A demonstration

The June 16, 2008 City Council meeting’s first public hearing began with a plea for affordable housing. Community Voices Heard held a march preceding the meeting to raise awareness about the need for affordable housing initiatives in the master plan. They sat in the audience until the first opportunity to spoke arose. One of their members then read their prepared statement as others around the room began to get up and chant “What do we want? Affordable housing! When do we want it? Now!” See additional coverage in the Times Herald-Record and the Mid Hudson Times.

A bond

Mayor Valentine wanted to bring up the comptroller to discuss a bond authorization for $6,325,000 but Councilwoman Bell moved to table the resolution and was seconded by Councilwoman Dickinson. Councilwoman Bello also voted to table the resolution, leaving Mayor Valentine and Councilwoman Angelo the only “no” votes to table. There was no discussion regarding the tabling but based on the work session discussion there were many unanswered questions Councilwoman Dickinson, for one, had.

Contracts

There was some discussion on Resolutions 100-2008 and 101-2008, both contracts for services related to the burying ground at Broadway School. Councilwoman Bello in particular was concerned about excessive costs with no ceiling for the professional services of Landmark Archaeology, Inc. at $5,018.57 per day (Resolution 100-2008) and Professor Kenneth C. Nystrom, a qualified anthropologist at $50 per hour (Resolution 101-2008). However, both contracts did pass, the latter with the additional provision of a ceiling of $5000.00.

More controversial was Resolution 102-2008, “A resolution to authorize the award of a bid and the execution of a contract to McGoey, Hauser & Edsall, P.C. for professional construction management services for the First Street Fishing Pier project at cost of $17,060.00.” The roll call was: Councilwoman Angelo – Yes. Councilwoman Bell – No. Councilwoman Bello – Yes. Councilwoman Dickinson – No (after a thoughtful pause, and followed by audience applause.) Mayor Valentine – Yes.

Following the vote there was an exchange between Mayor Valentine and Councilwoman Bell.

Valentine: “I’m not going to get into the personalities of it… .”

Bell: “Mayor, this doesn’t have to do with personalities… It has to do with impropriety, the appearance of impropriety, I think as someone [said who] came up earlier, double and triple dipping… we all know that there’s a huge problem around this.”