What Your Democratic Majority Has Accomplished Since 2024

In January 2024, new Town Supervisor Rebecca Edwards and Board members Barbara Laird and Ryan Sharpe joined incumbent Ann Shershin to bring energy and direction to our town government.

Their work has included:

  • Improving Town Hall communication with residents and increased budget transparency and accountability and sending the first Resident Services Guide to residents

  • Passing Good Cause Eviction which prevents landlords from evicting tenants without a valid, legally recognized reason. These laws aim to provide tenants with more stability in their housing by ensuring they can only be evicted for legitimate reasons outlined in the law, such as non-payment of rent, lease violations, or illegal activity within the unit.

  • Taking action to address the affordable housing crisis, both for renters and for homeowners seeking new sources of income: creating a Citizens Committee on Housing Affordability, expanding options for homeowners to create accessory units, starting an innovative home-sharing pilot program with Nesterly that launched in April, and other measures now in the pipeline

  • Launching food pantries at Town Hall and the Galleria Mall in cooperation with Dutchess Outreach

  • Increasing green space and recreation options, including new offerings for seniors and young families, including new Senior Center programs, toddler “block parties,” and summer movies in the parks

  • Making plans to expand walking trails and wildlife preserves in town, including Sunnyside Park, New Hamburg Park / Reese Audubon Preserve, and other locations

  • Adopting a Town Government Climate Action Plan for efficiency and environmental protection

  • Offering free food scraps recycling and clothing-and-textiles recycling through Helpsy (launched in June) for residents

  • Securing a $252,000 state grant through the Brownfields Opportunity program, for a community plan to remediate and revitalize the vacant Dutchess Plaza / Kmart shopping center on Route 44

  • Restoring the neglected Town War Memorial and re-started Memorial Day ceremonies at the site

  • Holding the first Town of Poughkeepsie Community Day on May 10 at Bowdoin Park, with concurrent events around town

  • Making Juneteenth an official Town holiday

  • Joining the forthcoming Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway which will extend through the Hudson Valley and beyond

  • Launching a plan for taxpayer protection: adopted a 2025 budget that stayed below the 2% tax cap, identified efficiencies and new sources of revenue

  • Strengthening public safety through a federal COPS grant for a new Community Policing Unit, providing more speed-enforcement equipment to the Traffic division, and facilitating a Youth Police Initiative to strengthen trust between law enforcement and at-risk community youth.

  • Dedicating opioid settlement funds to a mental health/substance use peer counselor to ride with Town Police and address mental health and substance-use needs of residents in crisis.

POLICE/COURTS RELOCATION UPDATE: AS MANY RESIDENTS KNOW, THE CURRENT POLICE/COURT FACILITY WAS LOCATED ON AN UNCAPPED LANDFILL IN THE 1990S AND MUST BE MOVED. THE POLICE/COURTS RELOCATION COMMITTEE HAS BEEN RESEARCHING ALL OPTIONS.

In January the Town Board authorized use of American Rescue Plan funds to hire LaBella Architects to assess the feasibility of moving the Police to the current Town Hall. Results are expected in April, and work is ongoing to determine next steps. It appears this option is possible and meets the Police needs for location and accessibility. Potential sites for Town Hall, which is easier to relocate, are now being identified and a determination is being made about whether Courts could fit on the 1 Overocker Road site. The Police/Courts Committee hopes to have the rough outlines of a plan by September.

Our new Town Board is making local government work better for all our residents. Get out to vote in 2025, and tell your neighbors to do the same to help us sustain the momentum and keep building a stronger Town for all.