

Hard as it is to accept, September ends this week, and October begins. As the days get shorter and colder, here is what's happening.

• On Monday, September 28, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (the mayor, the Common Council president, and the treasurer) begins the process of crafting the 2027 city budget by receiving proposed budgets from various departments. The workshop is hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 
• 2:3o p.m.--Clerk, Common Council, Records Management, Dog Control Officer
• 3:30 p.m.--Code Enforcement

• Also on Monday, September 28, the Public Works Board meets at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• On Tuesday, September 29, the Common Council Finance Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• At 6:oo p.m. on Tuesday, September 29, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting. Although the agenda for the meeting does not reflect it, Gossips has it on good authority that the issue of Mill Street will be taken up at this meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

• On Wednesday, September 30, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA) continues the process of receiving budget requests. The workshop is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• 2:30 p.m.--Legal
• 2:45 p.m.--Housing
• 3:00 p.m.--Mayor
• 3:30 p.m.--Assessor
• At 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30, the Planning Board holds a special meeting devoted solely to the redevelopment proposed by the Hudson Housing Authority. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.  

• On Thursday, October 1, the Common Council Services Committee (Youth Department and Senior Center) meets at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• On Saturday, October 3, it's Hudson Oktoberfest from noon to 8:00 p.m. in the 700 block of State Street--live music, craft beer, wine and cider, local food, makers, family activities, and animal rescue partners. For more information and to buy tickets, click here. 

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Crafting the 2027 Budget

Last week, NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced the latest fiscal stress scores for local governments. Fortunately, Hudson is not among the twenty-two municipalities experiencing some level of fiscal stress at the end of 2025, although, given Hudson's shrinking fund balance, it may be just a matter of time before we are on the list. In the announcement, DiNapoli makes this statement:

Local governments are facing increased fiscal pressures due to a combination of the end of federal pandemic aid, higher inflation, rising operating costs and moderating sales tax revenue growth. Local officials should be pragmatic when planning future budgets, and I encourage them to use the FSMS [Fiscal Stress Monitoring System] information and tools we provide to help them make prudent financial decisions.

This week, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA), made up of the mayor, the Common Council president, and the treasurer, begins the task of crafting the city budget for 2027. It is a process that is scheduled to continue into November. Here is the full schedule:

• Monday, September 28
• 2:30 p.m.--Clerk, Council, Records Management, Animal Control
• 3:30 p.m.--Code Enforcement
• Wednesday, September 30
• 2:30 p.m.--Legal
• 2:45 p.m.--Housing
• 3:00 p.m.--Mayor
• 3:30 p.m.--Assessor
• Monday, October 5
• 2:30 p.m.--Public Works
• 3:30 p.m.--Conservation Advisory Council
• 3:45 p.m.--Planning Board
• Wednesday, October 14
• 2:45 p.m.--Treasurer
• 3:00 p.m.--Senior Center
• 3:15 p.m.--Police and Parking
• Friday, October 16
• 2:30 p.m.--Cemetery, Water and Sewer
• 3:30 p.m.--Sidewalk Improvement District
• Monday, October 19
• 2:30 p.m.--Fire
• 3:15 p.m.--Youth
• Wednesday, October 21
• 2:30 p.m.--Nondepartmental/Revenues
• Friday, October 23
• 2:30 p.m.--Revenues
• Monday, November 2
• 2:30 p.m.--Overall Budget Review
• Wednesday, November 4
• 2:30 p.m.--Overall Budget Review
• Friday, November 6
• 2:30 p.m.--Overall Budget Review

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Hudson in The New York Times

There is an article today in the New York Times about Hudson that isn't about our fair city as idyllic weekend escape. Instead it's about Bill Hughes and his effort to open a cannabis dispensary: "When the Weed Wars Came to Warren Street." 

It is recommended reading, even though it contains a few inaccuracies and characterizes Gossips in this way:

The troubles of Hudson rarely escape The Gossips of Rivertown, a tireless if cranky blog that serves as a digital town square. It chronicles the most incremental zoning meetings like events of global magnitude. Reader comments flare like torpedoes.

Celebrating 125 Years

There's an organization in Columbia County that people who weren't born and raised here may not know much about: the Columbia County Association in the City of New York. The group was founded in 1901 as a means of bringing together people from Columbia County whose fortunes had led them to New York City. In the beginning, the members were New York City residents with roots in Columbia County. Today, the members are Columbia County folk with no particular connection to New York City. The New York City connection seems to have been kept alive in recent years by occasionally holding the organization's annual dinner at Gallagher's Steakhouse on West 52nd Street.

The annual dinner is the occasion to honor the group's designated "Citizen of the Year." This year's dinner took place on Thursday, September 24, in Columbia County, at Columbia Golf and Country Club in Claverack. This year's honoree was Rick Scalera, mayor of Hudson for seven nonconsecutive terms (1994-1999, 2002-2005, 2008-2011) and now in his seventh consecutive term as county supervisor representing the Fifth Ward. 

Lance Wheeler was present on Thursday night to document the event. His video can be found here.

The Columbia County Association in the City of New York even created a coin to commemorate its quasquicentennial, bearing Scalera's name if not his visage.

 

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Ear to the Ground

In July 2025, the Historic Preservation Commission granted a certificate of appropriateness for the plan to redesign the facade at 541 Warren Street, restoring the door to the stairwell and re-creating a storefront.  

In April 2026, the applicant returned to the HPC seeking to amend the certificate of appropriateness. The change proposed was to install a storefront window at the side of the building and to "wrap" paneling proposed for the front of the building around to the side.  

 

At its April 10, 2026, meeting, the HPC unanimously agreed to grant a certificate of appropriateness to the amended design.

Earlier this week, a preservation watchdog raised the alarm that opening side wall to install the window had damaged the facade and jeopardized the structural integrity of the building. Those concerns were also shared with Nick Fox, Hudson's Code Enforcement Director. Pursuing the story, Gossips contacted Fox, seeking more information. Fox inspected the building today and kindly shared his report with Gossips.

At 2 p.m. today, 9/25/26, I inspected 541 Warren Street after being advised of a potential structural issue that developed when the side wall was opened for new window openings facing the pocket park.

During my inspection, I observed cracking in the masonry next to one of the proposed window openings. The affected area will need additional masonry repairs, but based on what I observed, it does not appear to pose an immediate danger to public safety.

I was told that, immediately after the damage occurred, the contractor contacted the project's structural engineer. The engineer evaluated the condition and provided a temporary shoring plan. A professional shoring specialist, recommended by the engineer, was then hired to install the shoring in accordance with that plan. The project engineer returned afterward, inspected the completed shoring, and approved the installation.

At the time of my inspection, the affected portion of the building was properly shored. The surrounding area was barricaded and closed to the public, and the damaged area was set back from the public sidewalk. Based on the limited extent of the damage, the temporary shoring, and the restricted access around the area, I do not consider the condition to be an immediate danger to the public.

Reports or rumors that the entire building is in danger of collapse appear to greatly overstate the condition I observed. The issue is limited to a relatively small section of masonry next to the new opening and will be repaired as part of the ongoing construction.

Structural steel components intended to provide permanent support are expected to be installed within the next few weeks. Until that work is complete, the temporary shoring and restricted-access area should remain in place and be maintained as directed by the project's structural engineer.

In addition, the structural engineer of 541 Warren recommended temporarily postponing excavation work that is scheduled by 537 Warren on the opposite side of the pocket park related to foundation repairs at that property. That work should remain on hold until the structural steel components at 541 Warren Street have been installed. This is a precaution intended to avoid vibration, soil disturbance, or other conditions that could contribute to further movement or damage while the temporary shoring remains in place.

At this time, I have no reason to believe that the condition at 541 Warren Street presents an immediate threat to public safety, provided that the existing shoring and site protections remain in place, the excavation work at 537 Warren Street is deferred as recommended, and the required structural work continues under the direction of the respective project engineers.

It appears the building, which in 1858 was the location of Zebulon Hunt's stove works store, will live on in the 21st century.

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A Farewell to Lil' Deb's

Lil' Deb's Oasis has announced it will close in mid-October. On Sunday, October 4, Lil' Deb's is planning a block party to celebrate the closing, from early afternoon to evening, in the street outside the restaurant at 747 Columbia Street. 

Yesterday, Elazar Sontag, food critic for the Washington Post, published a paean to Lil' Deb's Oasis, which opened the same year he started college at Bard: "One of America's most important restaurants is closing. It feels personal." The following is quoted from the article:

I'd heard plenty about the buzzy new restaurant before I made the 30-minute trek from campus, but nothing could have prepared me for what was inside. A bag of tennis balls swayed from the ceiling like a mobile over a baby's crib. Displays of tropical fruits erupted from the bar, and seat cushions were splashed in trippy tie-dye patterns made by a friend of the restaurant. A cook worked the line with their hair wrapped up around a ripe banana. Another had fashioned a shoelace into a necklace dripping with makeshift charms.

I had walked into an iridescent beach shack where to be different was to be normal, and to be gay--something I still had very little practice being--was the only way to be, at least judging by the staff and other diners. I wasn't even seated yet, and already I knew I needed to be a part of this. Not just to eat here, but to become the kind of person who inhabited this impossibly cool restaurant as matter-of-factly as if they were stopping by their local diner. I needed to belong.

Lil' Deb's Oasis closes forever on October 12.