Saturday, May 11, 2019

The Political Scene in Hudson

Despite some rumors to the contrary earlier in the week, the mayoral debate scheduled for Thursday, May 16, is going forward. At a meeting on Friday, issues about the format of the debate appear to have been resolved to the satisfaction of both camps, and the debate between incumbent Rick Rector and challenger Kamal Johnson is on. The mayoral debate takes place at Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School, 102 Harry Howard Avenue, beginning at 6 p.m. Seating is limited. To register for a free ticket and to submit debate questions, click here.

The Democratic primary takes place on Tuesday, June 25, and at this point it is generally known that First Ward alderman Kamal Johnson is challenging Rick Rector, who has been endorsed by the Hudson City Democratic Committee, to be the Democratic candidate for mayor. It is also fairly well known that First Ward alderman Rob Bujan is challenging incumbent Tom DePietro to be the Democratic candidate for Common Council president. But what of the other races and candidates?

In the First Ward, four candidates are vying for the two slots on the ballot for alderman: Ginna Moore, Jane Trombley, Adam Weinert, and Rebecca Wolff.

In the Second Ward, M. M. Rony is challenging Tiffany Garriga, who is seeking her fourth term on the Council, and Dewan Sarowar, who was elected for the first time in 2017, to be one of the two Democratic nominees for alderman. Long-time elected official Abdus Miah, who served as alderman for more than a decade before being elected Second Ward supervisor in 2017, is being challenged by Willette Jones, who is currently the vice president of the Hudson City School District Board of Education.

In the Third Ward, incumbents Shershah Mizan and Calvin Lewis, both of whom were elected for the first time in 2017, are being challenged by John Darby and Rafael Pimentel.     

In the Fourth Ward, three candidates--incumbents Rich Volo and John Rosenthal, both elected for the first time in 2017, and newcomer Malachi Walker--are vying for the two slots on the ballot for alderman.

Although the general election isn't until November, in our very blue little city, it's likely that, with few exceptions, the winners in June will be the ones who will be taking office in January 2020.
COPYRIGHT 2019 CAROLE OSTERINK

5 comments:

  1. To clarify the Hudson City Democratic Committee endorsement: On March 5, the committee endorsed all unopposed Democratic candidates. That was before Kamal Johnson announced his candidacy for Mayor. The committee has not discussed Kamal Johnson's candidacy for Mayor and did not select Rector over Johnson.

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  2. Why dose makes Kamal think he should become Mayor ?
    Has he run a business with employees . Made payroll every Fri. negotiate contracts and dealt with large corporations ,he has! Well then Kamal is well qualified to be elected Mayor, and if he need any guidance I am sure either of the Moores will set him on their road. Its time to bring Hudson into the 21 century A CITY MANAGER .

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    1. City manager to keep an eye on everything -- I couldn't agree more.

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  3. "A city manager is the hired executive officer of a municipality who works outside of the political realm to keep operations running smoothly. ...

    "[It's] the most common form of local government ... prevalent in the Southwest and Pacific coast areas, in cities such as Phoenix, San Antonio, and Las Vegas. The city council oversees local policy and budgets and appoints a professional city manager to handle administrative tasks on a day-to-day basis."

    A city manager "coordinates and oversees the activities of all city departments ..."

    Hudson's at the point where it had better start taking this idea seriously.

    Anyway, that's just one website's definition of the position and the system which supports it. Thanks for bringing it up, man bites dog.

    https://onlinempa.unc.edu/blog/city-manager-vs-mayor/

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  4. I question why Kamal relies on Quentin Cross.. it is no secret he resides in Albany . To be a good mayor, one must follow rules. The same rules should apply to your friends as well as constituents .. it is wrong.. friend or no friend

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