GARDINER -- Environmental and fiscal policy issues are dominating campaigns to
represent Shawangunk, Gardiner and a slice of New Paltz in the Ulster County
Legislature.
On Election Day, district voters will choose two of four candidates to represent
District 8. It's one of a dozen territories created in the spring to constitute
the county's new electoral map.
District 8 is unified, perhaps, by its setting in the scenic Shawangunk hills.
''It's not the Grand Canyon, but it's part of what makes us distinct,'' said
Democratic candidate Tracey Bartels, a competitive skydiver. ''It's more than a
natural resource. ... We need to think about what we want this area to be in 25
years.''
Incumbents Glenn Noonan and Al Meyer are running with former legislator Kevin
Hunt on the district's GOP ticket. They feel their experience is what's needed
for the district -- and in county government.
The backdrop for District 8 includes a local development issue -- a proposed
349-lot gated community with a golf course on 2,660 acres, mostly in Gardiner.
Opponents have bemoaned potential im-pact on traffic, views, wildlife, water
resources and other environmental variables.
''I've gotten more communications on the ... project than I've gotten in 10
years on the Legislature combined,'' Noonan said.
County's role uncertain
It's unclear exactly what role District 8 representatives could play in dealing
with Shawangunk Ridge development issues. Official scrutiny of the controversial
Awosting Reserve project is up to town and state officials, the candidates
invariably noted.
''Property owners do have rights,'' Meyer said.
''People have to have faith in the process,'' Hunt added.
But there are opportunities for the Legislature to promote parks and regional
planning, Hunt said.
District representatives must at least listen to local concerns, Noonan said.
''That is the power of incumbency,'' he said. ''You get to know the issues
inside and out.''
''The ridge is a (campaign) issue now,'' he said. ''It wasn't two years ago.''
District 8 representatives can create forums for bridging municipalities and
discussing regional character, Bartels said. Tax incentives for open-space
preservation could be among the topics, she said.
Some local residents have defended Awosting Reserve as well-planned. The
alternative could be smaller, inferior projects that get less public scrutiny,
they maintain.
But in opposition to the large-scale proposal, a grassroots ''Save the Ridge''
campaign has yard signs posted from Montgomery in Orange County to Kingston, the
Ulster county seat.
'Ridge' party line attempted
The issue is so politically charged that Democrats in New Paltz tried to form a
''Friends of the Ridge'' party line for District 10, which doesn't even touch
the development site. Only a glitch regarding the petition prevented that ballot
line from getting Board of Elections approval.
County spending -- and the need to keep taxes in check -- is perhaps a more
substantive issue for District 8. But it's an issue in every district, as most
legislative candidates decry the 19 percent county tax increase of 2003.
Lawmakers need to engage in ''better long-range planning,'' said Hunt, a former
Shawangunk town supervisor who served in the Legislature from January 1998 to
December 2001.
Hunt is deputy superintendent for reception at Downstate Correctional Facility
in Fishkill. He criticized Ulster County's expense for a new jail. It's
scheduled to open next year at a cost of more than $70 million.
''We should be investing money in our schools,'' Hunt said. ''To me it's
backwards.''
The jail is not a fair burden for the county's already strapped taxpayers,
Bartels agreed.
Noonan feels the ''efficiency committee'' he chairs in the Legislature is
helping to identify wasteful spending in other areas -- like county vehicles.
The committee just needs to keep working, he said.
''We've laid the groundwork for a lot of changes in the next two years, I
think,'' he said.
Meyer, an insurance auditor, feels it's critical to pursue grant funding for
additional sheriff's patrols and rural transportation. Those services are
especially needed in southern Ulster.
''I think we've been neglected over the years,'' the Shawangunk resident said.
GOP has wide majority
Bartels, echoing concerns of Democrats countywide, said breaking the GOP lock on
power will be the key to efficient spending. Holding a 25 to 8 majority,
Republicans meet in closed caucus sessions, so the process for deciding on votes
often is hidden from view.
Many Republican lawmakers feel the Legislature works well under their
leadership. Democrats disagree.
''There's no (public) debate,'' Bartels said. ''I don't think that's a healthy
way to run a government.''
The recent redistricting is aimed at creating a more direct system of
representation -- and it could help Democrats gain ground.
In addition to electing new representatives, voters Tuesday will have the option
of approving more sweeping changes to the county's system. A pair of referenda
will ask if the Legislature should change to 23 one-legislator districts in
2012.
Relevant Web link: Candidate biographical information is available through the
Voter's Guide link on the Poughkeepsie Journal's Web site at
www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/projects/election
