LaGrange Dems Fall Endorsements

The La Grange Democratic Committee has released its endorsements for the fall elections.  Each candidate presented their platform at a committee meeting, answered questions in a “Meet the Candidates” public forum, and made themselves available to individual committee members for questioning.

The La Grange Democratic Committee unanimously voted to endorse Joan Posner for Family Court Judge in Dutchess County.  She has shown leadership, commitment and sensitivity during her 20-year tenure as Court Attorney for Judge Damian Amodeo.  According to Ms. Posner, “I’ve learned to find creative, just solutions to what at times seem like impossible problems.  As your next Dutchess County Family Court Judge, I will act with integrity and fairness.”

Jonathan Smith was endorsed by the La Grange Democratic Committee for State Assembly in the 102nd district.  The committee overwhelmingly voted to endorse Smith by a vote of 7 to 1.  Smith, a lifelong Democrat and community activist, has demonstrated a long and successful history of grassroots organizing in the Hudson Valley.  A longtime member of the committee, Len Marcus stated, “Jonathan Smith is the true agent of reform and progress in this election. The committee felt that he is the best Democrat and the best candidate to represent us in Albany next year.”

The Democratic candidate for State Senator for the 41st District is Ken Dow and the La Grange Democratic Committee is proud to unanimously endorse him.  Mr. Dow is a life-long democrat, a former chairman for the Columbia County Democratic Committee, and Columbia County Commissioner of Elections.  He entered Albany Law School at the age of 44 specifically to improve his ability to govern.  According to Julie Colacchio, a member of the La Grange Democratic Committee, “Ken Dow will not go to Albany and ignore the problems that plague the working class; such as health care, taxes, and education.  He has a strategy to beat a popular incumbent.”

The La Grange Democratic Committee is proud to endorse such highly-qualified democrats to fill area leadership positions in the fall.  It is our hope that the party can rally behind these exceptional candidates for a Democratic sweep this year.

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Bill McCabe

NEWSLETTER, APRIL 2008

Dutchess County Legislator Bill McCabe
District 13, Parts of LaGrange, Union Vale, & Wappinger

81 Darren Rd., LaGrangeville, NY   12540
Phone: 223-5734
E-mail: wmc1226@optonline.net

     I am pleased to once more inform you about issues being discussed in the County Legislature.  I personally pay for the printing and mailing costs of this newsletter, and I hope you find it of value. In the newly reorganized Legislature I now serve as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee and continue as a member of the Public Works and Capital Projects Committee.  I am the Chair of the Legislature’s Tick Task Force, serve as a member of the Airport Advisory Committee, and continue as the Democratic liaison to the Board of Trustees at Dutchess Community College as well as liaison to community groups urging State-level tax reform in the method of funding education. Please contact me with your opinions and concerns.

JACKSON CREEK and SPROUT CREEK:         In October volunteers with the Fishkill Creek Watershed Project in cooperation with Cornell Cooperative Extension and volunteers from the County Environmental Management Council and the Conservation Advisory Committee from LaGrange conducted a stream walk along the length of Jackson Creek from where it starts in Union Vale and meanders through LaGrange and a small part of East Fishkill before joining Sprout Creek just upstream from the Town of Wappinger baseball park off Robinson Lane.  The volunteers documented the conditions of the stream bed and its banks and also noted the specific locations of the invasive Mile-a-Minute vine – which was found in numerous locations in LaGrange from where Jackson Creek crosses Rte. 82 to the field on the east side of Arthursburg Rd.
            At the end of April, a similar stream walk will take place along the longer Sprout Creek from where it starts in the Town of Washington and proceeds through Union Vale and LaGrange and the acts as the boundary between Wappinger and East Fishkill before joining Fishkill Creek. These three creeks and the streams that feed them are part of the Fishkill Creek Watershed and are connected with the Hudson River Estuary. It is vital that we protect the conditions of the creeks and streams, and if you would like to participate in the Sprout Creek stream walk, call me at 223-5734, and I will forward your name to the organizers.
   
MILE-A-MINUTE INVASIVE PLANT:          The presence of the Mile-a-Minute vine is a serious threat to croplands, wetlands, private property, parks, and forests in Dutchess County and has been discovered in Dover, LaGrange, and Beekman. Despite the dedicated efforts of many volunteers last summer to hand-pull the vine where it was found near the ball fields in LaGrangeville, the vine has quickly spread along the banks of Jackson Creek – as noted by the volunteers mentioned in the stream walk above. The vine itself is an annual plant, but its berries can live for five years, and that is how the plant spreads. 
            In the Legislature, I and other Legislators sponsored a resolution to instruct the County Environmental Management Council, with the assistance of Cornell Cooperative Extension and others, to investigate the M-a-M vine and then recommend a course of action to eradicate it. Their report has been completed, and plans are being put in place with the cooperation of officials in LaGrange, Beekman, and Dover to implement those recommendations this spring and summer.  At the April meeting of the Legislature we are scheduled to vote on officially declaring the M-a-M vine a “noxious weed” in Dutchess County; this will allow for the application for grants from the State and DEC to fund the eradication of the vine. We will also vote to use funds from the County’s contingency fund to start the process and to enable application for matching grants. Mile-a-Minute is a nasty weed and has to be stopped quickly before spreads across the County.

WELL WATER TESTING:      The Towns of Wappinger, East Fishkill, and Fishkill have had successful experiences with their laws requiring the testing of private wells upon the sale or transfer of property, giving owners of private wells some of the protection given to those who get water from municipal or community water systems – similar to laws in Rockland and Westchester Counties and NJ. I hope that in 2008 we will pass a County-wide well-testing law, as advised by the Dutchess County Board of Health.

COUNTY AIRPORT:      In February the Airport Advisory Committee unanimously approved the final reports of the “Rules and Regulations” and the “Minimum Standard” for the Dutchess County Airport and some of the changes are significant. This is the first update of those documents since 1971, and after review by the County Executive they will be submitted for approval by the full Legislature in May or June. The reports are accessible on the County’s website.  If you have any questions, contact Airport Director, Ed Rose, at 463-6000.    Occasionally there are vacancies on the Airport Advisory Committee, which is made up of community members, airport users, and officials.  If you are interested in joining the Committee, contact me, and I will give your name to Ed Rose.

 COUNTY ROADS:     In Wappinger, some work should begin this summer to improve road conditions and drainage on Myers Corners Rd.  In Union Vale, work should begin to improve drainage along Waterbury Hill Rd. between Walsh Rd. and the Jackson Creek Bridge. In LaGrange, work will continue on replacing the Noxon Rd. Bridge over Sprout Creek, necessitating narrower lanes, a speed reduction to 30mph, and weight restrictions on truck traffic.
      
DUTCHESS COMMUNITY COLLEGE:       In March the Legislature approved a resolution authorizing the County Executive to negotiate a land lease agreement with DCC to use County owned land adjacent to college property to build a 460-bed dorm. I supported this resolution and look forward to the benefits that the dorm will bring to the college.  When the lease is drawn up, it will come to the Legislature for final approval.
            Through a program funded by the Dutchess Community College Foundation (not using taxpayer money), full tuition is provided to any high school seniors graduating in the top 10% of their class.  Contact your high school Guidance Department or Dutchess Community College at 431-8000 for more details.

LYME DISEASE AND TICKS:            Deer ticks and the diseases they spread remain a serious concern throughout Dutchess County.  Some of these diseases are difficult to diagnose and can be extremely debilitating.  In a report to the Legislature last fall, Dr. Richard Ostfeld, a researcher at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, stated that recent weather patterns are expected to create optimum conditions this spring and summer for ticks (and the diseases they carry) to spread in Dutchess County. Therefore, we all have to be vigilant in checking for ticks and removing them as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, call the Dutchess County Health Department at 486-3407.

LICENSING MASTER ELECTRICIANS:   Legislation is being introduced, which I am co-sponsoring, to require licensing of those offering themselves for work as Master Electricians. This law, I think, will improve safety, protect consumers, and ensure standards.

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