Mike Kavanagh could become Ulster County’s ranking law enforcement official on Jan. 1. But, barring an unprecedented failure in the county’s elections infrastructure, his tenure will be very short.
Woodstock became the latest community to pass a municipal ID law, allowing undocumented residents and those without a permanent address to receive some local services, open bank accounts and use in case of emergencies.
Democrat Dave Clegg apparently has won the closely contested race for Ulster County district attorney as county Board of Elections staff on Wednesday, Dec. 11 completed their tally of votes cast in the Nov. 6 election.
‘…I don’t want us to end up like a Vail or Aspen, where the people who work in town have to live 40 miles away…’
Last week, election officials completed their count of absentee and affidavit ballots, leaving Democrat Dave Clegg with a 45-vote lead over Republican Mike Kavanagh. On Wednesday, Dec. 4, both sides appeared in court to begin the process of counting or dismissing 289 ballots that have been subject to challenges.
A count of absentee and affidavit ballots has left Democrat Dave Clegg clinging to a miniscule 45-vote lead over Republican Mike Kavanagh in the closely watched race for Ulster County district attorney. But with hundreds of ballot challenges awaiting a judge’s ruling — and a county law that will likely trigger an automatic recount of every vote cast — a final decision in the contest could still be weeks away.
The Ulster County Legislature passed a measure forbidding county appointees from holding elected office 12-11. But County Executive Pat Ryan said this week that he will veto the measure, which has — intentionally or not — been taken as an attack on Deputy County Executive Dan Torres, who’s also a New Paltz town councilman.
For the first time in its history, the Ulster County Legislature voted to condemn one of its own, New Paltz Democrat Hector Rodriguez, for sexual harassment and predatory behavior. Rodriguez’s expressionless face loomed over the room, projected onto a wall by a too-close webcam that he used to Skype into the meeting, while legislators voted 17-5 for his censure. His screen went black during the voting; Rodriguez abstained from the vote and made no comment.
Despite a 21-vote margin win by former legislature chairman John Parete over incumbent Democrat Kathy Nolan, Ulster County Democrats appeared poised to maintain their single-vote majority in the Ulster County Legislature after a count of absentee ballots failed to upend election night results.
When the Shandaken Short-Term Rental (STR) Committee met on November 11, they discussed such issues as how to define STRs in the town code and what measures might be included in a new law requiring STR owners to obtain a license for operation.