- On Monday, January 13, the Historic Preservation Commission holds a special workshop meeting at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall. The subject of the meeting is the proposal for a new staircase giving access to the parlor entrance at 214 Allen Street.
- Also on Monday, January 13, the Common Council holds its organizational meeting followed by the informal meeting. The meetings take place at City Hall starting at 7:00 p.m. Predictably, back on the agenda for the informal meeting is the nine-month moratorium on the creation of new short-term rental units.
- On Wednesday, January 15, the city calendar shows a meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals scheduled for 6:00 p.m. It also indicates, as it always does, that the meeting is "tentative." It is not known at this point if the meeting will take place. There has been no word on whether or not Mayor Kamal Johnson has reappointed Lisa Kenneally as chair of the ZBA or whom he has appointed to replace Kathy Harter and Theresa Joyner. We know Joyner will not be reappointed to the ZBA because Johnson has appointed her to the Planning Board.
- Also on Wednesday, January 15, the Hudson City Democratic Committee is hosting a town hall for First Ward residents to meet their new aldermen, Jane Trombley and Rebecca Wolff. The event takes place at 6:00 p.m., at Hudson Milliner, 415 Warren Street.
Trombley and Wolff will be discussing their legislative goals for the coming session. First Ward supervisor Sarah Sterling will be there as well to outline the agenda for the Democrats on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, and Mayor Kamal Johnson and Common Council president Tom DePietro will be on hand to answer questions. For more information and to reserve your place at the event, click here.
- On Friday, January 17, Hudson Development Corporation Board of Directors is scheduled to meet at 6:00 p.m. at 1 North Front Street. At its last meeting, which took place on December 20, the board discussed changes to its bylaws. This meeting may continue that discussion, as well as how to proceed with the redevelopment of the Kaz property.
Update: The most recent intel is that there is no meeting of the HDC Board on Friday, January 17, and it is something of a mystery how this entry got on the city calendar. The next HDC meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 28, at noon, at 1 North Front Street.
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It's a bit ironic that he Hudson Milliner is the venue for Rebecca Wolff to be introduced to the public. All the apartments upstairs are short term rentals. Wolff is Hudson's leading opponent of short term rentals. HILARIOUS!
ReplyDeleteWhy are these ostensible "town hall" meetings not held in a public space?
ReplyDeleteFor one thing, they're sponsored by the city Democrat Committee with its purported "mission for a better Hudson," with "transparency [and] progress for all."
Uh huh …
In the past, Ward meetings were always government events held at The Chamber of Commerce. Why should this event be any different? There will be no candidates, but only city officials present to "answer questions."
The Chamber just informed me that it's only "partisan" events which are prohibited there, which explains the shift to the private venue and also the private means of advertising the event (in order to RSVP you'll need a Facebook account).
This is only the latest example of Hudson's ever-so-gradual trend away from procedural and participatory government and towards privatization of the means of governance.
Where exclusivity is treated as a given (e.g., public business should NOT require Facebook!), then the new boss soon becomes the old boss.
Thanks for your input. As one of the organizers of this event, I'd like to take a moment to address your concerns.
DeleteFirst, the purpose of this event is to give Hudson residents a channel to discuss issues of concern with their elected representatives, learn more about municipal initiatives and the process of government, and find ways they as individuals can contribute to the progress of our community. These events (they will take place across Hudson) will also help the Hudson City Democratic Committee identify issues which are most important to residents of Hudson and help provide focus to our work and outreach going forward. The event is open to all residents of the First Ward, regardless of political affiliation.
The owners of Hudson Milliner have generously provided their space for neighbors to meet and converse in a location central and convenient to residents of the First Ward, and I'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks to them for doing so. Tickets are free but seating is limited, so we are asking First Ward residents who wish to attend to respond via Eventbrite (which does not require a Facebook account), which can be accessed via the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1st-ward-forum-january-2020-tickets-88565047441
Dan Udell will be on hand to record and publish the event. (Thank you, Dan!) Anyone who cannot attend but has issues they would like addressed or is having trouble registering can reach out to me directly at johnpaulkane@gmail.com.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly. The Hudson City Democratic Committee will also be meeting Tues Jan 14 at the Chamber of Commerce at 6 pm. This monthly meeting, which usually takes place on the first Tuesday of the month, is open to registered Democrats within Hudson and throughout the State Assembly District.
Is there a schedule yet for when these will be taking place in the other wards?
DeleteIf you don't use Facebook you wouldn't know that you must submit your name and email to get a ticket to hear your representative speak at a private venue that holds 1/10 of the constituency these electeds intend to address. Extremely grassroots stuff here.
DeleteJohn:
DeleteI copied your email address into my email server and received a message that the email address was not recognized. This is due to the period at the end of your address. Others wishing to contact you should make sure to delete the period after gmail.com
It would be a different thing if this was a meeting of some civic organization, but having to RSVP an information meeting at the most local level of representation - and via Facebook alone, no less! - is a bit lacking in the department of public spirit.
DeleteWhat's changed since Ward meetings were last held in public buildings like the Chamber of Commerce?
This time the sponsor is a political party which for some reason is placing itself between every resident and their opportunity to meet their new Aldermen, perhaps for the first and last time.
For no other purpose than self-promotion, an organization has arguably inserted itself into this delicate arrangement, and plainly to the degree that its very sponsorship prohibits it from holding the event in a public place where everyone can get a seat and RSVPs aren't necessary.
In the end, I suppose it's a question of good manners.
In that case, I must politely decline my own reserved seat which may now be given to another lucky taxpayer.
Is the Hudson Milliner ADA compliant?
ReplyDelete