News of County Government

The following is quoted from an announcement made today by the Columbia County Democratic Committee:

In 2021, Democratic Members of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors will have a new Minority Leader: Tistrya Houghtling [New Lebanon].

"The nation and the county struggles with four crucial priorities: COVID-19, economic recovery, racial justice, and climate change," said Houghtling. "County government has an important role in creating solutions that benefit Columbia County residents."

Houghtling was elected by the Democratic Supervisors at the December 30, 2020, caucus meeting. The vote is scheduled to be affirmed by the entire Board of Supervisors at the 2021 organizational meeting on January 4, 2021.

Houghtling replaces Sarah Sterling [Hudson, First Ward] who has been the previous Minority Leader, serving for the past three years. While Minority Leader, as the first woman in this position, Sterling spearheaded the change in the Board of Elections to create full-time election commissioners. She has worked hard to have bipartisan agreements reached without discord. This year was the most difficult with COVID necessitating significant budget cuts as well as several policy changes. . . .

The shift in leadership comes after an increasing number of Democrats winning at the ballot box. 57 percent of Columbia County voters selected Biden. Nine out of 10 newly registered voters over the past four years registered as Democrats, making the Democratic Party the largest party in Columbia County. While Democrats at the Board of Supervisors are in the minority because of the weighted vote, there are now more Democratic supervisors than Republican ones. . . .

Michael Chameides [Hudson, Third Ward] will serve as the Deputy Minority Leader. . . .