Asked why he felt that he was the best candidate to represent the constituents of District 20, Rodriguez said, “I think the voters of the village and town of New Paltz are politically progressive, but want us to contain costs to keep taxes down. They want solutions to hard problems. I think I’m best-suited toward solving those problems.”
Ward came from a different perspective as to why he believes that he would be the best representative. “I don’t have a political agenda, and I don’t expect to be spending my life in politics. I understand what it’s like in the real world: a world where the mortgage has to be paid no matter what. I’m not insulated from taxes by a high-paying job or a low rent payment; my wife and I struggle just like everybody else. I bring the perspective of the struggling homeowner — a perspective which has long been neglected.”
District 17
Moving toward the three-way race for District 17, where a Republican, a Democrat and an independent/Working Families Party candidate are all vying for a seat on the legislature:
Les Kalmus. (Photo by Lauren Thomas)
Les Kalmus, a Republican from Esopus, said that he decided to run for office because he wanted to “bring my successful business experience and approach to the legislature. I am as fed up as everyone else with high taxes, and I would like to work with the legislature to keep a rein on expenditures and on bringing businesses to our county.”
Steve Greenfield, who is on the Honest Service line as well as the Working Families Party line, said that he decided to run because in his estimation, “Government has broken down, because voters are always required to choose between two candidates about whom they know nothing, other than that they were provided to them by a handful of inner party operatives pursuing agendas that have nothing to do with the sound operation of Ulster County’s public business…My candidacy provides voters with the opportunity to vote for a candidate who demonstrated public support through the independent petitioning process, and who tells voters real information about the office and how its responsibilities can best be fulfilled.”
Wishnick, chosen to replace Zimet on the ballot, said that he accepted the nomination because he has been “watching county government from a distance,” and believes that he can “contribute my background, knowledge and abilities to deal with the challenge of making Ulster County a better place to live and work.”
If elected to office, Kalmus said that his top priorities would be to “bring new businesses and their jobs to Ulster County to create more opportunity for our residents and for the tax base that those businesses will bring; dealing with the subsidies we are now paying for the Resource Recovery Agency; finding a quality solution to the issues of Golden Hill.”
Greenfield hit some of the same notes, but was more detailed in his response, which included “improving Ulster County’s ISO [Insurance Services Office, Inc.] rating for fire service preparedness, so our homeowners’ insurance rates can come back down; keeping Golden Hill Nursing Home in county hands; and doing the handful of things that will actually make Ulster a better place to live and do business: upgrading the drainage systems of our roads so they don’t collapse with every heavy rainfall; requiring that Central Hudson bury all power and data lines on county rights-of-way, so we don’t lose power and Internet every time it snows, the wind blows or a car veers off the road, and which will also reduce emergency services costs and road closings due to accidents involving these outmoded road hazards; improving public transportation; and completely overhauling the Resource Recover Agency by moving our garbage disposal practices toward zero waste.”
Ken Wishnick. (Photo by Lauren Thomas)
Wishnick, like Kalmus, also called for a resolution to the Golden Hill problem, but only Greenfield stated outright that he wanted to keep the facility in the county’s hands. Wishnick said that he wanted to “ensure a timely, wise decision is made concerning the future of Golden Hill Nursing Home,” and wanted “all facts on the table” to “craft a solution that is fair to the current residents, employees and taxpayers.”
He too called for the UCRRA to be “scrutinized,” pointed to a county comptroller’s report issued in February “highlighting many financial factors that point toward increasingly large budget liability from this agency…I believe we must address this now or pay for it dearly in the future.”
Asked what sets them apart from the other candidates, Kalmus said that he is “recently retired and have the ability, time and energy to do the job. I am very good with complex financial issues and their analyses. I have been involved with issues in our area for the past seven to eight years, but now that I have the time, I want to give our county my full attention.”
Greenfield, a former NPCSD board member, believes that “The one thing that sums up all other differences is: I’m an independent. I don’t belong to a party, and was nominated for this office by a large cross-section of voters from all parties and independents, rather than a party hierarchy…I have extensive experience in our local government in the areas under county control: emergency services, transportation, zoning and land use, public education and most importantly, controlling budgets in an environment composed overwhelmingly of unfunded state mandates.” Greenfield added that his opponents talk in empty “slogans,” with no detailed plan or “understanding of what county government does, what’s broken and how to fix it.”
Wishnick points to his background as the thing that separates him from the other candidates, including his “accomplishments as a County Economic Development and Planning director,” as well as being a director of a countywide Chamber of Commerce, “coupled with my experience as an entrepreneur.”
As to why he believes that he’s the best person to represent District 17, Kalmus said, “In the ten years we have lived here, I have never been visited nor spoken to by anyone that represented me in the legislature or elsewhere. I plan to make sure that residents in my district will have easy access to me so I can bring their issues to the table.”
Steve Greenfield. (Photo by Lauren Thomas)
Greenfield says that he’s the best representative for District 17 constituents because “ I’m the only candidate who speaks directly to what the Ulster Legislature does, what are its most compelling immediate needs, where and how it has fallen short of its responsibilities — and the few simple things we need to do about it. I’m the only candidate with a successful track record holding down budgets in the state mandate environment…I’m the only one who knows that I’m the employee, and our taxpayers are the employer, and can give them their money’s worth — and then some.”
Wishnick said that his “listening, fact-finding, negotiation and public policy knowledge makes me the best candidate for District 17…ultimately county residents are looking for accomplishments so that Ulster County can survive. I fully understand this and have a solid history of accomplishments in job creation, environmental protection, waste management and social services that County government provides.” ++
Editor’s note: Want more election coverage? Find stories and interviews on the 2011 election on our website. Go to newpaltzx.com and click “Election 2011” on the homepage.
