Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon has an article in today's Register-Star about the charter change being proposed: "Citizens' group wants changes to Hudson city government." The article includes reactions to the proposed changes from Mayor Kamal Johnson and Council president Tom DePietro, whose current positions would either be significantly diminished or eliminated altogether by the changes proposed. Needless to say, their responses were not positive.
Along with claiming, erroneously, the plan "kills the democratic process by eliminating the need for elections" and would be "very, very, very expensive on our city" (not seeming to realize that his $75,000 salary and his aide's $50,000 salary could be used to pay a city manager), Johnson asserted, "I don't think the citizens of Hudson would support this. Someone who's not from here making backroom decisions about city government without the citizens. I don't think that's going to be palatable to the public."
DePietro was similarly dismissive--and insulting: "The idea has been concocted by a group of dissolute people, many who couldn't be elected dog catcher, and also includes people who don't even live in Hudson. So, I think the plot of this cabal has little chance with the city."
The response from Gossips readers, expressed in comments on yesterday's post, seems to put the lie to Johnson's and DePietro's predictions. The coming year should be interesting.
COPYRIGHT 2024 CAROLE OSTERINK
Carole -- a point of correction. The mayor's salary is now $85k, and the housing director, who has overseen the start of not one affordable housing unit during her 3 year tenure, is now earning $80k annually. Under the new charter, the mayor is an unpaid position. Also under the new charter, the 5 aldermen would be earning their existing salaries of $5k/year ($25k). There's $190k towards the salary of a city manager. The mayor's aide earns $50k a year -- and so likely would the city manager's aide. Thus, as it was planned by the working group, the changes to headcount and job description (and thus salary) essentially self-funds the city manager's position and office.
ReplyDeleteThanks, John. I must have missed the mayor getting a 13 percent raise.
DeleteI may be misremembering, but I feel like there may have been some public opposition to a few affordable housing projects during the past 3 years.
DeleteThere's public opposition to just about every project. What's new? However, the reason there are no affordable housing starts in the city isn't because the projects didn't get PILOTs -- they did. No. The reason they didn't start is because the city partnered with an entity with a terrible track record which the state refused to finance with the entity's desired bonding mechanism. Denied this lucrative form of taxing shell game, the partner lost interest.
DeleteMichelle's salary is covered by a grant from a few years back, but I'm not sure when it expires or if the city will keep paying it in full. Regardless, that money can't be used for a city manager.
DeleteThe city has partnered with multiple developers on multiple projects, not just "an entity".
DeleteAlso, I'm not sure what PILOTs have to do with public opposition. It's not as if residents get IDA votes.
DeleteBecause Kamal and Tom award tax cuts to billionaires and centimillionaires, and then raise taxes on the middle class who can barely afford their mortgages.
DeleteLet’s be clear, the citizens of Hudson want something better than what we’re currently getting. Employing a City Manager with training, education, and hopefully a track record of successfully running a city would put us miles ahead of where we are currently. It would also allow for longer term planning than the current 2-year model gets us. The City of Ithaca, along with dozens of other cities n NYS have already made this switch and are seeing the benefits, including smarter long-term planning.
ReplyDeleteAt these prices, is it any wonder the citizens of Hudson are demanding change?
It's really a shame that Hudson has been saddled with Tom DePietro for so long. The man has contributed absolutely nothing to civic life either before he was elected and, certainly, since.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm curious who among the "cabal" he believes is "dissolute." Could it be Bob Rasner, who with his wife has run not 1 but two successful businesses on both coasts? Perhaps it's Virginia Martin who, after earning a Ph.D., led the County's board of elections for about a decade and is the current regent of the local DAR chapter? Or maybe he meant Kristal Heinz, a local lawyer who has mastered the various local municipalities' zoning codes and is the go-to lawyer for any significant development in the area? Or Dan Renehan, who is a staff attorney for the State Department of Health? Could it be Don Moore who as Council President oversaw the most productive six years the city council has had in recent memory after a career leading support for dance at the National Endowment for the Arts? Or maybe Nick Haddad who, with his wife, are the second or third largest property owners in the city, who has worked on some of the largest construction projects in the world and then ran his family business before retiring? Or is it me, the guy he tried to push down the stairs from behind (because he's a craven coward who doesn't take criticism at all well), who served 3 terms on the city council and authored nearly a dozen bills including the lodging tax and community preservation laws, who has practiced law in Hudson for nearly 2 decades (out of the 30 years I've been at), and has been on teams that have started over 9 existing businesses in Hudson? Or perhaps it's the mythical member who doesn't live in Hudson? (Note to Tom, the entire cabal -- along with our pitchforks and torches -- all reside in Hudson.)
We clearly expected this type of uninformed, anti-intellectual, Trumpian response from both Tom and Kamal. After all, and as is often the case, past performance is an indicator of current and future results. But the hypocrosy of 2 fellows who, between them, are prime examples of the law of conservation of energy, is really stunning. They are 2 sad sacks.
I think this wins Gossips Comment Award of the year?
DeleteThe copium is palatable. I’m going to enjoy the next year of gaslighting and eventually denial as this gets popular support and ends with real change. In my circle alone we could get this petition filled out in a day. Everyone I know who lives here is tired of the status quo and if they arrived here from somewhere else there’s always that moment of shock when they find out how poorly things are managed.
ReplyDeleteFewer than ten people weighed in on the post Carole is pointing to as "put[ting] the lie to Johnson's and DePietro's predictions". Let's not get ahead of yourself, ma'am.
ReplyDeleteThere are some benefits to a City Manager form of government. This process has been completely bizarre. Why present to the HDC first? Why chafe at a possible 3 to 6 month 'debate'? Where is this actual proposal? Apparently Carole has access to it, but it's not on HDC's site as part of the agenda packet. Do the rest of us have to ask Mr. Rasner for permission to see it?
The proposal was presented to HDC first because the city leadership refused to meet with us or to even read the proposals as they developed. Understand -- the city's elected leaders, when faced with a request from citizens to meet to discuss a redress of a perceived problem, refused to even consider the request and refused to review the proffered materials.
DeleteThe HDC, on the other hand, is a hands-on board of local business leaders (which, by the way, includes both the mayor and the city council president, ex officio per the HDC's bylaws -- though they rarely attend and were noticeably absent yesterday). The HDC board works hard to fulfill its charter of supporting jobs and job creation in Hudson. And the governance of Hudson is clearly important to that mission. So.
And who's chafing at a possible debate? Whether the council approves it per the state statute (I think they have 60 days by law) or the voters push it on to the ballot, that vote isn't until November 2025 -- that's just shy of 12 months.
The actual proposal and its supporting documents are being put on our website this weekend. As a group, we're better with writing and talking than site management, unfortunately. But the amended sections of the charter will be up for all to download and review shortly. If you can't wait, give my office a call and I'll print out a copy for you.
There are no secrets here. Either in the process or the resulting proposal. Most of us on this project previously worked on the Fair and Equal initiative -- and we were guided in this present effort by our openness and transparency exhibited in the prior undertaking. We just lack the tech chops.
Is the proposal as presented to HDC subject to revision after public input? Your group has had, to my knowledge, no public meetings, and just one public presentation. A petition is being circulated 'next month', which could be as soon as next week. No one outside of your group or that HDC meeting knows what they'd be signing on for. It sounds like the document will be available for public review for, at most, two weeks before asking the other 5900 of us for support. These are all somewhat concerning.
DeleteOn its face, there's nothing inherently provocative about adopting a city manager form of government. The process thus far, however, does not inspire confidence in its transparency or democracy.
The petitions contain the entirety of the charter changes. No one is being asked to sign anything they haven't had a chance to review and ask questions about. In terms of changes, if the council wants to present their own plan, they can. If you want to present your own plan, you can. If your neighbor wants to, she can, too. This process is neither exclusive but nor is it easy. It took us 3 years of study, discussion, seeking and digesting input, more discussion, more research, etc. But anyone can undertake the process.
DeleteAgain, Fair & Equal worked in the same manner. It was never a secret, the work was done by dedicated volunteers who lived in Hudson. Same thing here.
You clearly are unhappy that this was done. So maybe you should lobby your alderman or woman to do something along the lines of the actual work it takes to do what a group of your neighbors -- whose motivations you question -- did. And we did it for nothing except you (and the rest of Hudson). Not to be re-elected. Not for our council or mayor's office salaries and benefits. For you.
I didn't question anyone's motivations. I questioned the transparency and inclusivity of the process you folks used to create and propose an alternative form of local government.
DeleteI'm completely ambivalent to whether the city employs a city manager or not. As perhaps one of the few Hudson residents who has lived in--and worked for--jurisdictions with city managers, I don't find either them to be any more or less efficient (or political) than the other.
I take exception to 3 years of work being done with not a single publicized community input session. If I'm wrong and these did happen, then fair's fair. If this was just a group of a dozen prominent Hudson residents who got together and decided what's best for the rest of us, that's another story. Your sign off seems to indicate it was the latter.
I'll be interested to see how this unfolds, at any rate. We might be small, but we are never boring.
John, in a recent statement, you mentioned that part of the salary for the new city manager would come from the Housing Justice Director’s salary. The issue is, the City of Hudson doesn’t pay for that position—it’s funded by a grant from a foundation. After three years of deliberation your plan is to cover this new position with money you don't actually have, that’s incredibly troubling. Are you planning to raise taxes or raid the fund? Given that this group assembled of lawyers and other aggrieved white color residents to fundamentally alter the city's charter has made such basic oversights raises serious questions about whether your focus is on addressing the real, granular issues of good governance—or if you’re more concerned with settling old, petty grievances. The direction you’re taking is creating major red flags about your priorities.
DeleteThere's a distinction between governance and operations. The charter is about governance. All we've pointed out is that funds for what we're paying now, we could have actual management of the city's operations. Going forward, well that's up to the council -- it's the council's job to set policy, including fiscal policy. Perhaps Hudson doesn't pay for youth from outside the city limits using our youth department anymore (as we're currently doing at the city's sole expense). Efficiencies and redistribution of discretionary budget funds are clearly work that has to be done regardless of the end use of the funds -- particularly when the expenses continue to rise at a much faster rate than inflation, like the mayor's salary and that for the mayor's aide. These are nuts and bolts issues that are beyond governance; they are operational. The charter is about governance.
DeleteAnd I'm not taking any direction. We have crafted a potential solution for the citizens' consideration, debate, what have you. The conversation has to be about something. We have finished our version of "something" and how the conversation can begin.
Some Guy -- I talked about this work endlessly in bars and restaurants, at house parties, on line at the post office, in my sleep, to my wife, to my dogs, to my doctor and my 92 year old aunt in Florida. In short, I talked about it to everyone who didn't push me away (though I likely bored a good many).
DeleteBut what I couldn't do until now was point to the actual language that would need to be changed to make the minimal changes necessary to achieve the manager-council form in a way that was in harmony with how Hudson has historically been governed. We can do that now. So talk. Pick it apart. Start from a place of knowledge -- what we're actually proposing. Debate it. Shit on it. Place it on a pedestal and adore it. Whatever you think it deserves, but do it on the basis of the proposal's content. And, remember, this is the way the state constitution and its statutes envisions it happening.
From where I sit, you're complaining about a lack of "democracy" when, in fact, the proposal is being given to the public specifically for the purpose of democratic action as enshrined in NYS public policy. Again, pick it apart.
John, earlier you suggested that part of the new city manager’s salary—about half—could come from an area where that’s simply not possible. Now you’re casually talking about cutting the youth department to make it work? The distinction between governance and operations becomes extremely blurry when the cost of a governance change requires such a significant financial shift. You can’t overhaul the city’s structure without a clear plan for how it will be funded, and this charter change carries a six-figure price tag. So far, your proposals show a complete lack of understanding of the city’s actual expenditures—like the Housing Director’s salary, which is covered by a grant, not city funds. You’re burdening taxpayers with a massive financial commitment via a referendum, then expecting the aldermen to just figure it out. Meanwhile, you sit back and say, “We’ll work it out later.” That’s not a plan; it’s a cop-out.
DeleteAs for your claim that "all we've pointed out is that with the funds we’re paying now, we could have actual management of the city's operations," that’s simply not true. You’ve vaguely referenced money the city doesn’t even spend and tossed out the idea of cutting the youth department—without offering any specifics on where the money will actually come from. This isn’t just a matter of tweaking the charter; it’s about imposing an unfunded mandate on taxpayers.
If this were a genuine effort, you’d be advocating for candidates on the council who could push this change through, allowing time for proper public deliberation and engagement. Instead, by putting this up as a referendum, you're bypassing the elected officials, leaving no room for public input from the treasurer or department heads. The people who will be forced to make this work on the fly will have no say.
What exactly were you doing for three years if you still can't answer the fundamental question, "How do we pay for this?" And if the only answer you have is department cuts, then at least be honest about it. Don’t dress it up—just say it: “I want to cut funding for youth programs to fund some credentialed, four-year degree, elite manager position.” How many residents of Hudson would even be eligible to apply for manager under this new charter? You’re essentially eliminating the possibility of having a working-class city manager by making the requirement some specific 4-year public administration degree. Maybe that’s the point. We should all just be grateful for our thoughtful and educated betters for making such wise decisions for us ignorant masses.
Henry, you seem to be very hung up on the proposed salary of the city manager. In the context of Hudson's budget, that's only a fifth of the typical budget increase we see year after year.
DeleteTaking that money out of the youth department's budget is an entirely justifiable step. 40% of the kids that use the department's programing live outside of Hudson. Margaret brought up this point recently.
To which Kamal provided a stunning response: He'd much rather not place additional financial hardships on families that may have at some point lived in Hudson but were priced out. I wonder if at any point during this utterance the thought crossed Kamal's mind that his pathological laziness and inaction may have contributed to this process of pricing out families.
So clearly he is okay with giving out free money to the citizens in my town, Greenport, while tightening the tax screw on residents in his city. Greenport certainly appreciates the gesture.
If I remember correctly, the youth department's budget is somewhere around $800k. 40% of that pays comfortably for a city manager plus aide.
I must assume that your section on working-class representatives is firmly in the realm of satire. As a reminder, Hudson's Common Council President Tom has spent a quarter century of his life writing book reviews for a literature magazine.
He's the perfect embodiment of what you don't want: An elitist who is at the same time entirely unqualified to oversee a budget of nearly $20 million.
Your premise is faulty. It’s not anyone’s but the council’s obligation to determine the city’s fiscal policy. When I was on the council, that’s what I did. I expect this and future councils to do the same: their job.
DeleteIs the school board elitist for using a search committee and requiring the superintendent to have a phd in education? And what are they paid? I believe the compensation package is over $300k. Should we demand a surgeon at CMH to be born in Hudson and “working class?” No.
DeleteThe city manager is a non political professional that works at the pleasure and direction of the city council. Anybody who lives in Hudson can run for council.
@ Some Guy
Deletere: "I didn't question anyone's motivations. I questioned the transparency and inclusivity of the process you folks used to create and propose an alternative form of local government."
Do you want to join the group? Just reach out to Bob and the others.
Also... this initiative so brand new and look at the transparency, things are written down, folks are responding to questions.
Compare that to Tom and Kamal who have now stopped publishing public comment on the City website (curiously after Rasner's data graph), rarely take meetings etc.
@ Some Guy - what is your wish for the new City Manager system?
How do you want this horrendously lead City to improve?
Henry.... Kamal cost Hudson $200k just for a survey that we now cannot use and that will soon be the subject of an academic study in statistical malfeasance.
DeleteDid you know that?
Tom is a power user of the city's lawyers. Our legal bill is 2-3X what it should be... stay tuned for more on that.
See the last Planning Board meeting where you could see the plan to create a new city-paid permanent job for Michelle Tullo (who is allegedly in a secret romantic relationship with Kamal, who helped increase her salary to $80k).
If Hudson actually cared about money we'd turn the Youth Center building into a community center for all during the week, rent it out on weekends for weddings and make $400k per year (conservatively) to cover costs of maintenance and youth/senior programming.
A City Manager could execute these ideas and others, under the direction of the Council.
Tom and Kamal have only ever raised taxes, and then redeployed those taxes to a small subset of the, though they always say "our" community.
Something that makes me believe that this is a good idea and a likely successful is the fact that none of its detractors can speak about the actual negatives of a city manager/council system, nor do they speak on the merits of our current system or the effectiveness of those who were elected to run it. The only criticisms thrown are:
ReplyDelete1) Criticism on the way it was developed. Well, have meetings, start a Facebook group, do a public listening session with free pizza and cute post-it notes. Then put your plan to petition and referendum. Or don’t sign or vote for this one. It won’t get passed unless the voters approve. That’s direct democracy in action.
2) Ditectly attacking the people involved or their motives. Well, maybe we all love drama and gossip in bars or dinner parties, but I would guess most voters don’t care about that as much as they do their taxes and what little they get in Hudson for such an expense.
3) “How will we pay for it?” The most laughable criticism of all coming from elected officials who have never uttered that sentence before now. The council just voted in another increasingly expensive budget. I would wager half of them did not even read it. The same half that never utters a word at any meeting unless it’s to second a motion to adjourn. About half of them also run unopposed. So if half of the redundant council positions get eliminated I don’t think they’ll be missed.
As someone who has never served on the Common Council, I’ll take a shot at this one. From what I’ve seen throughout these discussions, the people pushing this change are severely misinformed. The idea that “we’ll just slide the Housing Director’s salary over to the city manager” is completely off-base. The city doesn’t even pay the Housing Director’s salary—it’s covered by a grant. So, where’s the money going to come from to pay for this city manager? Are we cutting DPW workers? Cops? Which department is next on the chopping block? Or are we planning to raise taxes to fund a credentialed manager who treats citizens like widgets in some corporate business model? Or maybe we’re going to sell out to private equity and run this town like a for-profit enterprise?
DeleteThis plan has supposedly been in the works for three years—so where’s the missing six figures to cover the difference between the mayor’s salary and the city manager’s salary? If you’re shifting the pay from $80k to $150k-180k, that’s a substantial gap. You cut out 5 alderman that's only 25k. Be specific: Where’s that money coming from? And don’t just handwave it away with vague references to cutting other departments or vague promises about future funding. You’ve had three years to figure this out, so the fact that we’re still asking basic questions about the funding is a huge red flag.
And where is the actual plan? If we’re supposedly living in the spirit of transparency, why wasn’t it posted when this propsed change was announced? Instead, we’re left with this vague, ambiguous proposal that only a select few—those who are already hypersensitive and aggrieved—seem to have access to. Why not take this to the next level, run for alderman, and drum up the votes to change the charter legitimately?
The Aldermen also receive health insurance (or an additional payout if they don't take the insurance) which must cost more than their salaries.
DeleteAgain, you seem flummoxed by the distinction between governance and operations. It’s not anyone but the council’s job and prerogative to determine city fiscal policy. All we’ve done is pointed a way for operational efficiency through governance changes. If you think the status quo is better than what we can achieve, ok. Sad, but ok. But if you believe we can do better than a status quo that has us mired, then take part. Or just keep complaining.
Delete🚩 Pot calling the kettle black alert 🚨:
ReplyDeleteTom DePietro said:
"The idea has been concocted by a group of dissolute people, many who couldn’t be elected dog catcher, and also includes people who don’t even live in Hudson. So, I think the plot of this cabal has little chance with the city.”
And.... Tom you called Rasner and his group, to my face and to at least 3 other people, a "bunch of old white guys".
1️⃣ - any discrimination based on immutable traits (things you cannot change) is unconstitutional and unethical. Stop.
2️⃣ - virtually all of the Charter Reform organizers are long-time Hudson residents... Why would you share another lie to be spread by Tiffany the reporter?
And not that it matters to most people, there are Native Americans, Africans, Europeans who trace their lineage to the 17th century settlers, East and South Asians etc. in the reform group. Most importantly, they are all Americans.
3️⃣ - the idea is as old as America, probably older (sorry, not Bob or John's original idea...) and it has not only stood the test of time but is growing and proven itself worth spreading around the globe.
4️⃣ - why the self hate Tom?
If, by your logic, we should not listen to "old white guys", who are "dissolute" *... who don't live in Hudson... who couldn't get elected "dog catcher".
Aren't you caucasian, retired, and you and your partner split your time between New York suburbs and Hudson... and you ran unopposed in your election for Common Council President (not exactly the US Senate).
And yet we hear you out and ask you for more clarity.
Additionally, the Spark of Hudson founders/donors do not live in Hudson... I don't see you arguing that Albert and Gigi should not have voice in Hudson when they want to give $2m for pickle-ball courts cum park on Mill Street or fund yet another Hudson youth focussed program... run by... the former Youth Center Director Nick Zachos (resident of Greenport, if I am not mistaken).
~
Tom, when we critique you we critique your actions and words... your choices, the laws you pass. We critique your track record, your (in)consistency as it relates to your work, the tone of your Council meetings, all related to your work as CC President. You chose to run for that office and run the Council the way you do.
We don't critique you on race, age, where you were born, or anything that you can't change.
Didn't you teach at some point? Weren't you an editor at some point? You must be an experienced writer then...
Why don't you take the quill (or keyboard) and write out an argument for why the Mayor System is better than the City Manager system for a city of Hudson's size, budget, and challenges.
Then we can engage with your ideas and data.
And if you have a strong argument we will all be better for it.
Bob respects Hudson and its residents and wrote out his thinking. He did the work.
Why don't you respect the residents and city you serve (and get paid by) by following Bob's sterling example.
*Dissolute definition: (of a person or a way of life) overindulging in sensual pleasures.
To the folks behind the charter reform proposal… I know you put a lot of work and thought into writing it, but can we just add one little thing? Pretty please? Can you add in a rule that the city manager cannot engage in romantic relationships with their subordinates? Or give 150% pay raises to said involved subordinates? That would be cool.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe the Council can come up with an ethics law for city employees. It can speak to things like inappropriate relationships and conflicts of interests. For example, and I’m just spitballing here, like if an elected official had a landlord that does significant business before the city… like PILOT requests, planning board, all that stuff… then maybe said official would have to disclose their lease, any financial entanglements, and recuse themselves from all said business relating to said entity.
Totally hypothetical, but could you imagine if this was happening here?
re: Kamal's points in Tiffany's news story:
ReplyDelete1️⃣ “It kills the democratic process by eliminating the need for elections, and it just changes the fabric of our city and leadership,” he said.
re: Elections misinformation
False. There will still be elections at the same frequency, in the same location. Why would you lie about that to the "press", Mayor?
re: change fabric of City and leadership. True.
And it is literally the goal. The City has been broken by divisive and mediocre leaders like you who divide us by melanin and not merit.
2️⃣ "Someone who's not from here making backroom decisions about city government without the citizens, I don’t think that's going to be palatable to the public."
re: Birthplace discrimination
You are from Westchester/New York Kamal.
And it doesn't matter, you now live here. We are neighbors. The Charter Reform organizers are all Hudsonians. What is this weird nativism with you and Tom. I thought you were Democratic Party members?
Should we run the Spark of Hudson founders out of town because the founders live in Taconic and Manhattan? Do you want them to stop their UBI program because, like you, they were not born in 12534?
By your logic only those who were born in Washington D.C. can be President or propose lawful changes via lawful processes to our form of government.
re: "Backroom decisions"
You and Tom literally run this town via backroom "pre-meetings" before all public meetings. Look at the Planning Board fiasco, resignations, and quid pro quos. There are 2 law firms waiting for the "final determination" on Mill Street before suing the City and developer.
🤑 Another example of you and your unwise appointments costing tax payers money.
🛡️ Why don't you answer the FOIL requests that you are late on… address the allegations of your secret romantic relationship with a direct report whose salary you raised… and disclose whether you pay the same rent as other Galvan renters or get a sweetheart deal in exchange for Galvan's PILOTS (a.k.a. tax breaks).
🧾 Show us the receipts, recuse yourself from Galvan related matters, and prove with your actions that you are not a backroom operator.
Accuse not others of your own guilt.
Why is everyone attacking youth programming? If you don't invest in the youth, you invest in the prisons. I'm sure there is plenty of government waste that a proper manager can trim to cover any costs associated with the job.
ReplyDeleteNo one is attacking youth programming.
DeleteWhat people (rightfully) are attacking is that Hudson's youth programing pays for kids from Greenport and other municipalities that are distinctly not Hudson. Over 30% of the kids taking advantage of Hudson's youth department live outside of the city.
I myself life in Greenport but I fail to see how Hudson should be responsible for our kids. The principle of fairness demands that parents from outside Hudson should chip in if they send their kids to Hudson.