Tonight, at the Common Council meeting, Lloyd Koedding, Republican candidate for mayor, asked the Council for an exemption from Chapter 289 of the city code, which prohibits the use of "any trailer coach, house car or automobile trailer for living or sleeping quarters." Since the Register-Star published its interviews with the three mayoral candidates on Saturday, it has been general knowledge that Koedding is living in his van parked in the municipal parking lot behind City Hall. Koedding told the Council that someone had asked the police to enforce the law against him. He seemed to know who had done this but did not reveal the person's identity. The law carries a penalty of "imprisonment for a term not exceeding 15 days or by a fine not exceeding $250, or by both such fine and imprisonment."
An hour before the Council meeting began, Gossips received by email a draft resolution, which Koedding distributed to members of the Common Council at the meeting. The following is the text of that resolution:
Whereas I, Lloyd Alden Koedding have secured ballot access for this upcoming election as the mayor for the city of Hudson NY and is pursuing said office in an upcoming election this November 4th, 2025.
Whereas said above person has prepared as shelter a Ford Econoline 250 Van that is duly insured and registered. That the above candidate for this upcoming election desires to utilize this van as shelter while inside the city municipal lot with an address of 539 Columbia Avenue, Hudson, NY while pursing elected office having gained ballot access as mayor; as a mayoral elect; as a mayor should he be successful in his campaign for the office of mayor in the city of Hudson NY.
Whereas in order to utilize said shelter legally within the city limits the abovenamed candidate is seeking exemption for the local law 289.
Therefore, be it resolved that the Common Council of the City of Hudson NY does authorize amending local law 289 by ordnance adding as an Exemption 289-6 specifically stating that any mayor of the city of Hudson; and mayoral elect of the city of Hudson; and candidate for mayor of the City of Hudson that has gained ballot access be exempted from said law 289.
Further be it resolved that should the above wording is not acceptable, that the common council direct their attorney to draw up suitable language permitting an exemption to local law 289 for mayor candidates; mayor elects; and mayors.
Koedding argued that because "more and more people are having to live in their cars," forced to do so by the high cost of rent in Hudson, "the law should accommodate that." A woman seated next to Koedding said she worked in a restaurant in Hudson and attested, "There is no place for anyone to live who works here."
Council president Tom DePietro told Koedding the Council did not have the authority to exempt someone from the law but suggested the Legal Committee might, if they chose to do so, look into amending the law.
COPYRIGHT 2025 CAROLE OSTERINK
With costs of living what they are now, it seems reasonable to me to tweak existing city code to account for that.
ReplyDeleteThese types of laws are pretty lazy anyway: they want to cut down on anything that is perceived to have the potential to lower the quality of life of the "normies" while a) by themselves, someone living in their van doesn't do this and b) enforcement of actual quality of life infringements could be ramped up.
As a side: Lloyd's resolutions are always legal perfection. They are masterpieces with their slightly over the top baroque diction paired with an odd specificity that limits the blast radius of a proposed legislative change to exactly one person: him.
Can someone ask Lloyd if he would support extending the resolution to include other candidates for office in Hudson (Treasurer, members of the Council)?
ReplyDeleteWell, there you/we have it.
ReplyDelete- Kamal lives in Galvan housing at an undisclosed price, almost certainly below market if the Times Union is right, while whispers of eviction swirl.
- Ferris owns his home, pays property and school taxes (without kids in the school), and has spent his career in the not-for-profit and public sector industry in New York / Albany.
- Lloyd sleeps in his van behind City Hall and wants to rewrite city law just to stay within in the law.
Only in Hudson could the candidate with a steady $80,000 salary (not counting Michelle's City Hall salary) and subsidized housing claim victimhood, scold the tax-paying homeowner for being privileged, and mock the man actually living in a car.
The theatre of grievance has replaced the politics of responsibility.
No wonder only Claire Cousins and Quintin Cross have written quasi op-eds / comments in support of Kamal, neither of which listed any of his achievements (across 3 terms) other than "he is one of us."
In a nutshell: "I deserve to have the code amended for me because I'm on the ballot to be your next mayor!"
ReplyDeleteSure, the metered parking spaces in our parking lots should "accommodate" the unhoused and their vehicles, even if, like Lloyd, they own two vehicles that never move! What a time wasting clownshow city hall has become, in part due to a lack of code and law enforcement. The fact that Tom Depietro, Gary Purnhagen and anyone else would give Lloyd's proposal the time of day shows how absurd things have gotten at the common council and generally in City Hall. Purnhagen was sympathetic, and Tommy D told Lloyd there was nothing the council could do for him and to speak with the mayor. What an embarrassment these people are!
Next thing you know -- perhaps this coming January -- Lloyd will want to amend the code to require that elected mayors be provided free housing (outside of a parking lot) if they request it.
ReplyDeleteWell, it’s seems the current mayor gets free or subsidized housing—at least that’s what I’ll and many assume until he proves otherwise, which he has refused to do. A house on Union to boot. Lloyd should be so lucky.
DeletePart of me wonders if a losing candidate might try to contest the election by claiming Lloyd should not be on the ballot due to a dispute of residency qualification. Possibly seeking a nullification and special election? I have no idea, just pure speculation on my part.
ReplyDelete