Working together
I’ve known Marjorie Block for several years and I have seen someone whose concern for the community and its people is evident in many different ways. Whether it’s helping an Eagle Scout reach his award or celebrating Christmas at the Kiersted House and seeing the children’s excitement of meeting Santa. She has worked tirelessly to create Old Timers Day in the village, along with bringing about the bed races. She has brought back past memories and is making new ones of the Old Timers Day celebration.
Marjorie as president of the Saugerties Historical Society has welcomed school children to the Kiersted House, telling them about the history of Saugerties. Her interests and concerns for the people of Saugerties and sharing them with the community is who Marjorie is. Saugerties is her home; it’s my home and yours. Her always wanting to help make things better and treating everyone fairly is who she is. This was illustrated when she organized the reconstruction of the 1790 old Dutch Barn by getting volunteers from the community to work together to raise this barn from a pile of lumber to its stately structure on the Kiersted Property. Things can be accomplished when you know how to work together.
This is Marjorie Block—working together to get things done for all of Saugerties. We need her creativity, energy and fairness on the Saugerties Town Board.
Diana Buchan
Saugerties
Block an asset
I am writing this letter in support of Marjorie Block’s bid for election to the Saugerties Town Board. Over the past few years I have worked with Marjorie on various Saugerties Chamber of Commerce events. I have always been impressed by her knowledge of the history of Saugerties and by her dedication, commitment and hard work to promote the betterment of the present and the future of Saugerties. I know she will be an asset to the Town Board.
Peggy Schwartz
Co-Chair Saugerties Chamber of Commerce
Fully committed
My name is Marjorie Block and I am seeking the Democratic Party nomination for Saugerties Town Board. I have been honored to receive the endorsement of the Saugerties Democratic Party Candidate Search Committee and I am asking for your support and vote at the Democratic Party caucus on July 9.
I am a life-long resident of Saugerties and my family has been here for generations. Most of my youth was spent working with my father, Bill Fallows, who owned Bill’s Corner Store and it was from him that I learned what a special place Saugerties is. Together with my husband Harry, we have raised five children and just celebrated the birth of our seventh grandchild. We believe Saugerties is a great place to raise a family. This is our home.
About seven years ago I began to become involved in many of Saugerties community groups and have worked with past and current Town Board members in economic development and tourism. I chaired the committee that planned the town’s 200th anniversary gala in 2011 For the past six years I have served as president of the Saugerties Historical Society, a position that calls upon many skills from fund-raising and grant writing to coordinating the rebuilding of the Dutch Barn now located behind the Kiersted house. Even more important than this I have learned how to bring the people of Saugerties together for mutual benefit for the good of the community.
Currently, I serve on the board of the Saugerties Chamber of Commerce, as historian for the village of Saugerties, chairperson of the Town of Saugerties Tourism Committee and a member of the Mum Festival Committee. I do these things not for personal gain but because I love this town. If I am nominated by the Democratic Party Caucus I pledge to continue to be fully committed to the Saugerties Committee.
Marjorie Block
Saugerties
Walter seeks town justice nod
On July 9 at 7 p.m. at the Senior Center enrolled Democrats at their town caucus will be asked to nominate me as their candidate for town justice. While the responsibilities of the town justice will be exercised by me in a totally non-partisan manner, at this moment in the electoral process I must turn to my fellow Democrats for their support. I have been an active member of the Democratic Party for many years on the town, county, and national level.
As a justice of the peace, I will bring to the court a fair-minded approach to cases with a commitment to justice for all under the law without bias or favoritism toward anyone. I have over 40 years of legal experience to bring to bear on the disputes, both criminal and civil, that come before the court. It is time for a new judge to bring his insights to the court to enhance its efficient operation.
Thank you for your support.
Lanny Walter
Saugerties
GOP caucus irregularities
I want to thank all who came to support me and my fellow candidates at the Saugerties Republican Club Caucus on June 19. Many expected the caucus would be clear and brief only to experience the contrary. Shortly afterwards concerns were reported regarding possible improprieties:
1. Despite larger venue availability the party chairman decided to check each person’s voter registration before entering the room thereby causing a slow line of more than 80 people at one point. After entering voters stood shoulder to shoulder in the caucus room. Senior citizens, voters with disabilities arrived and realized this arrangement was beyond their endurance. One Vietnam veteran reports leaving as soon as he could make his way back out.
2. Established procedure is to hold the town supervisor election first however the motivation to change procedure leaves questions in the minds of longtime caucus attendees. This change, announced at 7:25 p.m., 25 minutes past the scheduled starting time, with the highway superintendent race first and that vote taking place over an hour later. Disgruntled voters poured out of the building. They couldn’t stand the hot, crowded conditions and the lack of seats. Two World War II veterans agreed to stay if they could be given seats.
3. Observant voters report that subsequent voting arrangements gave ample opportunity to stuff the ballot box. Procedures were inconsistent with multiple lines and lists available with no system for checks among the lines. One voter reports being offered a second ballot by the same caucus official during the run-off town supervisor race seconds after being given her first ballot as well as seeing another voter cast two ballots.
4. While officials from other political parties were present, one wonders why the Conservative vice chairman, known to be a highly trained and detailed observer with a long tradition of cooperation with Republicans, was notified that he was not welcome at this caucus.
Outside influence? Observers report during the run-off vote for town supervisor, an employee of the Ulster County Legislature marked for his ballot for the incumbent and proceeded to show it to over 40 people as they stood in line waiting for their ballots. Some believed that his job was at stake. Another voter reported that yet another employee from the same office of the Ulster County Legislature was in the parking lot making calls from her car. By creating the first unnecessary check point and a 25-minute delay, a system was created for contacting supporters who had not arrived. Three individuals involved in designing the caucus and counting the votes are Ulster County Legislature employees. Why so much interest in Saugerties?
Most of what I described here is not illegal. Party chairmen have discretion in caucus operations. Court challenges are costly and legal counsel advises me that judges rarely intervene in caucus procedures.
My appreciation to the 125 voters who endured and supported me for town supervisor and those who have reported concerns. Know that your concerns have not gone unheard.
Gaetana Ciarlante
Saugerties
The need for economic development unifies Saugerties
After my recent attendance at the jointly-held Village and Town board meeting which allotted residents the opportunity to voice their opinions on the Comprehensive Plan, I concluded that this public hearing was emblematic of what is great about our country: democracy! Saugerties residents were able to pre-register on a sheet of paper to speak their minds on any issues that were pertinent to the final draft of the Comprehensive Plan. And while some residents found fault with the way in which specific issue(s) were addressed in the comprehensive plan, there was one issue that clearly resonated with everyone in attendance; economic development and growth in order to facilitate a higher corporate tax-base which in turn can lower the necessity for a residential taxbase that is derived from property taxes. Everyone in Saugerties wants to see their property taxes go down, and this was the issue that I brought up in the concluding speech of the night.
As residents of Saugerties, we need to come together and determine what types of businesses will provide quality jobs for our residents while also being a good fit for our community. I would like to see a trade-based SUNY campus built in Northern Saugerties that is analogous to the SUNY campuses in Delhi and Cobleskill, and we would all like to see some type of development of the Kings Highway Corridor and the Winston Farm in addition to other parts of Saugerties. At the subsequently-held Town Board meeting on June 12, I was also in attendance when Steve Guerin, the chairman of the Economic Development Council, proposed a bold initiative to offer tax breaks for new businesses that purchase pre-existing buildings or construct new ones from which their businesses would operate. These two board meetings were refreshing to be a part of, as they unified the residents of Saugerties on several issues: economic development, job creation and lower property taxes. In the upcoming year and beyond, we all need to work together towards determining which businesses we can court to come to Saugerties in order to move towards achieving these goals!
Christopher Allen
Saugerties
The writer is the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate for Ulster County Legislative District 2
Sleight of hand
I use to work with a renowned emergency management expert. He had a habit of coming to the scene of serious incidents and making decisions or recommendations that were almost as volatile as the scene itself. The leaders of the police and fire departments would be arguing and refusing to cooperate and general pandemonium would be on the verge of breaking out. They would be calling this “expert” every name in the book. And then this “expert” would offer a compromise solution and all present would feel a great sense of relief and agree to the “new plan” knowing their efforts had contributed to this wise decision and the expert was not bossing them around. And the expert was extolled across the land.
Magicians work their magic by distracting the observer with a planned diversion. Once the audience’s attention is drawn to the new activity, the magician is free to pull the rabbit from the hat. Not all magicians are in the theater, some move freely among us in positions known as “elected officials.”
We are witnessing a “serious financial emergency incident” in Kingston regarding the collection of sales tax and the economic stability of Ulster County and the city and towns therein. There is teeth gnashing, hand-wringing, press conferences and general hue and cry. Our leaders are going to protect us at any cost. Our leaders will not let any evil befall us. They bravely set forth to fight dragons (and windmills?). Our leaders; a Democrat governor, a Democrat assemblyman and a Democrat county executive are all on stage wrestling with Ulster County sales tax. (Wrestling is entertainment, not sport, is it not ?) Does anyone doubt our governor will allow our assemblyman to rain on our county executive’s parade of prosperity and growth in our Hudson Valley? Maybe it is really Greek theater we are witnessing, replete with drama, comedy and a little incest.
And where, you might ask, is the wabbit? The county executive, via county legislators, tried to create a police efficiency commission in time to present his budget for next year. Such commissions in the past were code language for “Let’s eliminate the Ulster County sheriff’s road patrol.” The police efficiency commission was created, but it may not have recommendations in time to coincide with the executive’s budget presentation, sooooooo now we have a financial crisis that may affect funding of ….? You guessed it! The Ulster County sheriff’s road patrol.
You have to watch the magician very closely, (albeit from afar may give a better view of the sleight of hand).
Jack Hayes
Gardiner
Once upon a time
There once was a young college kid who I met one day and he explained to me that he wasn’t very happy going to college. He really wanted to do stand-up comedy. He said his idol was Adam Sandler. He seemed to be a nice clean-cut, drug-free guy and I got a good vibe from him. It just so happed, by chance, I knew of an audition the very next morning for comedy sketch pilot. A friend of mine with a lot of connections was the producer of the pilot. The college kid said that sounded great, however, he wasn’t from this area and had no idea where the audition was and that he was on college budget and had no car. Not normally my nature, I offered this stranger a ride to the audition the next morning. He wrote down directions to his dormitory and said he would be ready. The next morning I was in a rush to go to work, but remembered my promise to this kid. So I finally found his place and beeped my horn. Then, I beeped my horn again. No college kid. Maybe this kid forgot? Thought he met a crazy guy? I don’t know, but decided to give him one more chance and went and knocked on his door. The door opens and the college kid was still in his boxers and t-shirt, “Oh yeah, the audition!” He rushed to get ready and we hurriedly drove to the audition-late. There were 200 people already signed in on the clip board. Crammed in a small house in Troy, NY I decided to wait with him. Then my friend who was the producer walked in. He looked around, seen me and came over me.
He said,”Hey Ron!, you came to audition?”
I said, “No, not me, Donald. I bought a friend the that I would like to introduce to you. Mr. Metzner, I would like you to meet Jimmy, he goes to St. Rose College and he wants to be a comedian.”
“Nice to meet you Jimmy, any friend of Razor Ron is friend of mine.”
Jimmy was first bypassed, but was re-considered to stay on as writer. My producer friend Donald Metzner, stepped in and asked the director to give Jimmy a second look….and the rest is history for Jimmy Fallon.
That summer of 1994 , Donald Metzner put Razor Ron and Jimmy Fallon in a commercial together, featuring the “7-up Guy”: actor Geoffrey Holder. It was Jimmy’s first TV appearance. Jimmy quit college and was sent to California by Metzner and Peter Iselin (founder of Metroland Magazine) to pursue his dreams and bring to our world his magical talent to make us laugh.
He is now best friends with Adam Sandler. Since then, I never seen or heard from Jimmy again.
Now, it’s my dream to meet Jimmy Fallon once again, but this time, tell him my dreams.
Ron LaFalce
Mechanicville
