Christine Hein at the St. Patrick’s Day parade. (Photo: Phyllis McCabe)
Mayor Noble and several town boards have put their cards on the table: maintain the status quo. In terms of real negotiating, it’s time for the county executive, heretofore denying with unprecedented vehemence and vigor any culpability, to stand up and be counted. It’s his job.
Here and there
With due respect to the first 23 St. Patrick’s parade grand marshals, this year’s honoree, Christine Hein of People’s Place, displayed a buoyant enthusiasm not seen since the British invaded Kingston. Hein must have hugged half the people on Broadway along the two-mile parade route. The marshal and her court of Hibernians and bagpipers then made the rounds via chartered bus to various after-parade parties.
Obviously a popular choice, grand marshal Hein was decked out in tartan kilt taken from her Geary family’s ancestral home in County Cork, Ireland. Husband Mike with son Mickey marched right behind in the two-hour parade. In terms of participation, this was the biggest parade ever. Crowds were six-deep at some points on Broadway. “Irish weather” contributed to the festivities.
And thanks to Hibernian chaplain Father Edmund Burke of St. Peter’s in Rosedale for blessings bestowed on our Kingston Post 150 American Legion color guard in front of St. Mary’s Church. At that point near the end of parade, divine assistance was most welcome.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s call for greater transparency in the legislature is in parts noble, political and hypocritical. Given Hillary Clinton’s woes, the governor reportedly eschews email and thus leaves no trail. When the executive branch opens its books and records, maybe, just maybe, the legislature will follow. But don’t count on it.
Zephyr Teachout’s website posted a smiling photo of herself and retiring Congressman Gibson during a weekend visit to water-plagued Hoosick Falls. Democratic rival Will Yandik should be so lucky. Cuomo finally made a visit to the beleaguered community, where water emergency measures have been in place for weeks. From TV reports, it did not go well.
Finally, condolences to the family of Saugerties’ Erika Hinchey, dead at 73 last week after a long, debilitating illness.
The first Hinchey to win an election — to the Saugerties village board in 1973 — Erika’s broad circle of family and friends, her unbounded enthusiasm and grounding of her sometimes-combative young husband-candidate propelled him to the first of 19 elections in 1974. The couple had two sons and even after a parting of ways remained close in spirit.
While fans of other pioneers of the era may put forth their own champions, Erika Hinchey was one of the first women of influence at a time when women were beginning to become a factor in local politics. For those of us who knew and respected her, she was much, much more than the future congressman’s first wife.
Great. This is like “feel-good Friday.” Let’s not dare speak about the abysmal situation overall in local doctor’s offices. Feel-good Friday would disappear mighty quickly into all the other days of the week.
Oh but very nice vision of the “mass lobotomy.” Some characterize religion in this fashion already, and as we know those women who took vows of poverty–yet lived in Jersey where the cost-of-living is higher than a vow of poverty would accommodate–would have approved of the lobotomy to maintain the “particular level of poverty they enjoyed”(well at least in 1950–we’ve cough cough cough cough come cough cough cough cough such a cough long way in the cough field since cough cough cough).