3
Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Lujan, one of first Latinos to serve on county legislature
Continued from page 1
need to create opportunities,” he said,
in well-paying fields such as high-tech
manufacturing and renewable energy.
If residents can find decent-paying jobs,
they will buy homes, he said. “We need to
bring in businesses that will put them on
the tax rolls and help lower taxes,” said
Lujan. “We
need to think
in long terms,
not
short
terms...
we
need to create
industries and
a workforce
that
is
prepared for
the future. It
will require
thinking
outside of the
box.”
Kevindaryan Lujan
Economic
d e ve l o p m e n t
and sustainability do not have to be
mutually exclusive, he said. “We’ve
constantly had a trade-off between those
two things,” Lujan said, citing the CPV
power plant in Wawayanda as an example.
“We can have economic development and
still be environmentally sound.”
“We’re right in the middle of some
catastrophic environmental issues,”
Lujan said, including drinking-water
contamination and trains carrying
flammable fuels through residential areas.
“We need access to our water source,”
Lujan said, speaking about the city’s
drinking-water reservoir at Washington
Lake in the towns of Newburgh and New
Windsor.
Lujan promised to be a strong advocate
for town and city. “Newburgh has not had
a vote on that legislature for a long time,”
he maintained.
Lujan, 30, is a member of the Orange
County Young Democrats. “We didn’t
expect to be such a small minority,” he
said, on several seats lost by Democratic
county legislators. “We were hoping to
hold more seats. On a national level,
however, we were very successful.”
“As a party, we’re going to have to learn
how to inspire again,” he added. “We
need to get people away from the apathy
of voting and connect with people on the
Bells on
Holiday MARKET and Children’s FESTIVAL
most basic needs – jobs, water, public
health, taxes, affordable homes...”
Democrats will also need to work
to address low voter turnout, he said,
especially when it comes to young people
and minorities. “We need to ask how we
can engage and inspire,” Lujan said. “It’s
going to take a lot of work.”
Lujan insists that his focus was
“never partisan.” Sustainable economic
development, improved mental-health
and opioid-addiction-treatment services
are among the many goals shared by
Republicans and Democrats around the
county, he said.
“I intend to sit down with every, single
legislator between now and the next six
months, so I know where they stand,”
Lujan said. “It’s not about party. It’s about
getting things done for our community. If
we can get away from party politics and
focus on people, we’ll be just fine.”
Knee Pain Has
Cut into
Your Life
enougH aLreadY
MUSCLE SPARING KNEE REPLACEMENT
AT ST. LUKE’S CORNWALL HOSPITAL
The St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Center for Joint Replacement, led by Medical
Director John McLaughlin, offers “Quadriceps Sparing Total Knee Replacement,”
a minimally-invasive approach believed to decrease post-surgical pain and
shorten the recovery period. Many patients are able to walk wi th a walker on the
day of surgery and can be discharged from the hospital in one or two days.
To learn more about Orthopedics and total joint replacement
at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, please visit
www.stlukescornwallhospital.org or call (845) 568-2831.
www .STLUKESCORNwALLHOSPITAL. ORg
SLCH_MuscleSparingTKR_Concept_MHT_Ad_3col_Quarter.indd 1
7/12/2017 9:57:20 AM