Zimet nominated Marx, noting that, although she did not support his bid two years ago, once they began working together she was amazed by his work ethic, his respect for the Town Board, for the residents and how he ended up “doing much more than he signed up for, as we combined Buildings and Grounds with our Highway Department — at great savings to the taxpayers, but much more work for Chris, which he never complained about. Instead, he worked even harder!”
She too said that they were fortunate to have such great candidates, but felt that in her experience, Marx was someone whose commitment had been proven and tested over the past two years and that she was proud to nominate him.
Town supervisor nominations
Leverette was nominated by Democrat Don Roper, who said that in his conversations with Leverette, he found someone who was open and willing to listen, who was fair-minded and had no agenda except wanting to work with everyone to advance the town forward. He said that it was a time for a new style of government, that Leverette represented the values of inclusiveness and fair play, that he had paid his dues as a volunteer on many a board and commission and that referenced all of the supportive letters that he had received from Democrats and others “in the New Paltz Times letters sections.”
Zimet was nominated by Andy Kossover, a local attorney and the Ulster County public defender. He said that he had friends who were Democrats who planned to cast their vote for Leverette, but asked that Democrats “give people a choice. Let Susan and Randall have a robust and vigorous debate, raise the dialogue, look deeper into issues and how they might be solved for the betterment of our community rather than disenfranchising voters. That’s not what we’re about.
“I remember a time when we couldn’t get a Democrat elected in this town. I’m so proud of how far our Democratic leaders have taken us and this community. And Susan, when elected two years ago, walked into an economic crisis, a fiscal disaster and turned it around as only she can, ending up with a 4.4 percent tax decrease for residents and a savings of $1.4 million for our town.”
Longtime town justice Jonathan Katz received stellar nominations and seconds, and had no opposition to be the Democratic nominee for his position.
Candidate speeches
For the three contested races, each candidate had an opportunity to talk for five minutes. Leverette said that he had been asked many times why would “anyone in their right mind want to run for public office?” The answer he came to time and time again was that “We all want good government. Good government is not radical; it’s not impractical; it’s a well-oiled machine.” He said that we must protect our environment, which is “our greatest resource,” as well as encourage “commercial development to offset our tax base, but in a way that fits the character of this town and is environmentally friendly.”
Zimet talked about what a “disaster the town financial situation was in” when she got into office two years ago and how, with the help of her board, they were able to get the finances back in order, save taxpayers money and lower taxes by 4.4 percent. She said that she was a staunch opponent to hydrofracking; was a proponent of getting bike trails and pedestrian trails that would connect residents from the town and village to the Shawangunk Ridge; and that she was excited to work on a Comprehensive Master Plan for both the town and the village, so that they could decide together the future direction of the community. “I’ve been in public service for 20 years [as both a town supervisor for three terms as well as an Ulster County legislator for four terms]. You know me; you know what I stand for and I thank you for your support.”
After the votes were cast and tallied, well after 10 p.m., and Zimet was declared the victor, she said, “It was wonderful to see such a great turnout. We worked hard to get people out because there was a concern that people assumed I would head the Democratic ticket; but we can never take that for granted. The nastiness of my opposition and the motivation behind those that are against me drives people out. We had to ensure that people came out, and they did. And I’m honored to represent the Democratic ticket. We spent two years getting our finances in good health, and for the next two years we have groundbreaking things planned in terms of bike and pedestrian lanes, sustainable energy, tax equity so people can continue to stay in their homes.”
Leverette said that he was “not shocked” by the results. “I’m a Republican in a Democratic caucus, so honestly, I’m very pleased to have received the number of votes that I did. I think it speaks to my crossover appeal and the fact that this is not about Susan, it’s certainly not about me; it’s about the residents of this community and what is best for all of us. I’m about seeking common ground, finding answers, working together to make this little corner of the world a slice of heaven, which it is. I look forward to talking about our visions, what is real, what is perceived, what’s been done and hasn’t been done and working to elevate the dialogue and provide New Paltz with the good government it needs and deserves.”
