The Gossips of Rivertown: November 2025

Thursday, November 6, 2025

News of the 2026 Budget

At its workshop today, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA)--the mayor, the Common Council president, and the city treasurer--decided their work was done, and they could nothing more to bring revenues and expenses into alignment. When they stopped today, and Mayor Kamal Johnson declared, "This is it," there was still a gap of $385,629 between projected revenues and expenses for 2026. In addition, city treasurer Heather Campbell stated something that was already expected, "We will not make the revenue number in 2025." Both of these shortfalls will require dipping into the fund balance and causing it to drop below the recommended level, which is the equivalent of two months of the City's operating expenses.

Despite all the efforts to cut expenses, property taxes will be going up. It is not entirely clear what the increase will be, but it appears it will be the maximum allowed by the state. Although the cap is 2 percent, an arcane formula allows increases, in certain circumstances, to exceed 2 percent. In our case, that formula allows the maximum increase to be 3.9 percent.

The proposed budget must be presented to the Common Council by the mayor by November 11. Since November 11 is a holiday (Veterans Day/Armistice Day), a special meeting of the Common Council to receive the budget has been scheduled to take place on Monday, November 10, at 5:00 p.m., before the Council's informal meeting.

It Isn't Over Until It's Over

The Board of Elections counted more absentee ballots today but none from Hudson, so the results in our mayoral race remain unchanged: Joe Ferris 947; Kamal Johnson 892. The Board of Elections will be counting affidavit ballots on Monday afternoon. After that is done, we should know with certainty who will be the mayor of Hudson beginning January 1, 2026.

Happening on Saturday

On Saturday, November 8, author Brian Schaefer will launch his new novel, Town and Country, with a talk moderated by Mat Zucker, whose podcast Cidiot is beloved by many Gossips readers. The event takes place at 6:00 p.m. at The Spark of Hudson, 502 Union Street.

Schaefer's debut novel is set in a small, trendy rural town amid a congressional race that forces the candidates, their families, and a clique of gay second homeowners to confront lies, betrayals, and shifting alliances. Zucker describes it as "a fun, smart read, with tons of cidiot tropes."

The event is free, but you are asked to reserve a seat, which can be done here.

Election Update

The Board of Elections has not yet announced that all the ballots have been counted, and Kamal Johnson has not yet conceded the election, but one of the mayoral candidates, Lloyd Koedding, who received 67 votes, just released this statement.

Make of it what you will.

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Election Results Update

Within the past hour, the Board of Elections has published some slightly different numbers, apparently because more ABS (absentee), AFF (affidavit), and/or EVMB (early voting mail-in ballot?) have been counted. Since yesterday, Joe Ferris has picked up 6 more votes, and Kamal Johnson has added 8. The numbers now are Ferris: 947 and Johnson: 892. Ferris is still winning by 55 votes.

More About Yesterday's Election

According to reports, there are 88 absentee ballots yet to be counted, with only 57 votes separating Joe Ferris (941) from Kamal Johnson (884). While acknowledging on Facebook "it doesn't look like things are trending in our favor," Johnson has not admitted defeat: "There are still things about this election to question, and hopefully we'll get those answers soon. . . . Not conceding until it's all ironed out."

Meanwhile, let's take a look at how the various wards in our little city voted. Ferris had his strongest support in the First Ward--the ward where Johnson resides.

FIRST WARD

Ferris 315

Johnson 103

Koedding 16

Spear 5

His next highest numbers were in the Third and Fourth wards.

THIRD WARD

Ferris 228

Johnson 164

Koedding 11

Spear 3

FOURTH WARD

Ferris 180

Johnson 137

Koedding 14

Spear 6

Johnson, on the other hand, had his biggest support in the Fifth Ward--the ward where Ferris lives.

FIFTH WARD

Ferris 139

Johnson 290

Koedding 18

Spear 2

His second strongest showing was in the Second Ward.

SECOND WARD

Ferris 79

Johnson 190

Koedding 8

Spear 2

It's not clear what "things about this election" Johnson is questioning, but we are all looking forward to it being "all ironed out."

A Consequence of the Galvan Departure

Tim Banker, executive producer of The Foundry at Hudson, released this statement this morning.

As many of you know, and as was previously publicized, the Galvan Foundation is transferring ownership and operations of its assets to Bard College. Galvan is confident Bard will be a faithful steward of its core values.

Unfortunately, this transition means Galvan will discontinue funding the Foundry at Hudson's operations, and no other funding sources are currently available. As a result, following this year's Winter Walk, The Foundry at Hudson will be discontinuing its work and not pursuing new projects. We are, however, pleased to announce that Galvan will commit to funding Winter Walk through 2028, pending discussions with the City of Hudson in early 2026.

The Foundry will fully carry out its plans to produce Winter Walk 2025 in partnership with the City of Hudson. For updates and ways to get involved, please visit www.winterwalk2025.org. We are grateful for your continued collaboration on this vital community celebration.

Ivey Lowe and I extend our heartfelt thanks to the many people, artists, and community leaders who have shared their time, expertise, and support as we worked to conceive and launch this organization. We each look forward to contributing to the cultural life of Hudson and Columbia County in new ways--and hope to see you at our final, though certainly not Hudson's last, Winter Walk.

The Morning After

This morning, the Register-Star seems unwilling to name a victor in the mayoral election in Hudson, reporting only that Joe Ferris leads Kamal Johnson by fewer than sixty votes.

Meanwhile, the Times Union is declaring in a headline: "Joe Ferris defeats Kamal Johnson in close Hudson mayoral race."

Joe Ferris is claiming victory on Facebook.

And Kamal Johnson seems to be conceding defeat on Instagram.

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Where Things Stand

The polls have been closed for more than 90 minutes, and the Columbia County Board of Elections is still reporting what appears to be only partial results. At the moment, Joe Ferris has 941 votes (49.06%) and Kamal Johnson has 884 votes (46.09%). Lloyd Koedding has 67 votes (3.49%).

In the only contested races for ward representation, in the First Ward, Alexandria Madero leads Randall Martin 307 to 100 for First Ward supervisor, and Henry Haddad leads the pack for First Ward councilmember with 326 votes, followed by Gary Purnhagen with 204 votes, "Write-in" which we take to be Donna Streitz with 114 votes, and Patricia Ramoska with 48 votes.

It is unclear if this is it, or if there will be further updates tonight.

Update: Two and a half hours after the polls closed, this is what the Board of Elections is reporting. Click to enlarge or find it here. It appears we may have a new mayor.

Something to Do While We Wait

The polls are open until 9:00 p.m. night. If you haven't already voted, you have eight hours to get yourself to the polls. Here are the polling places:

First Ward: St. Mary's Academy, 301 Allen Street
Second Ward: St. Mary's Academy, 301 Allen Street
Third Ward: St. Mary's Academy, 301 Allen Street
Fourth Ward: County Office Building, 401 State Street
Fifth Ward: Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street

As we wait for the outcome of today's election, Hudson Common Sense and The Hudson Wail have gotten together to challenge people to predict who will be our next mayor. The person who correctly predicts the outcome and the margin will win a turkey from Meat Hook and another to give to a family in need. The deadline for making a predication is 6:00 p.m.

Click here to read the details of the challenge and the prize for predicting correctly and to make your predictions.

Re-Envisioning the North End of Front Street

On Saturday, there was a ceremonial groundbreaking for the ReGeneration Campus, the new home of Kite's Nest, to be built at 59 North Front Street. There is an article about it in today's Times Union: "$7.1 million environmental education campus breaks ground in Hudson."

The following is quoted from the article:

The two-acre riverfront campus will provide a permanent home for the nonprofit youth organization Kite's Nest and support ecological education, youth leadership, the arts, and environmental justice programs. The 8,500-square-foot facility will include "innovative" learning spaces--including an arts workshop, digital media and recording studio, and learning kitchen--performance and event space, a courtyard, offices, exhibition space and classrooms, according to a news release by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. It will also be a place where other nonprofits, grassroots groups and regional networks can hold gatherings, programs, trainings and events. . . .

New York state awarded $7.1 million in grant funding for the ReGeneration Campus project, including $1.87 million from the Council on the Arts' Capital Projects Fund; $1.63 million from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority through the Building Cleaner Communities Competition; $1.6 million each from Empire State Development and the DEC's Community Environment Education Centers grant program; and $400,000 through the Department of State's Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

The plans for the project that were presented to the Planning Board can be found here.

Monday, November 3, 2025

More About the Draft Resolution

Three hours of the special Planning Board meeting that took place on October 28 were taken up going through the draft resolution granting a conditional use permit to A. Colarusso & Son for its dock operation. Victoria Polidoro, legal counsel to the Planning Board, told the board she had prepared it to "help them focus." Gossips has already reported on the October 28 meeting: "Another Painful Night with the Planning Board." The draft resolution, however, merits further attention.

The following is quoted from the draft resolution, from the section titled "Additional Findings," which begins on page 9:

The Planning Board finds that the Project appropriately balances the economic and functionality of the waterfront with the preservation of the aesthetic qualities of the area.
The LWRP, on page 11, explicitly recognized the Applicant's use of the dock over the course of the next 25 years and the importance of the dock on the City's economy.
The LWRP, on page 26, states "with the exception of salt storage, the City supports improving access to and encouraging the regulated use of the City's one remaining port for the transportation of raw materials and goods."
The LWRP, on page 30, states "working in cooperation with the port's owner or potentially, as the owner of the port in the future through a port authority, the City would directly benefit from having the ability to shop locally produced or needed raw materials and goods."
The LWRP, on page 42, states "and shipping activities, including the storage of raw materials at the dock" were intended to be part of the Core Riverfront Zoning.
The LWRP, on page 80, recognizes Hudson's waterfront properties as "a valuable resource for recreation and waterborne transport of raw materials and goods."
The LWRP, on page 83, states "Continued use of the port for the shipment of certain raw materials and goods is consistent with the LWRP as long as appropriate controls are placed on the time, place and manner of shipping activity."
The LWRP, on page 83, states "Continued operation of the port by Holcim or their lessee of the existing stone aggregate stockpiling and shipping use on a portion of its property is consistent with Hudson's maritime history and contributes to the tax base of the City."
The Court by Order and Decision in A. Colarusso & Son, Inc. v. City of Hudson Planning Board, Index No.: E0120211017875, (2024) determined that the Applicant has vested rights in the dock as a continuing use.

At the Planning Board meeting on October 28, Planning Board member Gaby Hoffmann objected to the selective use of quotes from the LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan), pointing out the resolution included "a lot of stuff from the LWRP that's protective of the Applicant's rights but nothing supportive of the City's rights."

The quotes from the LWRP are not the only examples of cherry-picking in support of Colarusso in the draft resolution. In a comment on Gossips, former Hudson city attorney Ken Dow (identified as KD) pointed out that item 9 under Additional Findings is also problematic. The information he shared is important, and for that reason, it is being repeated here, where people who don't read the comments will see it.

There are many specific concerns in the draft Resolution, but one new very significant point warrants comment.

The resolution states that "The Court by Order and Decision in A. Colarusso & Son, Inc. v. City of Hudson Planning Board, Index No.: E012021017875, (2024) determined that the Applicant has vested rights in the dock as a continuing use." While that statement is included in such Decision, it is cherry-picked and makes a misleading implication. First, the Court itself footnoted that passage, expressly stating that "The court declines to address the exact scope of Petitioners' vested rights, as the issue has not been specifically addressed in the briefing, nor is a determination of such necessary to the court's limited decision here today." At most, this position from the Court does nothing more than state that the operation cannot be shut down entirely. No one is seriously suggesting doing that.

If it is actually correct that Colarusso has any vested rights in the dock as a nonconforming use, they are plainly limited by the City of Hudson Code section 325-29, which expressly states that "Any type of nonconforming use of buildings or open land may be continued indefinitely, but: (1) Shall not be [expanded], NOR SHALL ANY EXTERNAL EVIDENCE OF SUCH USE BE INCREASED BY ANY MEANS WHATSOEVER." If Colarusso had any vested right in the operation of the dock, it was limited to the extent of the operations as such existed at the time the dock use became a nonconforming use (in 2011, three years before they bought the property) and they were barred from increasing any external evidence of the use. If they had any vested right as a nonconforming use, it is limited, not open-ended. The exclusion from the draft Resolution of the footnote and additional context suggests the incorrect inference that Colarusso has vested rights to do whatever it is doing. They don't, and the Court didn't say that they do.

Secondly, that passage is in direct conflict with the Melkonian Decision and Order and Judgment in A. Colarusso and Colarusso Ventures LLC v. City of Hudson, City of Hudson Planning Board, et al., Index No. 17-906091, which states that "respondents [City of Hudson] rationally concluded that the erosion repair project was one of the "actions or events specified in Section D triggering the termination of petitioners' right to continue to operate the commercial dock without conditional use permit." Indeed, the express language of section 325-17.1 of the Code states that "Any existing commercial dock operation may continue to operate as a nonconforming use until such time as one or more of the actions or events specified in Subsection D above is proposed to be undertaken."

These are two first-level Supreme Court cases--neither is an Appellate Division case--and the 2024 Rivera Order and Decision is not superior to the 2017 Melkonian Decision. In that light, there appears to be an unresolved conflict between two courts as to whether Colarusso has any remaining rights to operate. But even setting that aside and granting for now the validity of J. Rivera's assertion that Colarusso has vested rights, the SCOPE of those rights is what matters, not the mere existence of some vested right, and J. Rivera expressly declined to consider the scope. If the Board proceeds on the basis that Colarusso has vested rights (a point on which the courts disagree), it is of the utmost importance that the Board NOT mistakenly believe that the Rivera Decision suggests anything more than that the operation cannot be shut down entirely. The Rivera Decision does not support the current, proposed, or any particular level of activity.

There were limitations on the dock use dating from 2011, prior to Colarusso's purchase of it. Consequently, even allowing for J. Rivera's determination, it would be entirely within the Planning Board's authority to impose as a condition that "The dock use shall continue to be subject to the same limitations it has been subject to since the dock operations were designated as a nonconforming use in 2011, as set out in section 325-29 of the Hudson Code, that no external evidence of the use may be increased by any means whatsoever beyond what existed as of the date it became as a nonconforming use in 2011."

I have never argued or advocated for any particular outcome in this matter, and I don't do so now. I have continually defended the Planning Board's scope of authority and pushed back on Colarusso's persistent and disingenuous attempts to mislead the Planning Board and convince it to surrender its authority. The reference in the draft resolution to vested rights raises yet another alarm of the Planning Board being gaslighted into giving up its authority to do its job and fulfill its purpose. To support again the Planning Board and its lawful scope of authority: NOTHING COMPELS THE PLANNING BOARD TO ALLOW THE DOCK OPERATIONS TO INCREASE THE LEVELS OF WHAT IS PERCEPTIBLE TO EXTERNAL OBSERVERS BEYOND WHAT EXISTED IN 2011. The Planning Board has more power than Colarusso wants it to believe. It CAN impose the condition noted in the paragraph above. It should not let itself be fooled into thinking it cannot.

Would that the Planning Board's legal council be as committed to defending the Planning Board's scope of authority and to pushing back on Colarusso's "persistent and disingenuous attempts to mislead the Planning Board and convince it to surrender its authority."

Sunday, November 2, 2025

The Budget Workshops Continue

The Board of Estimate and Apportionment--the mayor, the Common Council president, and the treasurer--continues its struggle to close the gap between revenue and expenses this week. In the past, the BEA has taken money from the fund balance to close the gap, but a report at last Friday's BEA meeting from treasurer Heather Campbell on the current state of the fund balance suggests that cannot be done again. The only way to balance the budget is to cut expenses.

Below is the schedule of BEA workshops this week. The workshops are hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click on the date and time for the link to join remotely.

Update: Friday's BEA workshop has been canceled. The BEA concluded its work on Thursday.
COPYRIGHT 2025 CAROLE OSTERINK

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

In these days of early darkness, which marks the return of standard time, the big event this week is Election Day.

Tuesday, November 4, is Election Day. The polls are open from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Here are the polling places for Hudson:

Wards 1, 2, and 3: St. Mary's Academy, 301 Allen Street
Ward 4: County Office Building, 4o1 State Street
Ward 5: Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street

If you are uncertain which ward you are in, here's the map.

Also on Tuesday, November 4, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
On Wednesday, November 5, the Common Council Legal Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. No agenda for the meeting has yet been published. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

Update: The Legal Committee meeting for this month has been canceled.

On Thursday, November 6, the Public Works Board meets at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

Update: The Public Works Board meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, November 20, at 6:00 p.m.

Of Interest

With only about thirty-six hours left before the polls open on Tuesday morning, Hudson Common Sense has published its assessment of the choice facing Hudson voters: "The Bully, the Jester, or the Nerd?" It is reading that is both entertaining and persuasive.

Code Detritus

One of the three laws the Common Council voted on at a special meeting on Halloween was an amendment to Chapter 148, Article IV, of the city code making the Superintendent of Public Works the administrator of the city's Flood Damage Prevention ordinance instead of the Executive Director of Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency. Chapter 148 of the city code was adopted in 1987, but it seems nobody paid much attention to it until 2017, when Colarusso needed a flood plain permit for its private road through South Bay. It was then that it became clear that tasking the executive director of HCDPA was this responsibility didn't make sense. It makes even less sense now when there is no executive director of HCDPA. So, eight years later, the code is being amended.

In 2016, Ken Dow, who was then the city attorney, brought attention to a problem with Chapter 188, Paragraph 5, of the code, which makes reference to "a disorderly house or a house of ill fame." The meaning of this archaic language is "brothel or house of prostitution," but the Hudson Police Department was applying the law to situations that involved people hanging out at a house or apartment making noise and engaging in objectionable activity that disrupted the neighborhood, an application that would not hold up in court. Strangely, that paragraph in the code has not been altered, but presumably the HPD has stopped misapplying it.

In 2006, the Historic Preservation ordinance, Chapter 169 of the city code, was amended to add this seventh requirement for the Historic Preservation Commission:

The Chairperson of the Planning and Land Use Committee of the Common Council shall be the liaison between the Historic Preservation Commission and the Common Council and shall report to the Common Council regularly on the actions and proposed actions of the Historic Preservation Commission.

In 2008, when Rob Perry became president of the Common Council, he eliminated the Planning and Land Use Committee, but no one bothered to go back and amend the code to eliminate this reference to the role its chairman in relation to the HPC.

In 2025, Victoria Polidoro, legal counsel to the Planning Board, is using this definition from Chapter 325, Article XIII, of the code as the basis of her opinion that the city's Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP) does not have the force of law:

LOCAL WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION AREA (LWRA) or COASTAL AREA

That portion of New York State coastal waters and adjacent shorelands located within the boundaries of the City of Hudson, as shown on the coastal area map on file in the office of the Secretary of State and as delineated in the City of Hudson Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.

Because the city's coastal area map is not "on file in the office of the Secretary of State," Polidoro maintains that Hudson's local waterfront revitalization area does not exist, "So even though we have provisions, there's no area that triggers those provisions."

At the Planning Board meeting on October 28, Gabrielle Hoffmann said, "I have spoken with the Department of State, I have case law here, the Municipal Home Rule Law states that we can use our LWRP as a legally binding part of our zoning code." Polidoro reiterated her position that, because no map was filed with the Department of State, there is no Local Waterfront Revitalization Area and told Hoffmann, "I can't change my opinion on this."

Is it possible that Polidoro's opinion is based on another example of detritus in our zoning code? The definition in question was added to the zoning code in 2011 by Local Law No. 5 of 2011, when the LWRP was adopted by the Common Council. In 2016, when it was confirmed that, for whatever reason, the LWRP had never been submitted to the Department of State for review, no one had the presence of mind to comb through the code to see how that situation might impact the LWRP zoning adopted by the Common Council, and certainly no one had the foresight to predict that this one definition would be used to negate the legality of the LWRP zoning. Had anyone done so, it seems the Common Council could have amended the definition to delete the words "as shown on the coastal map on file in the office of the Secretary of State," and we wouldn't be in the situation we are in now.

Saturday, November 1, 2025

Don't Forget . . .

Standard Time returns at 2:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour tonight . . . if you have any clocks that don't automatically adjust themselves.

Election News

There are just two days of early voting left. The polls are open today and tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The polling place for us in Hudson is the county office building at 401 State Street.

The reader contacted me this morning to say he could not find the sample ballots. They are posted on the Columbia County website, on the Board of Elections page. Here are the links to the sample ballots for each of the five wards in Hudson.

Don't forget to turn the ballot over. There is a proposal on the back about allowing skiing and related trail facilities in Adirondack Park.

Another Street Dedication

Today at 11:00 a.m., a stretch of South Front Street, from the Ferry Street Bridge to Broad Street, will be honorarily named "Charlie Butterworth's Way," in recognition of the late Charles Butterworth, who served as Superintendent of Public Works in Hudson from 1969 to 2006. The dedication ceremony will take place at the Hudson Amtrak station.