4
Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Meyers wants his old job back
By WAYNE A. HALL
Fed up with the way the town of New Windsor is
headed, former New Windsor Supervisor George Meyers
says he’s running for his old job again as supervisor now
held by Republican George Green.
Meyers says he’s returning
town government to public
accessibility and accountability.
When Meyers was New Windsor
Supervisor he says “I always
met with people who came to see
me when I was supervisor even
if you had to wait. I didn’t go
home without seeing everyone
who came to see me.”
Meyers
resume
covers
12 years as New Windsor
supervisor and 25 years in the
state police, retiring as a major after 25 years on the job.
He was a radio-man in the U.S. Navy
He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from
SUNY and a master’s degree from CUNY in Public
Administration.
His son George Meyers is a New Windsor town court
judge.
If elected, the trim, active Meyers, 76, says he will see
all who come to see him.
“When I was town supervisor (1994-2005) you might
have to wait but I’d see you. I’d see everyone who showed
up to see me, no matter how long it took. And I never left
the office without returning every phone call.”
New Windsor problems Meyers hopes to solve, he says,
include “run-away New Windsor development.” And a
lack of citizen involvement” because, he says, “people
feel shut out from local government whereas I’m going to
open things up with more access to town government.”
Meyers also promises “ to end one party rule in
town government,” a promise outlined in his election
team’s fliers. His running mates are a bipartisan mix of
Republicans and Democrats.
Town Council candidate Stephen Bedetti is
Communications Supervisor for New Windsor’s police
department and a Republican. He’s also president of
New Windsor’s CSEA union and the Vails Gate Fire
department.
Town clerk candidate Kelley Allegra, a Democrat,
has operational management experience at American
Express, Neuberger and Berman and other global
financial service companies.
Democrat Sylvia Santiago is a 16-year community
activist elected to the Newburgh school board and a
20-year financial comptroller for GcG Connect and a
Democrat.
“This bi-partisan slate is the way to return open
government to New Windsor,” said town Democratic
committee chairwoman Bette-Ann Yaris.
Census takers gather in Newburgh
Continued from page 1
ensure our voices are heard and we are counted is by
participating and filling out this survey.”
The census bureau hires members of the community
to do administrative work as well as field work to
complete the census and make sure they are getting
a good response rate. In Orange County the rates to
participate in the census bureau are $13.50 to $18 an hour
depending on the position.
To be eligible you must be 18 years or older. There is
a background check and a screening process, but they
do hire residents with a record on a case to case basis.
The hours for working with the bureau are very flexible
so residents can participate around a regular work
schedule.
“The reason we are here tonight is because when
they had the census here in Newburgh last time people
from Middletown had to come to work here,” said Omari
Shakur, of Community Voices Heard. “We need to be
counted here in the City of Newburgh by people from
the City of Newburgh. That’s why we are here tonight to
count our own community.”
Any government employee that violates this law will
receive up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine or
both. Title 13 is also above the Patriot Act, therefore in a
national emergency it was decided by the United States
Justice Department they cannot request or demand any
information from the census bureau.
Even with Title 13 there is still a fear associated
with filling out the census survey for undocumented
immigrants. Many community leaders fear an accurate
count is not possible with the question of citizenship
still on the survey. On April 23 the Supreme Court will
hear arguments on the citizenship question. They will
ultimately decide whether it should be part of the survey
or not.
“I am so pumped with the energy in this room, this
is what I envision in 2020,” said Councilwoman Karen
Mejia. “We are going to work hard with the distrust in
government to make sure the community knows the
information is confidential and get the information the
city needs. We are half funded right now imagine what
we can do with the proper count. We need to open the
spaces we have to the community to make sure we have
the computers, laptops, chromebooks to see if we can
have classrooms open to the parents. We are kicking it
off today.”
Mejia asks members of the community to reach out
to the census bureau to make sure the field office for
Newburgh is a place with, in the city limits so people
with transportation challenges can make it.
Ann Sullivan will lead a census committee every
wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Newburgh Free Library. For
more information you can reach her at 917-974-7814.
To apply or find out more information about census
jobs you can go to 2020census.giv/jobs. The census will
take place in April 2020 and results will be released in
December of 2020. Positions need to be filled this year
leading up to the census to prepare for next year.
I n B rief
Newburgh Town Clerk Andrew
Zarutskie dies Tuesday
Long-time Newburgh Town Clerk Andrew
Zarutskie died Tuesday afternoon. He was 69.
Zarutskie suffered from diabetes and a heart
condition.
The popular town official served for much of
his career as press secretary and aid to former
Congressman Benjamin Gilman. He began as a clerk
in the Congressman’s Newburgh office, and after
several years transferred to the job of Grants and
Projects Coordinator in the
Congressman’s Washington
DC office. In October 1983,
he was promoted to the
position of Press Secretary
to the Congressman, a
position he went on to hold
for 17 years. He was also
Intern Coordinator for the
Congressman’s office. While
he served as Rep. Gilman’s
press secretary, Zarutskie
Zarutskie
was a member of the
Republican Communications
Association, an organization of Republican press
secretaries.
In early 2001, Zarutskie retired from the staff of
Rep. Ben Gilman after 28 years of service. Following
his retirement, he entered local politics and was
elected town clerk in 2001, serving nine full terms
and holding the position until his death. He ran
unopposed in most of those campaigns and garnered
the highest vote total of any town candidates in 2011,
2013 and 2015.
Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio was saddened by
his passing.
“The whole town is mourning the loss of Andy.
He was a great public servant, very knowledgeable,”
Piaquadio told midhudsonnews.com. “Always
tended to the needs of the public and it’s truly sad
that he passed today. It will be a great loss,” he said.
A vigil for lives lost
In participation with National Crime Victims
Week, a vigil will be held at the parking lot between
Johnson Street and Lander Street on Sunday April 7
from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Each year Jeanette Drake and Rhonda Valentine
hold a vigil in honor of their daughters who were
shot and killed at a Halloween party in 2016. Drake
found a flyer for national crime victims week when
sitting in court at the hearing on her daughter’s
murder and was shocked to find out there was
nothing done in the city of Newburgh.
Drake and Valentine put up boards every year in
the lot on Broadway and Lander St for community
members to put up the pictures of their loved ones
and light candles. The boards will be up for two
weeks following the vigil to honor and pay respect
to those who have lost their lives.
-Katelyn Cordero