I don't listen to Tom DePietro's radio show on WGXC, but one of my readers does and regularly alerts me when DePietro says something disparaging about The Gossips of Rivertown, which seems to happen fairly often.
This past Thursday, DePietro and his cohost, Selha Graham, interviewed former mayoral aide Michael Hofmann. The occasion for the interview was the performance of No Cowards in Our Band at Hudson Hall, happening tonight at 7:00 p.m. Hofmann is the director of that production. When the interview was wrapping up, the conversation drifted to Hofmann's stint as mayoral aide. DePietro asked Hofmann, for no apparent reason, if he still read "that horrible, despicable blog." The reference was clearly to Gossips.
It's hard not to be reminded of how Donald Trump, back in 2018, started referring to the New York Times as "the failing New York Times" after the Times published an article about him he didn't like.
COPYRIGHT 2024 CAROLE OSTERINK
How rude! He seems very mean-spirited
ReplyDeleteCarole, consider the source, check your page views this week (47,545), then laugh it off.
ReplyDeleteTom’s Brat Summer is now going into a Brat Fall 💅🍁. Such a naughty boy!
ReplyDeleteGossips is an invaluable community resource.
ReplyDeleteThere no evidence Tom can read.
ReplyDeleteAs someone with such a spotted career as a literary critic, I'm not sure that Tom will appreciate the irony that Gossips, as a journalist with the unenviable task of reporting sometimes unpopular facts, has built such a positive reputation within the community, while Tom, who as an elected official has an implied obligation to be likable, has such a low reputation.
ReplyDeleteIf his odious wife Dorothy Heyl wasn't so busy stacking the Dem committee with hapless cronies Tom would have gotten the boot long ago. As is, residents of Hudson should really rally behind a better slate of candidates for Common Council President, mayor, and supervisor.
The local Dem party, 7th St Park redesign, and the Board of Assessment Review… a lot of influence for someone who is basically a weekender.
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ReplyDelete🔔 I deleted my original comment and edited it to avoid any mention of the Common Council President's personal pursuits outside of his public office and suggestion to focus on African Rhinos.
DeleteThank you to Peter Spear, the other big Substack subscriber and writer in town, for pointing out that my comment could be improved in this way. I took a minute to do this to show that civil dialogue can lead to edits, updates, apologies when appropriate, and gasp, better policy and simpler local government in the real world. Always open to feedback.
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My edited comment:
Imagine if the Common Council President had other personal and professional interests that consumed his energy and time instead of City of Hudson politics.
Then, Hudson would save hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the politics would be cut in half.
But alas, here we are, more idle hands looking for drama and inciting division between neighbors.
Union Jack, the odious Dorothy Heyl here. You are correct, I am basically a weekender, but my legal residence is Hudson. On Sunday mornings I sing in the choir at St. Mary's and I've been canvassing on Saturdays for the Columbia County Democrats, for which I serve as co-secretary. I served on the Board of Assessment Review at the Mayor's invitation for three years, but resigned last year. I co-founded the Friends of the Public Square, but am not in charge of the "redesign." Rather, I have spent scores of hours writing grant applications for a design commissioned from Starr Whitehouse that the FOPS board, HPC and city officials will sign off on. (I worked on the CFA grant applications from my studio apartment in Westchester County.) I previously served on the boards of Historic Hudson and Classics on Hudson, and was on Olana's Landscape Viewshed Committee.
ReplyDeleteI joined the Hudson Dems at the invitation of then chair Michael Chamiedis. I am not responsible for any of the other members of the HCDC joining the board after I did. They came on their own. And for the record, the HCDC does not endorse candidates in primary races and did not endorse my husband Tom in his primaries.
Hi Dorothy,
DeleteI didn’t refer to you as “odious.” That was John Kane, and it was rude. I simply pointed out that you are a part time resident. Which, as you agree, is the truth. Hobbies and DMV addresses notwithstanding.
As per the local intra-party drama, that’s also between you and John.
👋 Hi Dorothy!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to have you here. We have not yet met, and I thank you for your work on 7th Street Park and Olana. Both are wonderful treasures and open to all.
I do not think you are odious at all, perhaps only terribly conflicted. Apart from that I am sure you are decent and kind person and deserve the benefit of the doubt, like we all do.
🫏 Regarding your comment on the Hudson Dems (HCDC):
1. 🥊 Don't you think it appropriate for your elected members to resign if they assault members of the public?
I am referring, of course, to the incident where Common Council President DePietro assaulted a long-standing resident during a meeting on taxes.
Could your marriage to the Common Council President have influenced the outcome and the Hudson Dems' official stance on physical and political violence? Then, and now?
2. 🗳️ In the last local election, both the Mayor and Common Council President ran unopposed yet received significantly fewer votes than the total number of Hudson Democrat voters taking part in that election.
Whether the Hudson Dems officially endorse primary candidates or not, do you not think that your dual role as HCDC leader and spouse could represent a conflict of interest, possibly explaining the lack of a competitive race and unpopular candidates at the top of the ticket?
I would be happy to discuss any of this in person at your preferred coffee or tea spot.
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Call me crazy, but I believe conflicts of interest should be discouraged, and civil and competitive elections are good for all residents.
As a lawful immigrant who cannot vote or stand for office, yet must pay taxes, I cannot help but observe the hypocrisy between what some residents say about national political figures and how they act locally in our city.
I wish we could eliminate all these dozens of political entities that only cause enmity and division between neighbors.
Truth tellers are always criticized by the 'thin skinned' ...
ReplyDelete