A reader who lives in Providence Hall told Gossips today that Mayor Kamal Johnson is spending a lot of time campaigning in the building, taking credit for pulling the chestnuts out of the fire when the deal with K&R Preservation, the new owners of Providence Hall and Schuyler Court, almost collapsed and the previous owner, Leon N. Weiner and Associates, allegedly threatened to sell the properties to a market rate developer. Johnson can rightfully claim some credit for this, although it's not entirely clear that the deal would have gone south had it not been for his intervention. There were others involved, including Mike Tucker and the Hudson IDA. This morning, however, Johnson seems to have crossed a line. An unidentified young woman who was with Johnson this morning at Providence Hall told a resident that Joe Ferris wanted to demolish Providence Hall, and Johnson, standing right beside her, did nothing to disavow this false claim.
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A few days ago, I got a creepy call from a woman doing her best to persuade me to vote for Kamal Johnson. As soon as I heard his name, I interrupted her and asked if she was calling from Hudson. She said nothing and then the line went dead. It was a 518 number she was calling from, or at least that's what appeared on my screen. I tried to call the number back, but that went nowhere. "Invalid number, " as I recall.
ReplyDeleteOur mayor is a creep, just like US President Chump, and they'll try anything to keep their jobs, including lying like stinkin' dogs and getting others to do their dirty work.
Please, Bill, do not slander dogs. One thing I know for certain, from 33 years of living with them, dogs do not lie.
DeleteAbsolutely, Dogs are so much better than humans and my pups neither stink nor lie.
DeleteNo word of defense or denial from the mayor. I made the right choice voting for Ferris.
ReplyDeleteEvery day there’s a new rumor, a new accusation, or just plain grasping at straws. I don’t usually pay attention to this stuff, and this will be the last time I comment on it. The idea that I would ever do what’s being suggested is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI take comfort in knowing that people are voting for me because they believe in me and our shared vision. We don’t need to tear anyone down or make wild claims. Unfortunately, some folks aren’t supporting the other candidates they’re simply against me. And that’s not the kind of energy we should use to choose leadership for our city.
Good luck to everyone running. At the end of the day, I know in my heart that I do this out of love for our community.
Kamal -
DeleteYour words today: "We don’t need to tear anyone down or make wild claims."
But your actions before: tearing down your opponent without evidence, dropping mics, and stomping off stage.
https://www.hudsoncommonsense.com/demdebate2025
Then avoiding the re-match debate after your hometown, though not your birthplace, rejected you at the polls.
Today you say "Unfortunately, some folks aren’t supporting the other candidates they’re simply against me. And that’s not the kind of energy we should use to choose leadership for our city."
Says the man who speaks whenever he can, almost monthly, at the SuperPAC-funded "No Kings rally," the peak of "anti-someone," not "pro-someone or something" rallies. It is not called "The Yes Presidents rally."
You are correct that many residents are voting against your track record and leadership. That is the nature of America’s winner-take-all electoral model.
But to say no one is excited about Joe and what he represents and the tone shift he will lead, is false.
He is honest, mild-mannered, and curious. He has lived, worked, and succeeded _outside_ Hudson. Some find this disqualifying when in fact it is his greatest strength; he has no old tribal loyalties like you, Scalera, and other HBRs who cling to local office and influence to hand out sinecures.
Will he be only the second ever mayor in living memory to not be a Blue Hawks graduate?
Perhaps with him as mayor we will no longer start government and policy discussions with "I like him" or "My family has known her for..." and instead begin with "His policy proposal has merit" or "Her research is compelling and she worked to identify non-matching grants to test this."
In fact, Kamal, your behaviour over the last six months proved why we need Joe.
Without you, his character might not have shown through so clearly or so quickly.
Anyone who can stay calm in the face of your insults, hold his composure when you lie about his actions and his family, turn the other cheek a dozen times, and still ask about policy and budget consequences for residents rather than himself, deserves respect. The man who defended you in your absence at his own events (it was filmed) has already shown the temperament required for public office.
That was his qualifying gauntlet, and he passed.
America, and Hudson too, is tired of theatrics, bullies, brinkmanship, and anti-outsider sentiment.
It is time for polite nerds, even boring ones, hell even train nerds, to run municipalities for the common good.
Let the football captains and class clowns find their glory in private industry.
I got a call from a nice young man who asked me to vote for you. He told me you put in bike lanes in the city of Hudson. He also said you have protected the waterfront and planted all of our new trees.
DeleteI told he was doing a good job but he should check his facts.
We don’t have bike lanes, Britt and DPW planted all the trees.
Don’t you think you should vet the language given to your callers? Shouldn’t the truth be more important?
Character is what we do when no one is looking.
Hey Kamal, perhaps you can take a moment to tell us why a gravel dump and dangerous industrial truck route that provides no jobs for Hudson is a good idea. You appointed a Planning Board that doesn't even bother to ask good questions of the applicant. A lot of citizens in Hudson have been fighting for decades for a good outcome on our waterfront-- so why are you OK with pissing it away to a Republican gravel firm in Greenport? And why are you taking their money at a fundraiser in Kinderhook? ~ PJ
ReplyDeleteThis doesn’t surprise me, and it’s disappointing to see these narratives continue to filter down. When I went to vote, a poll worker casually remarked that the Maker Hotel was the reason taxes had gone up (after some light conversation leading up to it). I responded politely, even with a bit of humor — but afterward it struck me as inappropriate for that setting.
ReplyDeleteThe poll worker seemed like a genuinely kind person, and I truly appreciate the time and service of everyone who works the polls — it’s a thankless role. Still, thinking back, it felt out of place to hear political-leaning-ish commentary during the voting process. Whether in civic spaces or private settings used for voting, there should be a clear sense of neutrality and respect for the process.
Poll workers are not supposed to speak to voters, but then again, it's Hudson.
ReplyDeleteWhat?! Of course poll workers can speak to voters. Where do you come up with this nonsense?
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