Margaret Morris, First Ward councilmember and majority leader, has released the following statement announcing her intention to run for Common Council president.
I am running for Common Council President for the 2026 Term. I have served on the Common Council as First Ward representative for three years. I was elected Majority Leader in 2024 and again in 2025. During my time on the Council, I have shown myself to be detail oriented and pragmatic. As a committee chair, I encourage open discussion and provide committee members with pertinent information so that their decisions are informed and are the result of a democratic process. As Council President, that will be my leadership style. Under the current leadership, the Council is not addressing the long-term financial health of the City. Under my leadership we will be accountable to the people of Hudson and will address issues of importance to Hudson residents. I believe it is time for new leadership on the Common Council and that I can provide that leadership.
Fiscally Responsible:
- We are facing a climate of uncertainty with Federal grants, contracts, and payments, and it is imperative we have local leadership focused on minimizing our fiscal risk and exposure. This responsibility is not solely our Treasurer’s responsibility. I attend the legislative meeting of NYCOM (New York Conference of Mayors) every year. At the most recent meeting, a representative from the National League of Cities presented information on the potential impact of current Federal funding freezes on municipalities. I shared this information with the Treasurer and the full Council. As Council president I will ensure that I continue to stay up to date on State and Federal actions that have an impact for our City and will share that information with the Council.
- I attended all the City of Hudson’s Board of Estimate and Apportionment meetings since 2021 and have developed a detailed understanding of our budget. I am concerned that this City of under 6,000 is spending itself into an untenable position, with no serious efforts to address revenue growth.
- As a property owner in the City of Hudson, I am aware of the tax burdens of fellow middle-class property owners.
Approach to Leadership:
- My approach is collaborative, fair, and inclusive. All committee members are heard. Members of the public are listened to. Decisions and recommendations from my committees are based on informed consensus. Under my leadership at the Council decisions will be made on an informed basis.
Common Committee Work
Legal Committee–Chair (2022 to present)
- Reduced the speed limit within the City to 25 MPH
- Worked with the community and local businesses to revise Formula Retail code
- Lead the committee in working with our counsel to draft local laws and changes to our code
- Brought the ward boundaries into compliance with 2020 census with minimal disruption to residents
Truck Committee–Chair (2022 to present)
- Successfully passed resolution to remove through truck traffic from the 9G–Columbia Street corridor
Finance Committee–Member (2024 to present)
- Work with committee members and Treasurer in reviewing City revenues and expenditures on a monthly basis
- Have attended all Board of Estimate and Apportionment meetings since 2021. I believe it is critical to understand the details behind the budget
As Majority Leader, I also serve on the Hudson Industrial Development Agency and the Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency.
Professional Bio and Contact Information
For 25 years in my professional capacity as a Senior Director in health care, I managed multiple multimillion-dollar state Medicaid contracts.
When not working for the City of Hudson, I enjoy reading, knitting, and feeding my cat, whose name is Cat. I also like crossword puzzles.
Questions/comments regarding my campaign can be sent to morrisforhudson@gmail.com.
Excellent.
ReplyDeleteOne year ago at a council meeting, Morris complained to the police chief that the new Stewart's corner was missing the NO RIGHT ON RED sign that was there before the change. TWICE, at separate meetings! She described in detail the problem that she saw while driving there at the light waiting to turn onto Green from Fairview. TWICE! Then she came back and told the council that DPW had told her that the intersection was safe without the sign and THAT THERE WAS NO SAFETY ISSUE FOR drivers turning off of Fairview onto Green on a red light because it had been made that way by engineers even though nothing new had been done since the change was made AND since Margaret made her plea to get the sign back AFTER SEEING THE INHERENT HAZARDS OF TURNING RIGHT ON RED OFF OF FAIRVIEW. She ended by telling the council that the matter of the missing NO TURN ON RED sign was over.
ReplyDeleteThis is leadership? This is just dumb!
To paraphrase The Wire: If you look up "public servant" in a dictionary, you'll find a picture of Margaret.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of anyone better to help steer Hudson through some truly hideous and volatile years ahead.
What wonderful news! After a depressing morning reading the national news I now have a smile on my face. I can’t imagine anyone better suited to lead Hudson out of the back room guid pro quo arrangements the current city leaders operate under. Go Margaret!
ReplyDeleteRefreshing news indeed! Margaret is a steadfast advocate for her constituents in the first ward. She always answers and follows up on concerns brought to her. She’s pragmatic, does her homework and shows great attention to detail. And most important: she lives in reality!
ReplyDeleteExcellent news Margaret. I sense we are on the dawn of a new Hudson.
ReplyDeleteFor which does the sun rise — either the cc pres must be eliminated to affect real change, or the cc pres can affect the real change we seek — you really cant have it both ways.
DeleteDavid, you seem to forget that if a new charter were to be passed in November, the earliest it could go into effect would be Jan 2028. There's a two-year interregnum that still requires good governance.
DeleteDavid, your point is correct: you can't have it both ways. Who seeks to have it both ways? You may be responding to Bob in his role as chair of the citizens' initiative for charter change. But the proposed charter amendment doesn't eliminate or limit the power of the council president. It does remove the at-large seat, but the council itself picks its chair. This is common among legislatures, as you know.
DeleteActually...
Delete1. If the Charter Change wins the vote, then you need steady and clean hands to guide the 2 year transition period.
2. If the Charter Change does not win enough votes, but a sizable % of residents are in favor, then a responsive Council will take up the issue for debate and input.
3. All things equal... imagine if Margaret as CC President and Peter as Mayor, jointly lead a team to rethink the Charter and take broad input... I'd be keen to see that version.
4. If the Charter Change gets very few votes and the vast majority of residents prefer the status quo... well then it is better to have competent leaders in place who do not coerce.
So where is the hypocrisy?
Yes, its nonsensical to stridently call for the total elimination of 6 members of our legislative body — leaving the treasurer as the only citywide elected official with any power — because its not, in Bobs words, “crisp” and needs a “nonpolitical” overhaul, while then simultaneously ballyhooing a cc pres campaign as “the dawn of a new Hudson”.
DeleteDavid, you can erect your straw man somewhere else - this is a post about Margaret making a strong case for why she should be the next Common Council President while Bob expressed his delight over it, as did most others here.
DeleteYou tried to make it about charter reform but it ain't working.
I’m wondering if you recall your (our) time as council members. How many of the eleven members at the time did any work besides holding down chairs at meetings? Three at any given time out of 3.5 actually working members. And the mayors we worked with — how effective were any of them? As I recall, 1 was too busy screwing his side piece in his office to govern. The other essentially abdicated after half the term. Tell me again what you’re nostalgic for or afraid of loosing? The council is the city’s only actual representative body. The fact it does nothing under the current leadership notwithstanding, our current mayor’s most important public communication of the past week was a FB post about his new clothing steamer — because looking good is more important than doing good (!?!).
DeleteYou know some $10 words, Dave. No question there. But you’re solely a negative voice — no ideas, just critique. Nothing positive, only negative. There is nothing sacrosanct about our current governance structure. Nor is there anything, based on evidence, suggesting that 11 council members are or will be more effective than 5. Indeed, the experience of EVERY OTHER CITY IN NYS illustrates quite clearly that this is not the case. And, more importantly, your own experience reinforces this observation. So I wonder what motivates your affection for a bloated, non responsive model of government that clearly fails to serve the citizens while lining its pockets and not attending meetings? Sepia-toned nostalgia? Your natural curmudgeonliness? (How’s that for a $10 word?!).
😇 Margaret = integrity, intelligence, industriousness 🇺🇸
ReplyDelete📝 Margaret's professional and personal experiences, the cards that was dealt and the choices that she made, also inform her perspective:
✅ - decades of professional experience outside Hudson
✅ - one of the few Council Members who always show up having done the reading
✅ - immigrant & naturalized citizen
✅ - at different points in her life benefited from social services and also contributed to social services
✅ - current homeowner, former renter for decades, former resident of Council Housing (UK/Ireland rent to own, government assisted housing)
✅ - restored a historic home in Hudson
✅ - mother
✅ - has lived abroad and in America, and within America in blue and red states, small and large towns
✅ - perhaps the first "write in" candidate to win in recent memory in the City, maybe the County?
✅ - non-ideological, data driven
✅ - not doing this for status or friends; puts Hudson residents first
I actually don't always agree with Margaret... but I always learn something from her and know that when the facts change, she is not afraid to update her point of view.
It will be interesting to see how Tom tries to portray Margaret in some way as being "undemocratic", anti-housing, elite, non-grassroots etc.
Margaret, if you can just have public meetings actually feature public debate… vs. Tom's pre-ordained strongarming with 1 on 1 phone calls and bullying… then the ship will correct itself and the City's bank account of trust will slowly replenish.
Go, Margaret!
ReplyDeleteGreat news. I'm in. Happy to help.
ReplyDeleteMargaret Morris is an educated professional who has spent years in the workforce. She has the experience and temperament to build consensus, work with others, and get tasks done.
ReplyDeleteShe understands the larger picture - where the City is financially, our current risks and exposure (a major issue now is the status of Federal funding) and where we could be five years from now. How is the City going to pay for additional services when we already have such a high tax burden?
She's thorough. For instance, with the issue of the HHA/Bliss grant application, Margaret read through the grant application and said, more than once on the Council floor, that the grant only applies to vacant properties. She voted against it, twice, (as did I), even though TWO special Council meetings were called for this spurious resolution.
https://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2024/05/news-from-last-nights-public-hearing.html#comment-form
The grant was never submitted.
https://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/search?q=HHA+grant
Margaret was right - why? Because she read the grant application and she did not cave to the political pressure in the room.
With Margaret, there's no snarkiness, there's no nasty texts messages. She's not doing this out of ego, a sense of self, or to be "cool". She is committed to the community. Her whole life, she's been a working person who pays her own bills - and in doing so, like any adult, understands that you have to be fiscally prudent. Sometimes you can't have everything you want in life - there are compromises.
Margaret is in this for the long term and she is not about to leave town anytime soon. It has been a pleasure working with her and we are fortunate to have her in Hudson.
Wonderful news! Can't imagine a better person for this position.
ReplyDelete