Jennifer, We Hardly Knew Ye

Ellen Thurston, who was known and admired by all of Hudson, died on January 5. A memorial celebration of her life is being planned for Saturday, May 9, at Hudson Hall. 

What many readers may not know is that her great niece, Jennifer Thurston, who moved to Hudson six years ago to care for Ellen, died just twelve days after Ellen's passing. In her devotion and determination to care for Ellen, Jennifer ignored her own health, with tragic consequences. 

Photo: David Voorhees

Jennifer left Colorado, a place she loved, to spend the last six years of her life in Hudson, a place she didn't particularly care for, to ensure that Ellen's waning years were the best they could be. Although she lived among us for six years, few of us knew her very well. For that reason, as a tribute to this amazing woman and her extraordinary act of love, I share the link to her obituary, which appeared in the Telluride Times: "Jennifer Erin Thurston." 

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

We made it to March! Tomorrow, Punxsutawney Phil's prediction of six more weeks of winter will be four weeks old, leaving just two weeks to go. At the end of this week, in the night between Saturday and Sunday, Daylight Saving Time returns. As we move ever closer to the end of early darkness and this dreadful winter, here is what's happening.

• On Monday, March 2, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 2:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 3o1, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 2, the Common Council Safety Committee (Police and Fire) holds its monthly meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• Also on Monday, March 2, Mayor Joe Ferris holds a town meeting for the First Ward--his fifth and final town meeting in this round. The meeting takes place at The Spark of Hudson, 502 Union Street.

• On Tuesday, March 3, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. 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, March 5, the Common Council Services Committee (Youth Dept. 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. 
• Also on Thursday, March 5, the opening reception for the exhibition Patriots of Hudson in the Revolutionary, observing the nation's semiquincentennial, takes place at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street. Registration is required; email brenda.shufelt@hudsonarealibrary.org.

• On Saturday, March 7, the annual Oakdale Plunge, to benefit the Hudson Fire Department, the Hudson Youth Department, and Perfect Ten After School Program, takes place at noon at Oakdale Lake. (Plunger check-in begins at 11:00 a.m.) 

2024 Oakdale Plunge  Photo: Valerie Shaff

• Before you go to sleep on Saturday, March 7, be sure to set your clocks ahead an hour. At 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, Daylight Saving Time returns.

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A Taste of the Semiquincentennial Exhibition

The opening reception for Patriots of Hudson in the Revolutionary War, an exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country, takes place on Thursday, March 5. As the event approaches, Gossips shares another sample from the exhibition--two panels that tell of Dr. John Talman, who served in the 2nd Regiment, Orange County Militia, and his son John Thurston Talman. (Click on the images to enlarge. The main text of each panel is transcribed below the image.)

Dr. John Talman

Giant in Hudson History, 

"Beau Ideal of a Gentleman," Enslaver

By 1785 Talman resided in Hudson, where he married Heroine Jenkins (1767-1836). He was a physician, and one of the founders of the Columbia County Medical Society in 1806. He was twice mayor of Hudson. He was on the official committee to welcome General Lafayette on his 1824 visit to Hudson, while the eminent Frenchman was touring the United States. He was one of three people on the building committee for the 1818 almshouse, which still stands at the north end of 4th Street on State Street.

He was involved in the founding of Christ Church in Hudson, and was its first vestryman, and later a church warden. In 1803 he served on the board of The Episcopal Sunday Charity School, the second Sunday school founded in the State of New York.

He was also an enslaver of two persons.

Forty years after his death, he was remembered by Dr. P. B. Collar in a talk at the Columbia County Medical Society: "Dr. John Talman, of Hudson, was in the early days of the Society, one of the most popular physicians in the city. He was a skillful practitioner, and a man of very pleasing address. Of fine form, tall and well proportioned, with rare social qualities, he was the 'beau ideal' of a gentleman. He generally presided at the dinners, and his ready wit and sparkling repartee, made him the spirit of the company."

 

The Talman Family: From Enslaver to Abolitionist

Dr. John Talman is listed in the 1790 census as living with three white females (presumably his wife, Heroine Jenkins, and their first two children) and two enslaved individuals. We have not found any record of the enslaved persons or their situation.

The Talmans would go on to have eight more children including their son John Thurston Talman (1795-1850) who became an abolitionist.

John T. Talman married Mary Eleanor Fitzhugh, from the Fitzhugh family who helped found Rochester. John and Mary moved to Rochester around 1820. He served as cashier at the Bank of Rochester then at the Bank of Monroe. He was involved in the promoting of Rochester as an industrial center. He served as a trustee of the Rochester Female Academy (1842) and School District #3 (1846). Talman was a member and vestryman of St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

He also managed the Fitzhugh Estate including the commercial buildings on the Fitzhugh’s 100-acre tract in Rochester. After John’s death, one of the buildings was named the Talman Building.

Rochester was a hotbed of abolitionist activity. Mary Eleanor and her sisters, Elizabeth Potts and Ann Carol, were all active in the abolition movement as were their husbands. Ann and her husband Gerritt Smith’s home in nearby Peterboro was a station on the Underground Railroad and she had an enclosed carriage in which she would travel with veiled fugitives to Canada.

Frederick Douglass moved to Rochester with his family in the late 1840s. Mr. Douglass’s North Star printing office was on the second floor of the Talman Building.

The Story of the Furnace

On Thursday, February 26, the Common Council held a special meeting to pass a resolution amending the budget to take $5,600 from the general fund to replace a furnace in a residential property in Hudson. This was the conclusion of a sequence of events that seems to have started with a post that appeared on the Facebook group "Unfiltered Hudson" on Sunday night, February 22. That post is reproduced below. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

The post, written by the daughter of the homeowners, describes the problems encountered with a furnace installed through the Housing Rehab Community Development Block Grant program administered by Housing Justice Director Michelle Tullo. The following description of the program appears on the City of Hudson website:  

In 2022 the City of Hudson received a $500,000 grant to perform critical health and safety housing repairs. Repairs included but were not limited to replacing roofs, electrical and plumbing repairs, remediating lead-based paint in low- or moderate-income houses in the City of Hudson. This grant was completed in 2024 and is no longer taking applications.

According to the account on Facebook, the furnace, which was installed in 2024, stopped working properly on January 20, 2025. It would run for five minutes and then shut off. A technician called by the family to assess the problem determined that the furnace had not been installed properly and warned that continuing to use it created a safety issue.

On Tuesday, February 24, Jeffrey Yeh reported on "Columbia County Morning News" that the furnace had been a topic of discussion when he met with Mayor Joe Ferris that day.

According to Dominic Merante, Common Council Majority Leader, who learned about the problem from the family on Monday, February 23, the problem was 90 percent resolved when Yeh had his meeting with the mayor.

The resolution states that "the City's Code Enforcement Officer inspected and approved the installation" of the furnace, and hence the City was assuming the responsibility to remedy the issue. At the meeting on Thursday, Councilmember Henry Haddad (First Ward) asked: "Who did the work? Who chose the vendor? And who approved the plans from the vendor?" Before those questions were answered, Council president Margaret Morris said she was recommending that Nick Fox, the City's new code enforcement officer, reinspect the work done by the vendor who installed the furnace "to ensure there aren't any issues that we don't know about." Fox, who was present at the meeting, told the Council that the vendor was KR Construction from Schenectady, which mainly does carpentry. They had "subbed out" the HVAC work, but he did not know to whom. Regarding who chose the vendor, Fox reported that Michelle Tullo told him "she sent these grants out to be bid to multiple, multiple different contractors, and they got very few responses." KR Construction was one of the few companies that responded. 

Fox also explained that the new furnace had been installed in exactly the same way as the previous furnace had been, and because it was like for like, a building permit was not required for the installation. According to Fox, the installation of neither the old furnace nor the new furnace conformed to code, but, there wasn't a problem with the old furnace because it didn't have the sensors that caused the new furnace to shut itself off. 

There are two similar programs now being offered through the City's Housing Office: NYS Access to Home, for people with disabilities; and HOME Repair Program, for which the City has received a $520,000 grant. At the regular meeting of the Common Council on February 24, two resolutions were passed authorizing contracts for engineering services related to these two programs. At that meeting, Merante asked Tullo who selected the contractors to carry out projects funded by these grants. She explained, "It is a bid process, so it's advertised. So, we usually try to do like info sessions and like postings and get a pretty wide range. And if the contractors meet the requirements, then they are eligible to bid. So far as like insurance, references, eligible like work experience, stuff like that. And then the homeowners select the contractor. If the homeowner wants one that's not the least affordable, then they can get a difference. . . ." The people with the furnace problem have denied that they chose the contractor who installed the furnace.

At the Council meeting on February 24, Hudson resident Matt McGhee called for transparency in how the grants for individual home improvements are administered. At the special meeting on Thursday, Merante said, "We need to put a plan in place of corrective action so that it doesn't happen again. We need a layer of barrier that protects the homeowners and the City to make sure that something like this doesn't happen."

Tullo has defended the apparent lack of transparency around these grants, saying the names and addresses of the people receiving funding cannot be revealed for privacy reasons. That is perfectly understandable, but there is no reason to withhold information about the nature of the projects being funded, the process of selecting the contractors, or how many projects are completed with each grant. Since it seems it becomes the responsibility of the City, i.e., the taxpayers, to remedy the situation when work is done incorrectly and there are problems, it seems appropriate for the process be open to public scrutiny.

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A Fundraising Initiative for FOPS

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce has launched a partnership with Friends of the Public Square (FOPS) to encourage local employers to support the restoration of Hudson's historic park.

Left to right: Jonathan Spampinato, FOPS; Katherine Kanaga, FOPS; William Gerlach, Chamber of Commerce CEO; Mark Taylor, Chair of Chamber Board of Directors 

"We are delighted to contribute $500 toward the renovation of Seventh Street Park," said William Gerlach, president and CEO of the Chamber, "and we challenge our members to join us and support this important community investment."

Hudson's historic Seventh Street Park, originally known as the Public Square, is a central gathering place for residents, families, and visitors. Its renovation will strengthen Hudson's downtown, enhance public space for community events, and contribute to the vitality of Warren Street and the entire downtown business district.

Recognizing the park's potential for the economic and social life of the city, the Chamber is calling on its members to match or exceed the Chamber's gift and help accelerate the fundraising needed to complete the improvements.

"Vibrant public space is essential to a vibrant local economy," said Mark Taylor, Chair of the Board of the Chamber. "By investing in Seventh Street Park, we're investing in Hudson's future--and we invite our business community to stand with us."

Through the Business Challenge, Chamber members can make contributions of any size directly to the Friends of the Public Square (FOPS), with all funds dedicated to the renovation effort.

Participating businesses will be recognized publicly for their leadership and community commitment. Donors who contribute $500 or more will be recognized on the FOPS website and social media channels. Donors contributing $1,000 will also be recognized with a 5' x 6' banner ad. Donors who contribute $2,000 will receive a 5' x 12' banner ad, and $3,000 donors will receive a 5' x 18' banner ad. The banner ads will be displayed on the construction fence around the park during the renovation work.

The Chamber encourages all local employers--large and small--to take part in this effort to strengthen Hudson's downtown and create a more welcoming, accessible, and beautiful public space for everyone.

For more information about Hudson's historic Seventh Street Park, visit fopshudson.com.

For more information about supporting the renovations to Seventh Street Park and donating to the Business Challenge, visit fopshudson.com/chamberchallenge or contact Gary Purnhagen at the Chamber of Commerce (518) 828-4417 or Jonathan Spampinato at jonathan.spampinato@gmail.com.

Our Hudson Waterfront and the Dock

Last week, the Register-Star published an article by Spenser Walsh about a proposed amendment for clarification to Section 325-17.1 of the city code: "Hudson resident proposes law to limit Colarusso dock operations." The article contained misinformation and errors, only two of which have been acknowledged in an afternote. Donna Streitz, the Hudson resident referenced in the article's headline, has written a letter to the editor of the Register-Star--her second--to correct the inaccuracies in the article. At Streitz's request, I publish the letter below lest the Register-Star declines to publish it.

Dear Register-Star Editor,

I am writing to correct several factual inaccuracies in the Register-Star's 2/20/26 article Hudson resident proposes law to limit Colarusso dock operations. I'm disappointed that you saw it only fit to correct two inaccuracies, as per your Editor's Note posted at the bottom of that article on 2/27/26.

For the record, my previous request for corrections submitted to you on 2/23/26 follows. I respectfully request that you publish this Letter to the Editor.

To begin, the title of the article implies that the proposed law targets a specific owner. It does not. The clarification concerns the dock and its permitted uses, regardless of ownership, Similarly, Our Hudson Waterfront's advocacy regarding the haul road and dock permits was centered on compliance with zoning and environmental requirements, not on the identity of the owner.

Second, I am not the "founder" of Our Hudson Waterfront (OHW). I have been a member since its formation in 2019 and currently serve as its lead.

Third, OHW has not opposed the issuance of a conditional use permit for the dock. Rather, the group has consistently advocated that any dock permit approval comply fully with all applicable provisions of the City Zoning Code--including protections for public health, safety, and welfare, and the prohibition against intensifying industrial activity beyond the level lawfully existing in 2011 under § 325-17.1.D.

Fourth, while the article correctly states that the annual limit is "5,382 truck round trips," it may help readers to understand what that means in practical terms. A "round trip" represents one truck delivering a load and returning. In total, 5,382 round trips amount to 10,764 individual truck trips (to and from the dock) each year.

Fifth, the article states that the permit grants Colarusso a maximum of 284 daily truck round trips (142 truck loads delivered). This is incorrect. The Planning Board imposed no limits on truck volume in the dock conditional use permit. The 284 daily round-trip limit applies to the previously approved haul road permit.

Finally, the claim that the Board placed a "host of noise- and pollution-monitoring conditions" is inaccurate. Despite public requests for air-quality and noise measuring and monitoring, the permit requires none. While it includes limited mitigation measures aimed at reducing noise and dust, it contains no provisions for measurement, monitoring, reporting, or objective verification of compliance.

Accurate public reporting on matters affecting Hudson residents is essential. I appreciate the opportunity to correct the record.

Respectfully,

Donna Streitz

Hudson Resident

More Opportunities to Meet the Mayor

Last night, Mayor Joe Ferris held his fourth town hall meeting, this one for the Fourth Ward, at the Hudson Area Library. The final town hall meeting in this round is for the First Ward and will take place on Monday, March 2, at 6:30 p.m. at The Spark of Hudson, 502 Union Street.

Today, City Hall announced another of Ferris's initiatives to stay in touch with his constituents: Meet the Mayor--open office hours at City Hall. What follows is the press release issued today:

 

The Ferris Administration announces the beginning of the mayor’s open office hours program at City Hall. The Meet the Mayor series will take place the third Thursday of every month at 520 Warren Street from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The open office hours schedule for the initial slate of events is as follows:

• March 19
• April 16
• May 21
• June 18

“City Hall is the people’s seat of government, and these open office hours are a reminder of that fact,” said Mayor Joseph Ferris. “I’m excited to build off the momentum of the first round of town halls with the launch of the Meet the Mayor series. I’m eager to sit down with constituents and neighbors for one-on-one conversations about the issues they are facing and what they would like to see city government do for them. I invite everyone to attend and look forward to the start of this series.”

The open office hours are part of a three-pronged outreach strategy by City Hall. In the coming weeks, the City Hall e-newsletter will be launched. The next round of town halls to be held in May will be announced at the end of March.

For more information about these community outreach efforts, please email Mayoral Aide Tiffany Martin at mayoralaide@cityofhudson.org.

Gossips has been advised that, for the sake of privacy, Ferris will meet with constituents in his office on the second floor. However, he will come downstairs to meet with anyone who cannot manage the stairs to the second floor.

The CCDC Endorses Didi Barrett

At its endorsement meeting tonight, the Columbia County Democratic Committee (CCDC) resoundingly endorsed Didi Barrett over Sam Hodge to be the Democratic candidate to represent the 106th District in the New York State Assembly.

At the beginning of the meeting, Abbie Hodgson, co-chair of the CCDC, announced that the recommendation of the executive committee was to make no endorsement. It was also reported that the state and national committee had voted to endorse Barrett. Speaking for the state and national committee, Mary Murfitt said, "This is about winning, and Didi Barrett has proved time and time again that she is a winner."

When the CCDC voted on whether or not to make an endorsement in the 106th Assembly District, the vote was overwhelmingly in support of making an endorsement. When it came time to vote for Barrett or Hodge, the results, in a weighted vote, were 14,756 for Barrett and 3,733 for Hodge. 

The voters in Assembly District 106 will have the final say in deciding who will be the Democratic candidate for assemblymember. The primary election takes place on June 23.

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Meeting Updates

At 6:00 p.m. today, there is a special meeting of the Common Council to consider a budget amendment to address "emergency repairs." The resolution explaining the nature of the repairs can be found here. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 

The Hudson Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meeting, originally scheduled for 6:00 p.m., will begin at 6:15 p.m. Click here for the link to join that meeting remotely.

Some Intel from the School Board Meeting

At its meeting last night, the Hudson City School District Board of Education began its process of crafting a budget for the next school year, 2026-2027. The initial steps involved providing a lot of background information, the most interesting of which Gossips shares here.

The chart below compares the maximum tax levy allowed, arrived at by a complicated formula, and the approved HCDS budget over the past four school years. For 2022-2023 and 2024-2025, the approved budget represented an increase that was significantly below what was allowed. For 2023-2024, there was no increase in the tax levy. For the current school year, 2025-2026, the increase was the maximum allowed: 3.55 percent. For the upcoming school year, 2026-2027, the maximum allowed is 7.33 percent. 

Interim superintendent Brian Bailey hastened to assure all present and watching the livestream that they were not proposing a 7.33 percent increase in the tax levy. How much of an increase there will be has not yet been determined.

Another bit of information of interest is that HCSD currently has close to $3.2 million ($3,186,057) in grant revenue. That is on top of the district's $58.5 million ($58,544,000) budget.

Bailey's presentation on class size, which across the broad averages 20, revealed how many students are enrolled in the Hudson City School District. In the elementary school (PreK through Grade 5), there are 670 students; in junior high (Grades 6 to 8), there are 320 students; in senior high (Grades 9 through 12), there are 484 students. That is a total of 1,474 students. With a budget of more than $61.7 million, that works out to more than $42,000 per student.

The question, which clearly does not have an easy answer, is why, given how much money is being spent, doesn't HCSD achieve better outcomes? 

On a topic different but related to this, there are two seats coming vacant on the school board. The terms of Kjirsten Gustavsen and Michael Zibella expire this year. Anyone interested in running for a seat on the school board can obtain petitions from board clerk Leslie Coons: coonsl@hudsoncsd.org. Signed petitions must be submitted by April 29 at 5:00 p.m.

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Update on the Assembly Race

Last week, the Dutchess County Democratic Committee endorsed incumbent Didi Barrett as the Democratic candidate to represent the 106th District in the NYS Assembly over Sam Hodge. Tomorrow night, Thursday, February 26, the Columbia County Democratic Committee holds its endorsement meeting at 7:00 p.m. The meeting takes place on Zoom. To register to attend the meeting, click here. 

Yesterday, more the fifty elected officials in Columbia County, not all of whom are Democrats, issued a statement of support for Barrett. The statement, reproduced below, reads:

Didi has been, and continues to be, a staunch advocate for our communities in Columbia County, and has worked hard to deliver critical resources, funding, support, and advice to the municipalities we represent.

Local governments face many challenges, and during her time in office Didi has worked with us to understand and address the important issues affecting our communities. In these unprecedented times, her leadership, accessibility, and track record are vital assets to Columbia County, and we strongly support her re-election to the New York State Assembly.

Among those signing the statement are all five Hudson representatives on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, Mayor Joe Ferris, Council president Margaret Morris, and four members of the Common Council. Click on the image below to enlarge. The list of those signing on to the statement is organized in alphabetical order by municipality. 

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Update on Those Delinquent Property Taxes

When the process of collecting property taxes that had long gone unpaid began in May 2025, there were 121 properties in arrears on their taxes, and the total amount owed was more than $2.6 million--$2,625,855.82, to be exact. At the Common Council meeting last night, City Treasurer Heather Campbell reported on the progress of the effort to collect the back taxes.

So far, according to Campbell, 115 properties have been "redeemed"--that is, removed from the foreclosure list either by paying the back taxes or by entering into a payment agreement with the City. There are, however, 36 properties still on the list, and those 36 properties owe $2.1 million ($1.4 million in principal and $700,000 in interest). Ten of the 36 properties owe 83 percent of that amount, or $1,743,000; five of the properties owe 64 percent of that amount, or $1,344,000. A list of the properties still on the foreclosure list has not been made public.

Campbell indicated that there were some properties still on the foreclosure list that owe less than $1,000. She said a letter would soon be going out to these property owners warning them that if they do not pay the balance due they will soon incur the cost of a title search, which is the next step in the foreclosure process.

The sale of 98 Paddock Place, which the City took possession of through foreclosure in 2017, is likely to happen in April. In May 2025, $184,853.28 was owed in principal and interest. The amount is likely more now.

Although the City took possession of the house in 2017, the owner continued living there until just a few months ago. At the February 9 meeting of the Common Council Infrastructure and Code Committee meeting, Rob Perry, Superintendent of Public Works, shared pictures of the interior of the house taken recently, after the owner had moved out.

Perry noted that state law prohibits the City from making money on the sale of foreclosed property. Although the City must carry out the sale of the property, it can only keep the amount owed in back taxes and interest. Anything more than that must go to the owner who was foreclosed on. Perry indicated that, for this reason, DPW would not be using City resources to clean out the house to make it more desirable to buyers, because it would not be in the City's interest for them to do so. Any amount beyond the $200,000 or so owed in back taxes would go to the owner who left the house in this state.

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More Ado About Very Little

It would appear that the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition and For the Many have been shopping the story of the very modest amendment being proposed for Hudson's short-term rental law to regional media. Yesterday, there was the report by Nora Michanec in the Times Union. Today, it's a feature on News 10: "Hudson officials considering short term rental law."

At the Common Council meeting tonight, Rebecca Wolff, who back in 2020 when she served on the Council was effectively the author of the current legislation, urged the Council not to change the law but instead to strengthen it. In 2020, before the law was enacted, there were 200 properties operating as short-term rentals in Hudson. Today, there are 67 and perhaps even fewer. This decrease in short-term rentals seems, however, not to have had much effect on Hudson's perceived housing shortage. 

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