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Friday, March 7, 2025
Spear Weighs In on Dock Issue
Today, Peter Spear, declared candidate for mayor, posted on Instagram his letter to the Planning Board about the conditional use permit required by Colarusso for its dock operations on the Hudson waterfront. The letter is reproduced here with permission.
Spear's mention of the new comprehensive plan prompted me to check the timeline for its completion. According to what's published on the City of Hudson website, draft recommendations were to be ready in February. If they were submitted on schedule, they were never made public. One wonders who received them and reviewed them. The final comprehensive plan is due next month, in April 2025. What's in that plan will be a surprise to all but a very few.
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I agree with Peter on the spirit of his message, but the issue isn’t long forgotten. Sure the last public hearing on the dock issue was 2020, but as recent as last year there was a well participated public hearing and letters written about the haul road—which is really about the same thing: the vision for the waterfront. At the time, public comments from “actual” residents were overwhelmingly against continued heavy industry on our valuable waterfront. The main supporters of Colarusso were brigaded in from Greenport and the far reaches of the county where the negative impact won’t be felt.
ReplyDeleteMy suspicion is that, like the haul road, the PB will give Colarusso everything they want. My theory is that they’ve been told to do whatever they can to stop private real estate investment and tourism and keeping and expanding a 19th century industry on the gateway to our city is a good way to do it. I suspect the lawfare will continue on all sides.
Although, now that Randall Martin was appointed to the Board of Supervisors, he’ll probably want to listen to his first ward constituents if he wants to actually be elected. So keep an eye out for a new founded interest in what the public has to say.
I overhead someone today on Warren say Peter Spear's vibe in his videos and with this appeal to neighborliness, not law, is very "Mr Rogers".
ReplyDeleteWe did not have "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on TV in Africa... so not sure if that is true but thought it was interesting.
Hudson Wail Memelord & Mark Allen as resident artist and culture translator might know better if that is an apt comparison. And whether it will win.
The really strange thing about this situation is that during the 7-year review of the Colarusso proposition, the company itself, the Planning Board, the Mayor or anyone else have failed to explain why having a big gravel dump and industrial truck route on our waterfront next to our city park is good for Hudson. It's not a big employment or revenue producer for the City, and it comes with a huge menu of downside impacts. So, WTF????
ReplyDeleteBecause those you specifically mention want the tourist on Amtrak to see the dump, then get back on the nyc bound train and go straight back. Heaven forbid they patronize our small businesses, or even worse, decide to move here. Who will they then move property taxes to is a problem they’ll figure out later.
DeleteJack, I'd be very surprised indeed if a tourist disembarking the Amtrak ever noticed the dock and how it's being used.
DeleteTourists are most likely unaware that there's even a park down there. They get off the train, turn left, and beeline straight to Warren St. There's not even signage by the train station that would point to the Riverfront Park.
As I've said previously, Hudson does not have a credible plan for the waterfront. You'd think that Our Hudson Waterfront might have one but you'd be wrong. They want to shut down the dock but they are not telling us what they'd like to see in place of it.
Sure, I’m being hyperbolic, but my point still stands. To understand the chaotic dynamics of the current planning board is to understand the direction that the mayor who selected them has given: Slow roll any private investment (hotels, market rate housing, restaurants); fast track the opposite (tax payer subsidized low income housing, industrial dumps that provide no jobs in actual Hudson but scare away the businesses that do provide jobs).
DeleteIt all goes back to the core universal divide in Hudson politics: some want to move Hudson forward into the future and some don’t like the current renaissance and want roll it back 30 years. The reasons for it are a bit more convoluted and depend on what special interests you’re looking at.
The divide in Hudson is quite real. I think that at the end of the day it comes down to who ultimately benefits more from this renaissance. Any sudden influx of wealth such as the one we've seen in Hudson and the surrounding county causes problems for the multi-generational old-timers who have been here for eons. They simply cannot pivot and adjust quickly enough.
DeleteIt leads to bad vibes which is why all these things (the Colarusso dock, charter reform, and others) have become toxic. It's not even about the specifics of the issue anymore. It's personal now because the various sides no longer trust each other.
I guess "peter" never got the message: This is not "peter meyer," who uses his real name when posting..... And speaking as peter meyer, I say that the issues at play above are both real and important and that they must be fully aired, in public. ---peter meyer
DeleteUnion Jack, this: "It all goes back to the core universal divide in Hudson politics: some want to move Hudson forward into the future and some don’t like the current renaissance and want roll it back 30 years."
ReplyDeleteIs spot on.
Reminds me of The Economist: "To take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress."
~
Hudson is a case study in how not to run a city.
The Planning Board is an ethical and legal disgrace.
Theresa Joyner is Hudson's weekly reminder that half of the population has an IQ under 100.
Not only can you see in the meetings that she lacks any critical thinking skills and come to meetings unprepared, but she also lied in a public forum (in 2024) about Hudson's water being contaminated with lead. She said this to explain why the local school performance is substandard.
Her results speak for themselves; slow or no approval of housing, double standards, lawsuits, Planning Board resignations left and right.
If a resident said that what Theresa said about the water being contaminated with lead today... it is one thing... but when the Federal Fair Housing Director and Chair of the Planning Board says that on the record in front of the mayor and nothing happens... well that is the sort of environment where HCSD is what it is... and City of Hudson leadership is what it is.
Wow, FNI. This is a hearty mouthful -- and one reason us journalists don't like to use pseudonyms in quoting sources. A good and healthy community discussion on any topic should not allow participants to speak anonymously -- just as we don't allow citizens to vote anonymously. At some point, if we are to have a workable democracy, even in a tiny town like Hudson, we need to know who is speaking for what. The Washington Post's new slogan is "Democracy dies in darkness," which is meant to convey the importance of real people discussing real issues in the open. --peter meyer
DeleteHi Peter -
DeleteFirst - "just as we don't allow citizens to vote anonymously"
To clarify your well intentioned point; we theoretically only allow residents to vote, though that is not entirely true in Hudson… but let's assume it is… votes are, in fact, secret.
Second - there are no real investigative journalists in Hudson / Columbia County at this time. When was the last time a real journalist wrote a real investigate story… let alone took the time to find sources, and then try and shield their identity. We are a long ways away from #deepthroat and Bob Woodward quality reporters. Gossips / Carole has for many years been the only torch in the Hudson darkness.
We'd welcome you dusting off your legendary journalist cap btw… and asking some questions of elected officials. This is your 🦇 🛜
When was your last byline as "us journalists"? Wouldn't it be a gift if you start doing what you did so well.
Third - I agree with your point that a "healthy community" discussion would ideally have everyone declare their affiliations and conflicts of interests... and that is why residents who have a conflict of interest should disclose those conflicts.
For example;
- Does Rick Scalera still receive money from Galvan when he advocates for their PILOT tax cuts?
- Does current Mayor Kamal pay the same rent to Galvan as other renters of similar housing? This year? What about the last 5?
- Did Kamal increase his alleged romantic partner Michelle Tullo's salary before or after their relationship started and was it properly disclosed?
- Did/does Claire Cousin disclose which billionaires and CA SuperPacs fund her campaigns and why?
- Was there a quid pro quo in the weirdly timed switch when Cousin moved to the 5th ward… and political loyalist Randall Martin was "appointed" instead of Alex Madero…
- Tom DePietro should disclose that his wife is a Democrat Party insider and could, theoretically, block and ice out competitors of her domestic partner or his allies.
I shared with you last week in person over a drink my view on Hudson's state of corruption… I enjoyed our real discussion. And I hope you bring that energy to Tuesday's Planning Board meeting (6:30pm Tuesday at City Hall). We can see a live demonstration of Theresa Joyner's relative competence and critical thinking skills.
Fourth - You are far too wise and too well read for me to have to explain to you why America enshrined the right to anonymity … the right to speech… and the combo of anonymous speech… but cliff notes in the footer for Kamal and Theresa**.
Anonymity is tricky… not the best solution… but regrettably in some scenarios and environments (like Hudson and North Korea) necessary.
Peter, in this town… right now… there are dozens of developers who deeply distrust Theresa Joyner and Kamal but they can't speak up publicly because then their projects could be impacted. There are storekeepers who are so frustrated… but they can't speak up because then Tomal (Tom + Kamal) will label them racists or Republicans and use dog whistles to silence them… just like Claire Cousins did in her first election in the 1st Ward. There are parents who are trapped with expensive taxes and a failing school system but if they speak up against HCSD their children might get bulled or ostracized… as you know very well.
I saw first hand how Tom DePietro ranted and intimidated a long-time Hudson business owner in front of her clients because said business owner dared express support for a political opponent of Tomal.
So while I am most definitely known to you… and Claire was my neighbor in the 1st Ward before she redistricted herself… (hi Claire 👋) , and Tomal and his cronies… most of whom are late on answering FOILs…. it is important that others… not just Hudson Wail or the River Collective… maintain their real anonymity so that they can speak freely without fear of retaliation.
DeleteAnd that is also why you will now soon see more than 1 person writing under the same pseudonym…. or has that already happened?
Publius…. Columbus, Historicus… Pacificus.... these words might not mean much to a recent graduate of HCSD but public school graduates from other countries and graduates of successful American public schools might know them as some of the pen names of the Founding Fathers…. the creators of our "workable democracy".
Martin Van Buren himself wrote under "A Citizen of New York"... I sometimes wonder what he would think of the Democratic Party machinery that he created if he lived under the yoke of Tomal and Theresa Joyner.
**Reference:
🇺🇸 America's history with anonymous letter writing dates back to the colonial era, most notably with the Federalist Papers, penned under pseudonyms like "Publius" by founders such as Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to promote the Constitution’s ratification. This tradition reflects a broader value of free expression, where anonymity shields writers from retribution, especially when critiquing power. Think of it as a revolutionary tool—used by patriots and dissenters alike to spark debate without risking their necks.
It’s protected under the First Amendment because the Supreme Court has consistently ruled that anonymous speech is essential to democracy. Cases like Talley v. California (1960) and McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission (1995) affirm that forcing identity disclosure chills free thought and expression, particularly for marginalized or controversial voices. The logic: if you can’t speak freely without fear, the marketplace of ideas collapses. Anonymity isn’t just a quirk—it’s a safeguard baked into the system.
Dear DNI, I will first admit that I know how hard it is to speak up and that journalism -- the practice of it -- gives one a bit of a high horse from which to preach about using ones name. That's why one of our duties as journalists is to speak for those who can't. And I do much appreciate Carole giving folks the opportunity to voice their opinions without revealing their names. And so, Yes, we need a few good investigative reporters around here. And I do much appreciate the voices of the pseudonymous. But before we make too much of the power of the investigative reporter, we have to ask ourselves how we got Trump in the face of dozens of reporters sharing hundreds of facts about lying, cheating, even court convictions. At some point it comes down to real people casting real votes (yes, secret). In the meantime, keep banging the drums. cheers, --peter meyer
DeleteSorry FNI about DNI... It was was supposed to be my witty FNI (for Friendly Neighborhood Immigrant), blah blah blah.... Onward. --peter meyer
DeleteYou are a hero!
ReplyDeletePlease start investigating fraud in Columbia County and write about the HCSD growth in administrators versus decline in students... and decline in the performance of the remaining students.
If Kamal really cared about Hudson, and about Hudson's ability to earn higher wages, and about Hudson residents getting value out of Hudson taxes... he'd have been on the case of the broken schools 24/7