Roger Hannigan Gilson had an article in yesterday's Times Union about the citizens' initiative for charter change: "Hudson group pushes to replace mayor with city manager." The article, at least in the online version, is accompanied by the smiling face of Mayor Kamal Johnson.
Gilson choses some rather loaded words to describe the initiative: pushing, slashing, arguing, figurehead. He reports what we all already know: "Current Mayor Kamal Johnson and Common Council President Thomas DePietro are against the proposal." Gilson quotes a written statement from DePietro in which he calls the initiative a "a power-play by, mostly, failed politicians who accomplished little in their tenure." DePietro goes on to say:
Now, they and a few other out-of-touch citizens want to replace the current administration because it doesn't serve their narrow interests. Charter revision should enhance democracy in Hudson, not diminish it, as the current proposal does. Why replace a democratically elected public servant with an over-priced bureaucrat?
You can read what's actually being proposed for yourself here.
Meanwhile, members of the citizens' group presenting the proposal for charter change, Bob Rasner, Kristal Heinz, and Don Moore, were at the Hudson Farmers' Market on Saturday, gathering signatures on the petition.
Wow. TD is scared he will end up old news. But I must say, some of the ilk pictured are directly involved in the traditional
ReplyDeleteProblem which has spawned the challenge. Confused. Goal post keep moving.
Saying that John Friedman "accomplished little in his tenure" as a council member is like saying that Shershah Mizan and Lola Roberts have done or said even one worthwhile thing for the city as 3rd ward council members. Or it's like saying that 2nd ward member and likely resident of Greenport Dewan Sarowar's efforts and ideas over the past 4 years have improved the lives of Hudson residents even slightly.
ReplyDeleteTom is a petulant child, and I'm sure glad I don't live next to him, let alone anywhere near him. We should all be ashamed and embarrassed that he and Kamal are trying to speak for Hudson and acting as supposed leaders. I sure am.
Where can we sign this petition?
ReplyDeleteThere is Facebook discussion of this issue which pretty much boils down to "us vs. them."
ReplyDeleteYou sound surprised that the FB crowd is so divided. But that's exactly what FB wants, because they know that everyone loves a train wreck.
Delete🎙️ Paging Kamal, Tom, and the Hudson City Democratic Committee:
ReplyDelete1️⃣ What is the argument AGAINST (3 X 2 year) term limits?
2️⃣ What is the argument AGAINST the Council-Manager system?
✍️ Can anyone write out their thinking and reasoning…
Verity, you have a Phd in Political Science and Government and teach at Bard… Tom, you were a professional editor… Kamal, didn't you complete a degree in History and Political Science from Suny New Paltz?
Both sides are saying one system is more "democratic" than the other, and that their system will serve residents better.
But only Bob and the Charter Collective respect residents enough to take a position and write out their reasoning.
🌍 From an outsider's perspective… it is interesting that perhaps 25 City Hall regulars (Kamal / Tom & Co), previous career-politician mayors, and others with direct economic interests in City Hall tax dollar allocation… are all feverishly meeting, talking, and taking the position of not taking a position etc. etc. but very few of them are meeting / speaking directly with the Charter Reform organizers, or with residents.
🎭 How can a City so small and shrinking… generate so much indirect chatter, so much politics… it makes you wonder; is the goal of Hudson City Hall efficient service delivery, or the generation of politics, pantomime, and patronage?
🤔 Imagine if Kamal and Tom had consequential well-paying and self-actualizing jobs (within driving distance or remote), and if they both paid property taxes.
Perhaps then they would want the city to run smoothly and efficiently as well, and we can all just get on with it.
👻 Term-limits and professional benchmarks threaten small town career politicians like Tom and Kamal.
“Perhaps then they would want the city to run smoothly and efficiently as well, and we can all just get on with it.”
DeleteBINGO! This is it.
Most residents and taxpayers that I know are too busy with their jobs and daily life, or managing their small business too follow or understand the daily soap opera that is Hudson governance. What they do feel and understand is that taxes are high and they’re not getting the services that should correspond with that. They want responsible and accountable government to run our relatively small city and to go about their lives. Their not caught up in the personalities of who is in charge and who’s neighbors have old beefs with whom. They want leaders who can get the business of the city done and not captured by developers and fake nonprofits trying to socially engineer some virtuous vision of our city. That’s it.
📧 Indeed - I was emailing with certain esteemed former Hudson elected official on this topic and recalled Upton Sinclair:
Delete💭 "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
Will the petition be available online? I want to sign but I have a torn meniscus, and no car.
ReplyDelete