The Town of Poughkeepsie Republican council members have created numerous issues for candidates to run against. Residential property taxes have increased 28% over the past 3 years; commercial taxes increase almost 17% last year alone; Republicans accepted $200,000 from a Developer for a Senior center and then gave the same Developer a 20 year tax exemption beginning at 90% on a Rt. 9 property valued at $1.5 million; months after leaving the force a retired police officer is arrested for disclosing confidential information to drug dealers; the IBM country club is sold to a not for profit thereby further reducing the tax rolls; and now they voted to privatize the sewer department for what I can only presume to be political purposes.
Despite these lowlights, Town Democrats have only 2 well qualified candidates slated to run for the Town Board in November; Ann Shershin in Ward 6 and Rob Rubin in Ward 2. They deserve your consideration and your vote.
The lack of interested and qualified candidates however is not just a problem for the Democrats, it is a Town problem. In order to change the culture and the policies in the Town, good people of all political parties must get involved and provide real alternatives to the current Republican agenda.
Gary Levine, Chair