Beacon's City Administrator Anthony J. Ruggiero Accepts Position With Dutchess County Department Of Behavioral & Community Health

The City of Beacon has announced that City Administrator, Anthony J. Ruggiero, has accepted the position as Assistant Commissioner for Administration with the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health. His last day with the City of Beacon is scheduled for January 29, 2021, and will start up with Dutchess County on February 1, 2021, according to the City’s press release.

“As City of Beacon Administrator, Anthony has had a strong working relationship with the County, including DBCH, particularly as he helped guide the City of Beacon through the COVID-19 pandemic”

— Dutchess County Executive, Marcus Molinaro

Anthony is an integral part to Beacon’s functioning, with his vast institutional memory of how funding and scheduling happened or is projected to happen for a number of projects. It is comforting to know that during this global health crisis, Anthony will still be in Beacon’s sphere as he stays in Dutchess County at the Department of Behavioral & Community Health. Cut from a similar cloth is the Mayor’s Assistant, Collin Milone, who continues to provide administrative assistance and coordination.

Ruggiero has served as City Administrator since 2015, joining Beacon after former City Administrator Meredith Robson became the Village Manager for the Village of Ardsley in Westchester County. With a Masters in Public Administration and over 24 years of experience, Ruggiero previously served as the City Manager for the City of Peekskill and Putnam County’s Commissioner of Planning, Development and Public Transportation.

Mayor Lee Kyriacou congratulated Ruggiero, saying, “While I am saddened to see Anthony go, and thank him for his steady and professional service especially in this most difficult year, I offer my congratulations and best wishes for his next chapter. I know that the county gains an asset, and also that Beacon will attract a professional and appropriate successor.”

City Administrator Ruggiero said “It has been my pleasure and honor to serve as Beacon’s City Administrator for over five years. The City has successfully navigated the most challenging environments, provided outstanding municipal services, implemented a number of major capital projects, and have developed one of the strongest management teams. I am excited for the opportunity to work for Dutchess County and the Department of Behavioral & Community Health”

Said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro about Dutchess County’s new talent: “With decades of experience, Anthony Ruggiero will be a valuable asset to Dutchess County Behavioral & Community Health, providing administrative oversight to one of the County’s largest and most complex departments. His managerial and administrative experience will bolster the talented leadership team of public health professionals who guide DBCH. As City of Beacon Administrator, Anthony has had a strong working relationship with the County, including DBCH, particularly as he helped guide the City of Beacon through the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to Anthony joining our County team early next year as current Assistant DBCH Commissioner Cathi Tegtmeier steps down to enjoy a well-earned retirement.”

The City will initiate a recruitment process immediately to begin a search for a new City Administrator.

Beacon Superintendent Landahl remains Committed To Curriculum and Training For Undoing Racism - Prepares For Budget Cuts

During last week’s Board of Education meeting, Beacon’s Superintendent Matt Landahl presented updates on the district’s strategic plan, which he said is a work in progress, but was slowed after February 2020 when the pandemic began to hit. Every day, he said, the district works on the challenges for coordinating the Reopening, but was making moves to implement and retain actions that move toward the district’s overall goals, especially on Equity.

In mid-October 2020, the Superintendent released the district’s Equity Report Card. The mission of following equity, according to the District, is to “celebrate diversity and provide an equitable education for all students by working to eliminate race, ethnicity, class, gender identity, sexuality, and disability as predictors of student success.”

In his reporting, Dr. Landahl stated: “As part of our work, we have created an Equity Report Card for the school district. We use data regularly as part of our work as educators including this report card. Due to the hard work of our teachers, our Beacon High School graduation rate has seen significant positive progress in the past two years.”

The graduation rate is 83%. Student enrollment had been decreasing since 2014, the first year on the Equity Report Card, at 3,060 total students. In 2018, the enrollment population started to increase, and is currently at 2,947. The number of Hispanic/Latinos students have been increasing percentage-wise within that overall decrease (839 in 2014, and 904 in 2019), while the number of Black/African American students has been decreasing year almost every year except for 2018 (595 in 2014, and 477 in 2019). The number of white students has also been decreasing year over year, with a slight bump in 2019 (1,421 in 2014, and 1,283 in 2019).

“Last year we made progress,” Dr. Landahl told the Board. “This year we are trying to figure out ways to do it in a different health and school model.” Equity Action Steps were presented, which include:

• Further implementation of Restorative Practices through Talking Circles. Kids can talk about what is on their minds.

• Work with Dr. Hunter (a professor at Buffalo State) to create Culturally Responsive Curriculum in Middle and High School ELA and Social Studies Departments to further social justice learning. That work began one month ago, Dr. Landahl stated. Dr. Hunter is working with other districts in Dutchess County as well.

• Work with Dutchess BOCES to provide Undoing Racism Workshops across several districts and to plan for long term implementation. Trying to find ways to bring Anti-Racism training to Dutchess County. Dr. Landahl explained that this has been happening in Rockland County, and he wants to bring it to Beacon. Sharing services by partnering with other districts brings the costs down, he said, but if partnering is not available, the Beacon City School District will still go forward with the model.

• Use of the Equity Report Card Data to guide future actions will continue.

Dr. Landahl next presented on the “Culture of Care” that frames a lot of programming. Planned steps include:

• Continuation of Responsive Classroom Training at the Elementary Level. The district is partnering with with 2 other districts in Dutchess County, which gives Beacon state aid to make it more affordable. Three groups of elementary teachers have participated in training.

• Continuation of Restorative Practice model at secondary level.

• Create Student Bill of Rights to include Code of Conduct in all classrooms. “The rights of students are tucked into laws and codes of conducts all over all of the materials we use,” Dr. Landahl said. “We want to make something our students are involved in, and can use. For students at all levels within the district.” Dr. Landahl credited the Diversity Committee on having worked on this a few weeks ago, and they hope to have it done by February.

• Trauma Informed Support Training for administrators and mental health professionals. “Training has started,” Dr. Landahl confirmed, “and that is looking to be expanded, especially for everything students are going through right now.”

Beacon City School District Budget - Preparing For “Beyond Drastic Cut"

As for the budget, Dr. Landahl pressed on the need to prepare now for a drastic budget cut if there is no federal stimulus aid to New York State, which would prompt the state to cut funding. “We are possibly looking at beyond drastic cut from the state. When Governor Cuomo talks about the state cut in aid, that's about $4 million for Beacon. The money's not there, or so he says. We do have a good amount of funds in our Unrestricted Funds balance, but that is not enough to carry us over the next several years. We for sure will be preparing for a budget that is tough next year. If there is federal stimulus that comes to help New York State and other states, that would really help our process as well, but we should really prepare for all contingencies with that. It will be a year where communication, transparency and involvement of people is even more important.”

Fiscal Action Steps Include:

• Implement Audit Committee on a bi-monthly basis, which is an increase from years before.

• Use surveys and Town Halls to gather input on budget. Increase ways to work directly with students to hear feedback from them. Currently, the administration is debating on if the surveys will be self-created, or if an outside firm will be used.

• Develop process and timeline for 2021 Capital Project. Can do a Capital Project for $15 million that will not impact taxes.

Beacon Board Of Education Appoints John Galloway Jr. To 2nd Vacant Seat

John Galloway Jr. is appointed to Beacon’s Board of Education to the 2nd vacant seat.
Photo Credit: Meredith Heuer published in the Highlands Current

John Galloway Jr., a recent graduate of the Beacon High School in 2015 who is Black and ran for a vacant seat on the Board of Education on a platform of his youth and connections to young people in the community, especially the Black community, was appointed onto Beacon’s Board of Education by a 7-1 vote at the regular public Board of Education meeting on 10-26-2020. Kristen Flynn moved to make the nomination to appoint him, and Elissa Betterbid and Craig Wolf seconded the motion.

John was an early applicant for the seat when the first Board Member, Michael Rutkoski, resigned in July 2020. Later in September, a second Board Member resigned, James Case-Leal, citing his preference for the 2 open seats to go to People of Color: Jasmine Johnson and John Galloway Jr.

After a dramatic appointment hearing in which many in the Black community showed up to voice support for both Jasmine and John, only one candidate was appointed at that meeting - Jasmine Johnson - who is a mother, has worked with children in different school settings, and has passion for compassionate education.

After hearing from the community, the Board opted to follow a process to open the seat up to more applicants, and rolling over current candidates. The other two candidates, Barbara Fisher and Travis Fisher, withdrew, John stayed on, and a new applicant, Joseph Puliafito, applied.

After the Board voted to appoint John to the second seat using his rolled over application, Board President Meredith Heuer welcomed John onto the board with this statement: "I want to thank John for applying and sticking with this process. I know it was longer than some people were happy with, but I think it a good process."

Anthony White, who gave the dissenting vote, told the Highlands Current: “He thought the seat should have remained open until the next district election, which is scheduled for May 18, 2021. ‘With the work that the Board has to do during these uncertain times, changing its makeup will impede us,’ White said. ‘Trying to teach board responsibilities to new members and catching them up on past information so they can make informed decisions will make the work the board has to do more difficult and will slow it down.’”

The Highlands Current reported that White noted that he respects the majority opinion and will work with the board to “do everything in its power to make sure students’ needs are being met.”

Currently in at least one of the elementary schools in Beacon, kids are being asked if they think they should have the right to vote, and if so, why or why not. While voting can be a daunting task with a lot of responsibility and need to research one’s decision, one young student observed that it is the fresh perspective of not knowing everything that can lend itself to new ideas and ways of moving forward.

A FEW ELECTION LEADERS: Serino, Maloney, Jacobson, Forman, and Others

UPDATE: The link to the 2020 Election results at Dutchess County has been deleted and replaced with a new page, in the form of a PDF, which is not as comprehensive with the % of how much each number of votes totals. One difference has been the Democratic count has been increasing since the evening. President Trump still has the lead in Dutchess County, but the lead got slimmer as this day wore on with absentee ballots.

The old link is below, just for the record. The new link, as of 8pm on 11/4/2020 is here.

The numbers have been removed from this page so as to avoid inaccuracy. Please go to this current link to follow the latest results.

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Old link (as of Election Day Morning) to results from the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

Self-Proclaimed "Silent Majority" Truck Train Yell "N-Word" and "White Power" At Beaconites

Vehicles in the 2nd truck train passing through Beacon last Sunday. Vehicles also included an unmarked privately owned fire truck, truck hauling a dumpster, jeeps, and others.

At first blush, seeing Trump flags in a scrap metal dumpster being pulled by a large truck seemed like an artist statement for “Dump Trump.” Large, empty truck cabs with Trump flags pulling no rig seemed symbolic for carrying nothing - or lost cargo.

However, this truck train is a show of support for the 45th president, by people choosing to remain in their cars, windows up, largely unrecognizable, sometimes with license plates covered. The history of White Supremacy includes masked people making threats and using grand gestures to get their point across, like fire, fireworks, burning crosses, bonfires, and other loud events.

However the big truck caravan concept that is driving nationwide through small towns (including the one that attempted to corral a Biden campaign bus off the road, and the #MAGADrag event in NYC that resulted in reports of police pushing and arresting Black Lives Matter protesters, a truck running into a counter-protester, and halted traffic on the White Stone Bridge which moved up to the Mario Cuomo Bridge to stall traffic) rolled through Beacon two weekends in a row, past Fishkill, and up to Poughkeepsie, and drove within 20 feet of the early voting location at Fishkill Town Hall, as people waited in line along side the road on Rte. 52. This was days before the Town of Fishkill or the Board of Elections decided to move people away from the gravel in the road to in front of the Police Department.

A Little Backdrop Background To Day 1 Early Voting

While getting ready for Day 1 of Early Voting, this article came across the wires about a rally fiercely defending the 2nd Amendment that was originally scheduled and approved by its village’s board to be near an early voting location.

Prior to the first slow-motion truck drive-by the first weekend of early voting, a rally scheduled in Montgomery, NY that encouraged guns in its Eventbrite invitation (the online invitation was later taken down) was to be held quite close to Montgomery’s early voting location. Their Mayor Steve Bracia, who is running for Congress, didn’t see a problem with it, but after pushback, agreed to their Town Supervisor Brian Maher’s offer to have the rally at another location. Pictures from the event included the same kind of trucks that have been driving all around Beacon, Fishkill, and Poughkeepsie.

Instant Traffic Stop By Vehicle Demonstrations Vs Marching On Foot

The truck that caused a 1 hour disruption to Beacon’s Main Street last Sunday.

These truck trains can instantly cause backup or close a road or bridge. A march on foot would need a lot of permitting in order to achieve this effect. In Beacon, there were 27 protests over the summer that the Beacon Police Department accompanied, as stated by Acting Chief Frost in a recent City Council 10/26/2020 Workshop meeting explaining the Police Budget and overtime that is incurred from parades and demonstrations.

Turns out, Beacon has a number of parades requiring overtime by police to make moving street closures and barricading side streets. The usual community parades were canceled due to the pandemic. However, the protests accounted for the overtime estimated instead of the parades for the 2020 Police budget.

Most, if all of these protests in Beacon, were on foot, and moved relatively quickly, despite larger turnouts than others. While both demonstrations were loud and involved shouting, the vehicle version involved car honking throughout the drive-by, as well as sirens by retired unmarked fire trucks and possibly retired unmarked ambulances, as some locals have reported. The City of Beacon needed to answer to the public that a fire truck spotted was privately owned, and not representing a municipality. This display of an emergency vehicle caused confusion with the public. In business, this can be likened to trademark infringement.

It is not clear if any vehicle participants were volunteer fire fighters from other communities who used their sirens for audio effect. One Beacon resident observed that when Marchers marching for Black live mattering more past her house, she could turn up the TV if she did not want to hear the chanting. However, she stated that she could not drown out the sound when the truck train slowly drove by.

During the 2nd truck train last Sunday on the last early voting weekend, a truck broke down on Beacon’s Main Street for 1 hour, causing a part of Main Street to be closed while police and the truck operator waited for a tow truck company who could tow a truck that large, according to Beacon Detective Sargent Jason Johnson, who helped on the scene with several other police officers who safely diverted traffic.

While several large vehicles successfully drove around the truck, one van did collide with the truck while attempting to pass, but no one was injured, according to the Detective.

Fishkill Police Hold Up Traffic On I-84 For Truck Train And Allegedly Yell At A White Beaconite Needing To Get Home

A Fishkill Police Officer at 1-84 and Route 52 while traffic was held on the ramp during the first week of early voting while a truck caravan drove past the Fishkill Town Hall.

A Beaconite who was driving with his family after an an outing at an apple orchard shared his tale of being held on I-84 for over 20 minutes:

“We were coming back from Fishkill Farms and took the Route 52 exit on 84. Our timing put us right in the thick of the caravan. Doubtful they had a parade permit (right?) — but Fishkill PD were obviously in the loop.

Editor’s Note: Fishkill Police did confirm that they knew of the truck caravan in advance, but did not know that Town Hall was an early voting location.

The officer in the intersection kept waving the trucks through with no break for offramp traffic, even though it got hugely backed up, and there were multiple opportunities to pause the caravan and let folks through.

“When we tried to engage the officer, he barked ‘You go when *I* say so!’ Definitely a hostile vibe — except between the cop and the people passing in those trucks. He seemed pretty chummy with them.

“It felt like voter intimidation to me, coming as close as it did to the early voting site. And the whole police part of this felt pretty chilling. The caravan definitely drove for longer than 20 minutes. Felt like an eternity. I did shout “Impeached!” out the window a couple of times, which felt good (even if it’s not the most dignified lesson for my children).

“I think we may look into filing a complaint with the Mayor’s Office in Fishkill. Not sure where else. Anyway, icky vibes on a Sunday, but I managed not to get arrested, and we had a productive conversation with the kiddos, so I guess all’s well.”

Motorcyclists Frighten Black Mother And Kids; Fishkill Police Officer Allegedly Laughs

A mother who is Black was driving her children to early voting, and wrote into ALBB to share her story of being frightened by motorcyclists who drove past her car and yelled into it, scaring her children. Her name is Melanie Smalls and her story is below:

“Sunday morning I decided to get me and my two sons up and go vote early down at Fishkill Town Hall around 1:30pm-2:00pm. On my way, I got caught in the Trump/Pence motorcade on 52. Driving passed the old bowling spot which is now a storage unit and little passed the houses, the motorcade slowed down entirely! And I mean like a stand still.

“I realized that the Town Hall was just ahead and they was intimidating the voters there. Three old white men with long beards must of been way back; I looked in my rear view mirror of my SUV and saw them. Mind you, I was behind a Fishkill Police SUV. When it started moving, the 3 motorcycles from behind me, they rode by my SUV and started screaming and shouting in my car with my kids in the back ‘Trump 2020.’

“My kids started crying. I started to get scared because they are crazy. I honked my car for the police, but I could see the officer laughing in his left side mirror as he waved them to get in front of him to get with the rest.

“I’m a strong Black woman. Very tough. My parents ain’t raise no suckers and I damn sure was not about to let them intimidate me into not voting. I was not going to show my boys that. These people are very scary. Their scare tactics are horrible, atrocious. The Fishkill Police should be entirely ashamed of themselves. They stopped traffic for that.”

Truck Train Up In Poughkeepsie

A mother who is Black and lives in Poughkeepsie reported seeing the caravan there during the first weekend of early voting. She said:

“We saw them by Poughkeepsie Galleria (not sure of the time, but definitely the morning). My thoughts are that they are deep. I wasn’t up here during the 2016 election, but on Staten Island they weren’t as visible then. Felt like a sneak attack when the numbers revealed itself. I remember staying up all night well into 3am because it wasn’t very clear who actually, really won. Remember that? The announcement came at like 4am officially. My 3rd grader predicts Trump will be re-elected. He’s developed some strong political opinions since introducing him to Civics.”

Beacon’s Experience With The Truck Train

During the first weekend of early voting, the truck train came through, horns blazing. One person who is regularly out on the street reported in that eggs were thrown from a car to people on the sidewalk.

During the second week on Sunday November 1, 2020, more people wrote in to ALBB with their experiences. @janxchris said: “I witnessed A group of people in a truck, in that parade yelling the “n word” at people of color. That’s not a difference of opinion, that’s an act of racism. And no, that’s never okay, anywhere. You can have opinions, but the days of accepting racism as “opinions”are over.

Another person sent us video of motorcyclists yelling “White Power!” in front of Beacon’s Post Office. You can watch the video here and below.

As the caravan rolled down Main Street, many locals came out to watch it. Many of them said nothing, but had hair raised, cameras up. Some people shouted “Racists!” from the apartment windows above. Some people gave a thumbs down, as you can see in the video above as a caravan participant yells “white power.” According to @cezaleo__, some onlookers displayed their middle finger. One person, according to @cezaleo__, showed their breasts - or chest. It is unknown at this time why the person removed their shirt.

When people marched down the middle of Main Street for Black lives mattering more, the feeling was intense, but many visitors and locals showed signs of support. For the truck train, the feeling was more apprehension.

How Does Beacon’s Local Government Feel About The Caravan?

ALBB did reach out to every single City Council member as well as Mayor Lee Kyriacou and the City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero with different questions regarding this truck train. Council members were asked if they wanted to submit a comment of any kind regarding this caravan. It is unknown if they knew the details of the 2 caravans, which so far, have only floated in social media, unless it was seen in person.

Mayor Kyriacou was asked several questions, which included how he felt local Beaconites should respond to caravans like this, to receiving racial insults, and how calling Black people the “n-word” would be tolerated in a place of business. Mayor Kyriacou did not respond to ALBB’s questions, but he did speak generally to these tumultuous times during this week’s City Council meeting, which you can listen to here.

Terry Nelson, who is Black, was the only City Council member who responded to ALBB’s questions. He is also the only Black person who is a City Council member at moment, and was appointed by Mayor Kyriacou to lead the Police Reform Committee. Terry’s full quote in response to ALBB’s questions is below.

During that same City Council meeting in which the Mayor alluded to the issue, Terry made direct reference, and was so far the only City Council member who made mention of the truck train during his Report (all City Council members can give a “Report” on whatever they like during public City Council meetings). During his Report, Terry recalled the first time he was called the “n-word” when he was a child, and how it stung him.

Terry’s response to ALBB regarding this truck train was this:

“​The participants in yesterday's caravan were exercising their freedom of speech, but those rights end when their words are used to instigate a negative reaction. Could you please ask any members of that caravan what does screaming the ‘n word’ at a mother and her children have to do with supporting the occupant of the White House? That display was not about supporting the president. It was about taking advantage of an opportunity to spew hate. I would love to hear some Trump supporters condemn that behavior, I won't hold my breath. They are complicit.”

Video of some of the truck caravan is below.

Truck Breaks Down For 1 Hour On Main Street During Sunday's Caravan

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Photos submitted by readers. Truck pictured on Main Street was this Sunday, and truck pictured in circle was last Sunday on Rte. 52 across from Fishkill Town Hall while early voters stood in line along the road’s edge.

A truck pulling a metal dumpster container that was part of the caravan of pickup trucks, jeeps, minivans and smaller cars that passed through Beacon last Sunday, broke down during the demonstration for one hour in front of the Post Office, which is in the middle of Main Street and near the Beacon Farmer’s Market. The truck was part of the train of cars that passed through Beacon and Fishkill last week during the first week of early voting.

Onlookers gathered around the vehicle while Beacon police responded to direct traffic around the stalled truck. According to one person who was driving by: “There was a woman screaming at anti-Trump passerby’s saying: ‘Don’t you touch my personal property (pointing at the truck) and don’t (pointing at the police) harass these men.” It is unknown at this time if onlookers were saying anything in exchange or initially. When a person is isolated in the middle of the road with a stationery vehicle, it is always nerve wracking, and can cause lashing out.

Detective Sergeant Jason Johnson confirmed with A Little Beacon Blog that an accident occurred after the truck broke down, and that a street closure was required to help route traffic around the vehicle: “Yes, there was a truck that broke down on Main Street between Veterans Place and Teller Avenue. It was what I would describe as a large roll off dumpster truck. Officers were able to route vehicles around the truck to clear traffic. Due to the size of the truck, several tow companies were contacted and the wait was approximately an hour for the tow truck. Eventually, that block was shut down as the operator was working on the truck. A van was permitted to pass and the operator misjudged and struck the disabled truck. Officers had already routed countless vehicles larger than the van through there with no issues. Luckily, no one was injured.”

Fire Truck That Was In Sunday's 2nd Truck Caravan Was Privately Owned - Says Beacon's City Administrator

Word spread quickly on A Little Beacon Blog’s Instagram as we published photo and video of truck caravan developments - about how everything went down. It was a telephone game of who saw what and when. Several dots connected, so we were able to follow up on several leads.

One such lead was a fire truck that drove with the caravan, that made several onlookers uncomfortable, as they thought it belonged to a municipality. Said @harperlangston, who saw it and asked: “How is it legal for a fire engine to be in a pro-any-candidate parade?” Some even wondered if it was a Beacon fire truck.

A Little Beacon Blog reached out to the Mayor, City Administrator, Fire Chief and Chief of Police this morning with a series of questions regarding the caravan at large, one of which was the identification detail of the fire truck.

This afternoon, City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero sent out a notice to several media outlets to put the questions to rest:

“We have received a number of inquiries regarding the Fire Truck in the Truck Caravan on Sunday. The Fire Truck that was in Sunday’s Truck Caravan was not a City Fire Truck. The City fire department did not participate in the caravan. The truck was a privately owned Fire Truck. It was an E-ONE brand pumper, which the City does not and has not owned. There were no lettering and no red lights on the apparatus, as well as license plates. City Fire Trucks do not by law have licenses plates.”

A Little Beacon Blog followed up to ask how they know for sure that the truck is privately owned, and not operated by another municipality. Anthony answered: “We know definitively that it is not ours. But, the Fire Chief knows it is privately owned for all the reasons stated [above].”

You may have noticed yards along 9D or other locations, where vehicle collectors have school buses, fire trucks, and other interesting collectibles that sometimes are on display during car shows.

Early Voting Shocks Fishkill Town Hall; Police Say "No Advance Knowledge Of The Fishkill Town Hall Being Assigned As A Polling Location"

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The day was Saturday, October 24, 2020. The first day of Early Voting. For those who like to attend opening nights of a movie premier (back when movie premiers happened in person in a movie theater), people woke up early, put on their Early Voting Outfits, and headed to the polls. For Beaconites, the closest early voting location is the Fishkill Town Hall, which has been an early voting location in the past, and usually involves no line at all. It is listed on the Dutchess County Board of Elections website as one of 5 Super Sites.

For the election of the President of the United States and several other elected positions, during a time with voter confusion has ruled the news, with doubts of the United States Postal Service, absentee ballots, debates of extending mail deadlines, people across the nation turned out in droves. As of November 1, 2020, the Highlands Current reported that 9,379 votes had been cast in person at the Fishkill Town Hall.

Families like ours driving up to the Fishkill Town Hall for a family-style vote quickly and decisively turned around, seeing what seemed like a mile of a line if it was unwound from the snaking formation it did around the Police Station, Fishkill Recreation Center, and double-wrap around the Town Hall.

A man who seemed to work in a business across the street was waving cars away from from turning into their parking lot, as they are a place of business and not free parking. Early voters paced the lawn on the Town Hall on their phones, communicating back to partners or friends who were headed down. Others drove by at 9:30am, saw the line (polls opened at 12pm), and turned around to return at 1:30pm, thinking the line would subside. But the line remained the same all day, into Sunday and even the rainy Monday. A police officer directing traffic turning into the main Town Hall driveway with the loop said that no one called the police in advance to set up traffic detail.

The new Fishkill Chief of Police Keith Dworkin (their previous Chief James Schepperly resigned in February 2020 amid a lawsuit accusing him of alleged retaliation against an officer), confirmed with A Little Beacon Blog via email that there was no police preparation for the big day, stating: “The Police Department was not contacted to prepare for the volume of voter turnout expected. We were able to call in officers to address the needs of the public and make the necessary modifications to vehicle and pedestrian traffic to improve safety.”

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One of several vehicles in a Trump caravan. Fishkill Police said they had advance knowledge of the car lineup, that slowed down to drive past the early voting location of Fishkill Town Hall, but no advance knowledge of Town Hall being used as a polling location.
Photo Credit: David Ray Martin

A Trump caravan of many cars and large trucks targeted the Fishkill early voting location on Sunday after passing through Beacon’s Main Street, and Chief Dworkin further stated to A Little Beacon Blog that the Fishkill Police were unaware of the Town Hall being used as an early voting location at all, stating via email on 10/28/2020: “We were aware of the caravan and responded to assist with traffic control as requested. As I stated earlier, the Police Department had no advance knowledge of the Fishkill Town Hall assigned as a polling location.”

Voter Volunteers Hustle To Help; Voters Cheer Fellow Citizens After Emerging From Voting Booths

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The absentee ballot box inside of the Fishkill Town Hall early voting location.
Photo Credit: Alana Reynolds

Despite who one was voting for, there was comradery in the line. No signs were in the lawn, nor buttons on people’s jackets. Voters included the elderly who arrived to submit an absentee ballot into a box, or to wait in line. A mother nursing a newborn left the line to breastfeed her baby while people in line held her spot. Election volunteers came out periodically to walk the line, checking on the vulnerable population, and invited the nursing mother to come ahead. They also looked for those holding absentee ballots to let them know they could skip this longest line in order to place their ballot in a box inside of the polling location.

Said one reader, @iamdinoalexander of the first day: “Took us about 5 hours. Got there at 3 and done by 8pm. There we’re about 100 people still behind us. The check in and voting was so well organized and moved very quickly. It took about a minute to check in, mark and cast your ballot. If you are in a group of at least 2 you can take turns waiting and hold your spot. And the best thing was that everyone was wearing marks, we know what that means

Length Of The Line, Which Was Positioned Along Side The Road’s Edge

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Saturday, Day 1 of early voting at Fishkill Town Hall saw a line wrapping along Rte. 52, and up to the Fishkill Recreation Center.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Overall, the line of the first early voting day ranged 5-7 hours. During the first day, the line inched along, and then stopped a few times. Election volunteers came out to walk the line to let them know that 1 of the 2 ballot printers had broken, and that someone was on the way to fix it. Which did happen! And the line began to clip along again. The back of the line was behind the Fishkill Recreation building, then snaked around the parking loop, curving around again to Route 52, where people stood along the road.

While the big caravan of trucks people have been talking about happened on Sunday, a reader wrote in to say they saw the day before as well, on Saturday. Said @mrcondon135: “Was on Rt9 headed to Starbucks for my usual coffee and what I saw was something I’ve never seen in my whole life! Literally about 100 cars, truck and dump trucks all with Trump 2020 flags and people screaming for Trump!”

People stood along the road again on Sunday as cars whizzed by, including the Trump caravan, which was loud with motors and shouting motorists, some voters standing along the road felt intimidated. Said one gentleman who has been looking to buy a pickup truck: “This makes me not want to buy a big truck.”

The line for Sunday, Day 2 of early voting was just as long, but the line varied at 5 hours. Monday was no different, even though people predicted a quiet work-week, and even though it rained. Come Tuesday, the line remained stubbornly long, as people continued to show up. Said @waiavda: “Tuesday 2pm and lines is as long as Saturday! We need extended hours!”

According to the Highlands Current: “State law requires counties to have one early voting site for every segment of 50,000 voters, although election commissioners can choose to have more...The Dutchess commissioners, who needed at least 3, set up 5, including one at Fishkill Town Hall on Route 52 near Beacon.”

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Sunday, Day 2 of early voting saw a large caravan of cars and trucks, which targeted the Fishkill Town Hall polling site and drove past voters who were told to stand along the road’s edge of Rte. 52. Voters are pictured here waiting in line as 20 minutes of Trump trucks drove by.
Photo Credit: David Ray Martin

The strategy of the arrangement of the line did change day to day. By Day 3, the line position had shifted from along the road’s edge to directly in front of the Police Department. Said Chief Dworkin when ALBB asked about the strategy of the positioning along the side of the road: “We continue to modify conditions and make early voting safe and convenient keeping in mind that we don’t want to discourage anyone from being able to access their polling location.”

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By Friday, Day 5 of early voting at the Fishkill Town Hall, parking for votors had been dedicated along Rte. 52. On Days 1 and 2, people were standing there instead, waiting to vote.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth Martin

Did other polling locations in Dutchess County have similarly long lines? Said @hvny_mrkt: “Millbrook, Rhinebeck and POK all similarly long/worth-it-lines.” By Friday, the day of the first snow in Beacon, the line was 1 hour long, and had dedicated parking along Rte. 52, instead of voters standing waiting.

How Early Voting Works

Line Cut Off Time:
Whatever the end of day polling time is, if you are in the line at that time, then you are good to stay. A volunteer will come stand in the back of the line when the end of day comes to tell people that they can no longer vote that day.

Absentee Ballet Box Drop Off:
You can skip the line where your ballot gets fed into the machine before your eyes, and drop your ballot off in a box inside of the polling location. Those who are paranoid about watching their ballot cast right then will prefer the first option, and won’t mind the line. Said @foxfirefall: “I dropped off my ballot today (Monday) and it took no time! I held it in my hand so people in line could clearly see it as I walked past, and a poll volunteer saw me and kindly ushered me inside and made sure I got an ‘I Voted’ sticker!”

Parking: Parking is available at the Town Hall, the FIshkill Recreation Center, and along Rte. 52. Turning left out of the Town Hall at the second entrance may be difficult, as there is no light, and traffic coming from Beacon tends to drive around a car who is either letting someone pull out or is turning left into the Town Hall. You

Governor Cuomo recommends people no longer mail in their absentee ballot. In his Friday night email, he said: “If you have an absentee ballot and you haven't cast it yet, don't mail it—instead drop it off in person. You can drop off absentee ballots at any polling place (there are expedited, dedicated lines for doing so) or at your local Board of Elections office. New Yorkers can also, of course, vote in-person on Election Day on Tuesday, November 3rd. Find your local polling place here.

Future Early Voting Changes

After reading this article, readers questioned the Board of Elections (BOE) and County Executive Marcus Molinaro, on procedures. A Little Beacon Blog reached to both today, and is awaiting response from the Board of Elections.

County Executive Molinaro was able to respond, and answered this to our questions about how he thought early voting went overall, if Beacon’s walkable city needed its own early voting location, and if Dutchess County encourages the truck caravans:

“I have long been a strong proponent for early voting – I lobbied for early voting approval from the state, as well as for the funding to support it.

“2020 marks just the second year of the early voting option in New York State; and this year, there is the combined factors of the COVID-19 pandemic and very high voter interest in the presidential race. The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges with the need for greater spacing and cleaning protocols after every voter. Combined with high voter enthusiasm, wait times for early voting have been longer than hoped for.

“The Board of Elections, which is an independent body, has worked diligently to ensure health and safety at every site. It has been very heartening to see voter enthusiasm and most voters have commented that while the lines are longer than they might like, they have been met with pleasant fellow voters and BOE staff. We are grateful to voters for their patience and their commitment to exercising their right to vote.

“There is always room for improvement and I am confident the Board of Elections will be reviewing the early voting process to see where changes can be made to continue to improve the process going forward and we hope New York State will provide funding to provide broader accessibility.”

Editor’s Note: A Little Beacon Blog did reach out to Fishkill’s Town Supervisor Ozzy Albra through the Town’s website, where a link called EMAIL is listed. This link goes to a form submission page. A Little Beacon Blog submitted questions via the form. ALBB did not get a response from Supervisor Albra, but Police Chief Dworkin did email a response a day or two later.

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Retail Therapy Guide 10/30/2020

Happy Halloween! The year's first snow fell in Beacon today, which according to the radio, is a result of Tropical Storm Zeta. A reader in our Instagram triggered a memory for the major winter storm in Beacon's history - October 29-30, 2011 - as it brought down so many power lines because of the heaviness of the snow on trees that most likely still had leaves on them. The following October 2012 was Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy. Scary October! There's an easy way to trick for treats this year if you have little kids - hide the candy in your house to avoid taking from other people, and then wander around outside in costume to visit with friends. Beacon has about 18 active COVID cases right now, which includes the Beacon High School reporting 1 case, and then 1 more, and Rombout Middle School reported 1 case. Protocols and disinfecting days are being conducted. Wishing everyone health and safety. Have fun this weekend and be safe! THE RETAIL THERAPY GUIDE Edited and Written By: Marilyn Perez and Katie Hellmuth Martin Early Voting Continues! Days: Saturday, October 24 - Sunday, November 1, 2020 Times: Vary. Check website. Location: Fishkill Town Hall, 807 Route 52, Fishkill, NY for Beacon residents. Voting early in New York State has started, and remains for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you waited for a shorter line, today (Friday) is your day, while it snows. Information > Story Screen Drive-In presents "Beetlejuice" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" Day: Friday-Sunday, October 30-November 1, 2020 Time: 7:00pm (Beetlejuice), 9:15pm (NIghtmare) Location: The Park at USC, 724 Wolcott Ave, Beacon, NY Information > "Journey To Freedom" At The Newburgh Free Library Day: October 12 - December 12, 2020 Location: 124 Grand Street, Newburgh, NY Newburgh Free Library is hosting "Journey to Freedom," a year-long series of arts, cultural and educational programs inspired by the courage, vision and strength of the American abolitionist and political activist, Harriet Tubman. This sculpture of Harriet Tubman by award-winning artist Wesley Wofford will be on display in front of the Newburgh Free Library from October 12 to December 12, 2020. For more information, please visit www.newbughfreelibrary.org. This project is funded in part by Humanities New York Information > Check our Calendar and Events Guide regularly for upcoming events throughout the week!     EAT CHURCH 511 Fishkill Avenue, Beacon, NY Visit Eat Church this Friday and Saturday in Cold Spring at @marbledmeatshop Their menu sells out fast so get your orders in early. Pickup time slots are limited, so secure your spot! Location: 3091 Route 9, Cold Spring. Days: Friday & Saturday, October 30-31. 4-8pm View all dishes and full menu at eatchurch.com Information > Eat Church is an ALBB Sponsor! HOMESPUN 232 Main Street, Beacon, NY and the Cafe at the Dia : Beacon $1 Dollar Cookie with all sales being donated to @beaconcommunitykitchen. With the current regulations due to the pandemic, restaurants have been able to sell retail wine & beer, meaning Homespun can act just like a beer or wine store. Which has helped them a lot during the restricted opening time. Only one catch: the customer has to also purchase something to eat. The solution Home spun designed is that they are offering a $1 Rocky Road cookie, and they will donate and match that dollar, with all proceeds going to @beaconcommunitykitchen Cookies & Wine, together at last. Information > Homespun is an ALBB Sponsor! HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL Wraps Bombay 288 Main Street, Beacon, NY We love the Butter Chicken Wrap ($8), Veggie Samosas ($5) & Vegan Mango Lassi’s ($5) from @wrapsbombay - what are you ordering? Information > Hudson Valley Food Hall is an ALBB Sponsor! HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL Barb's Fry Works 288 Main Street, Beacon, NY This just in! Barb's Butchery has opened a mini satellite location in Hudson Valley Food Hall called Barb's Fry Works! Open in the evenings, to pair with the Roosevelt Bar, also in the HV Food Hall. Open 'till midnight on the weekends. Gasp! Information > Hudson Valley Food Hall is an ALBB Sponsor! MEYERS OLDE DUTCH 184 Main Street, Beacon, NY Winter came today, and you know what that means: slush. Snow umbrellas. And Meyer's Olde Dutch Delivery! Do not skimp yourself of having MOD delivered. No burger is too small, no salad too chopped to make it into a delivery order just for you. LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: Swing by for live entertainment outside on the sidewalk sometimes! Tap To Order > Meyers Olde Dutch is an ALBB Sponsor! BAJA 328 328 Main Street, Beacon, NY Always fresh Southwestern flavor at BAJA 328. Enjoy cocktails and lunch or dinner! Their large garage door is usually open to let in the early Fall weather for fresh air. Tuesday - Thursday: 4-9pm Friday - Saturday: 12pm-10pm Sunday: 12pm-8pm Follow on Instagram > Baja 328 is an ALBB Sponsor!   BRETT'S HARDWARE 18 West Main Street, Beacon Who remembers playing with these toy animals as a kid? Brett's Hardware offers more than just tools and supplies for the home. Follow them on Instagram at @bretts_hardware to see what else they have in stock! There is more in this toy section. Maybe get a head start on some stocking stuffers?  Go Shopping > Brett's Hardware is a Sponsor, thank you!   LUXE OPTIQUE 181-183 Main Street, Beacon You need a sleek look with the cozy sweaters and jackets you are going to be wearing this season. The Addilyn from @oliverpeoples blends modern and classic styles to bring you a timeless frame. ⁠ ⁠ New styles are always arriving, and the shop is open for you to try the styles and have a stylist help you find just the right fit. ✨ ⁠ Go Shopping > Luxe Optique is a Sponsor, thank you!   BINNACLE BOOKS 321 Main Street, Beacon Found at Binnacle Books , The Witch's Spellcraft from Tarostar. The complete book of spellcraft for students. Magical oils in the arts of sorcery. Poppet Spells, Witch's potpourri of spells, charm spells from the bell book and candle, seals and talismans. Perfect for this weekend! Binnacle Books is a ALBB Sponsor, thank you! LA MÉRE CLOTHING AND GOODS 436 Main Street, Beacon What is your favorite Fall look? Stay on or ahead of the trends and pick up some new pieces at La Mére Clothing and Goods today or visit their shop online 24/7.  La Mere is a ALBB Sponsor, thank you! LEWIS & PINE 133 Main Street, Beacon Out of this world, right? The earrings in the Sonia line at Lewis & Pine are inspired by and named for Sonia Delaunay. These kinetic earrings feature sculptural shapes and bold colors. Post backs make these super comfortable to wear. Buy online and pick up at the shop, have them shipped, or shop the store on the weekend!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Shop  > Lewis & Pine is a ALBB Sponsor, thank you! View more upcoming classes for in the Adult Classes Guide and Kids Classes Guide. ANTALEK & MOORE INSURANCE AGENCY 340 Main Street, Beacon Did you know heart disease and stroke cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year- more than all Cancers combined? We can change that! Susan's own mother died suddenly of heart disease at the age that Susan is now. 80% of cardiac and stroke events can be prevented with education and action. Join Antalek & Moore as they Go Red for Women at this year’s virtual event with 2020 Chair Susan Antalek Pagones on Thursday, November 5th to learn more of how we can all work together and and make a difference! Click here to register for this virtual event happening next week. Information > Antalek & Moore is a Sponsor, thank you!   TIN SHINGLE Work From Home Tip: Some of you may have moved out of your beautiful offices or studios, and are looking around your house and are like... 👀... I need that beauty of my space. One quick, easy, and inexpensive way to instantly upgrade and warm up a room is to pick warm lighting. Florescent or LED lighting may save some cents (but be real...are you really putting that savings into something useful?) but the harsh cast of the light may be costing you happiness, as it strains your eyes and drains your soul. An easy favorite right now is at Brett's Hardware. In this video, you’ll see different size light bulbs, from tiny to gigantor! The gigantor one is being tried for a kids room to replace the standard white globe cover that came with the ceiling fan. It’s a conservative budget step to take before upgrading the ceiling fan with a more stylish look. Watch This > KATIE JAMES, INC. Need a beautiful website with ecommerce right now? Need to fix your existing website with ecommerce to make it look modern, fresh and beautiful? Katie James, Inc. can help with all of these things. And train you in how to run your website all by yourself. Katie James, Inc. aims to empower clients to do things on their own. Learn More >

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Get Out The Vote! Yarnbombing Project Spotted On Main Street, Beacon, NY

Have you seen the the 36” x 80” crocheted V-O-T-E yarn bomb sign around Beacon? Since late September, Lynne Willis has been transporting this handmade crochet design to be seen throughout the city including Beahive in the Telephone Building, Beetle and Fred, and Endless Skein in Cold Spring. With early vote taking place through Sunday, November 1st, this is a nice reminder to do your civic duty.

You can catch the sign currently on display in the windows of Beacon Pantry, 328 Main Street in Beacon. The sign has already been featured on It has been featured on the design Instagram @dissent_by_design and on the front page of the Highlands Current.

Who Is Lynne WillIS?

Lynne has been a resident of Beacon for 3 years. Prior to this, she made regular weekend visits to the city and became acquainted and friendly with many of the local businesses and says she “was happy at the great response the sign got and the willingness to host in windows. Hopefully this is just one more reminder (that may bring a smile to your face) to vote.”

Crocheting For Coping With Anxiety

We all channel our anxiety and energy in different ways. Lynne found comfort and relaxation in the repetition of the crocheting. When speaking to creating her latest project, she says she “enjoyed the physicality of crocheting - feeling the yarn in my hands, the repetitious moving of the hook, and seeing the slow progress as each letter grew.”

With the election coming up, Lynne says “Knowing that this election is a vital opportunity for the people of our country to speak about what is TRULY important and bring about meaningful change; I wanted to do what I could in my own way.”

Craftivism

Crocheting has been a hobby of Lynne’s for years working on personal projects by the time the pandemic hit. She did make a pink pussy hat for the Women’s March in 2016 (yarnbombing hit Beacon for the first time in 2015) but stuck mostly to personal items and gifts. This changed back in March 2020 where Lynne explains, “Due to the pandemic, I was put on furlough back in March and suddenly found myself with lots of extra time. After sewing facemasks for friends and family, I didn’t quite know what to do with myself and my mounting anxiety about ALL the things going on in our country.” She was inspired to do more and be a part of something bigger and found mask making to be an opportunity to make a statement in public about science and safety.

Remember the crochet facemask mounted on the bust of George Washington earlier this year? That was Lynne’s handiwork, “It was very gratifying to have folks stop and admire the piece when I was installing it and to see images of my piece spread across social media including a shout out from the Daughters of the American Revolution. But, unfortunately it was taken down within three days.”

Making The V-O-T-E Sign

The VOTE sign was inspired by a Black Lives Matter crocheted yarn bomb by @nanostitches9. Lynne used the same basic method to make a small scale maquette to test yarn colors and process. “For the final sign, I scaled it up to 36” high and 20” wide for each letter. I wanted this large-scale for impact and decided to do each letter separately for ease of installation.” Lynne shares.

The lengthy crochet project gave Lynne something to focus on when feeling uptight and anxious about the current state of the world. Deciding how to design each letter using an excel spreadsheet mockup was a good design challenge, “After some trail and error, I sewed each letter onto polyester fabric and then stapled the fabric to the stretchers” she says.

Lynne’s boyfriend and professional photographer suggested mounting each letter on stretcher bars and getting local businesses to host the sign in their windows. This makes it easy to transport and allows for a variety of installation configurations. This also makes it easy to transport and to get a variety of pictures in different locations throughout Beacon.

NEW: Podcast Episode With Justice McCray, An Organizer With Beacon4Black Lives

As a person living in Beacon, I have been following Justice McCray digitally for many years. I first knew Justice as an employee of the Howland Public Library, and could count on his bright and friendly outfits to identify himself in the isles of books for anyone in need of a reading recommendation or to know how programming at the library worked.

Early days of Beacon4Black Lives in the summer of 2020, after an open mic session at Memorial Park.

At the time, Justice only wore yellow - or seemed to - and and like a flower, began to blossom in his Instagram with more visual expressions and art. Always quiet spoken, Justice’s imagery was powerful. Then one day the color purple seeped into his stream, and then Blackout Tuesday froze the world in black squares.

Blackout Tuesday was a social media based movement on June 2, 2020 by two Black women who are executives in the music industry to get everyone to stop and think for a minute in the new whirlwind that had become the Black Lives Matter Movement that started after George Floyd was killed during the day on a busy street by police in Minneapolis, MN.

Justice McCray (left) speaking beside Stefon Seward and supported by Ciarda Hall.

Blackout Tuesday was the day where the black boxes filled up Instagram boxes. It was originally designed to show support for Black lives, and create reflection. But the stream of black boxes caused silence, and Justice McCray grew scared. He took to his Instagram with a video, guiding people on what to do - why not to stay silent, and how to not block the hashtag.

He has been evolving quickly since that day. Many Black and Brown people were tired after that day, and emotionally couldn’t explain their pain or how they felt invisible any more times. Justice is one person who chose to keep speaking and educating, as a way to help. See this video, or this one, or the many photos with messages at @yellowswagger.

This is not Justice’s first evolution, but it is one that is deeply impacting Beacon and the surrounding areas in this human rights revolution. In late May, Beacon experienced its first protest with people walking down sidewalks on a Saturday with signs. A Black woman who saw it took out her phone to take a video, saying (with sincerity), “Awe, look at that. Beacon is having a protest. How cute!”

Justice McCray, protesting outside of Beacon’s Mayor Lee Kryiacou ’s house during a City Council Meeting presenting the 2021 budget, which has an increased police budget, which the City has explained by way of Excel sheet line items in the budget, specifically in the Contingency section where money for salary raises had been earmarked but not negotiated with the police union yet.

The following Monday, however, a much larger protest erupted, starting at the Chase Bank parking lot - an un-traditional place for a protest to take place in Beacon. Word had been circulating that a protest would happen, but no one know who was organizing it, or how it would go. Ciarda Hall, Stefon Seward and Xavier Mayo were young Beacon alums who kind of knew each other, but knew enough that they wanted to band together to bring the movement to Beacon.

Justice knew them in his own way from high school, and wanted to get more involved. Today, he is one of the leading voices, faces and thinkers for what became known as Beacon4Black Lives, a fluid group - both in gender and in organization - that is committed to breaking what is normal in order to discover something new. Fiercely creative, Beacon4Black Lives has led 20 protests so far, supported other organizers in other cities who are trying to make an impact when protesting for specific things, like jail reform, police reform, or in Beacon’s latest protest, breaking the line-items in an all powerful Excel spreadsheet of Beacon’s Police budget.

In one of his first speeches over the summer, Justice expressed: “I am tired of feeling alone.” He told fellow protesters that he had a conversation with an old college friend, and the conversation bothered him. The friend asked: "Why does it matter? I don't think that I could make a difference? What good is my voice going to do?" Justice told him: "If everybody thought that way, nothing would change. Nothing could happen."

Justice continued with this statement, which has become one of his mantras: “This system of oppression needs to end. But White supremacy won't die until white people see it as a white issue that they need to solve, rather than a Black issue that they need to empathize with. This starts with each and every one of us. We need to do what we can. We all have skills. We all have something to contribute.”

In this “Wait, What Is That?” podcast episode, Justice talks with co-hosts Brandon Lillard and Katie Hellmuth Martin (me) about the formation of this Beacon-based movement, where it is headed, why Justice doesn’t identify with any super hero, and why he loves capes.

Writerly Happenings: Zoom Era Edition

Well it’s been quite a while since I last got to close my eyes in a room full of writers and be transported by someone’s words. I miss it dearly, but there are some amazing literary events happening via Zoom. And while we can’t spend our days spontaneously popping into the bookstore, or browsing the library shelves for hours, we can most definitely enjoy the treasures that are our local booksellers.

Outdoor Book Club November 10

I had not been to the Howland Public Library in Beacon since February and I finally went in last week to pick up some requests. I felt giddy with excitement. The vibe, however, was serious. The librarians are keeping things ship shape in there, so follow the rules, friends. The library book club is going outside, weather permitting. Join them November 10th at Memorial Park to discuss "The Night Tiger" by Yangsze Choo at a 6’ social distance. Bring a chair and a sweatshirt!

What books did I request, you are wondering? Well, I picked up the hilarious combination of Untamed by Glennon Doyle and Rock and Roll Bob (for my kindergartner). “Haha!” I said to the librarian. “I am not a cliché at al!” He did not laugh. (Justice I miss you). I have resisted reading Untamed since it was published in July, for reasons that are obvious if you know me at all, or maybe even if you don’t know me because this is a small town, but I decided to just go for it. I read the whole thing in one night, cried my eyes out, and promptly returned it. I’m super glad she’s bravely sharing her story with the wide world of Oprah’s Book Club readers, but honestly she’s a little Basic B for me.

A little more my speed is Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by Adrienne Maree Brown which is taking me weeks to read, in part because I’m underlining everything. It is an incredibly powerful compilation of words and thoughts on transformative justice, radical pleasure and honesty and self-awareness. Preach. I’m going to have a discussion group around this book via Zoom on November 8th, and if you want to join in you can email me at phoebe@littlebeaconblog.com.

A Book Store All To Yourself! And Book Club For Kids

And I didn’t stop at the library! I finally got my first Unemployment payment since I started filing in June and I went and dropped a bundle of it at Split Rock Books in Cold Spring. It was a totally orgasmic 30 minutes of private shopping because they are only open by appointment for one lucky reader at a time. They have a whole bunch of Zoom book clubs coming up in November: The Kids Book Club is for ages 8-11 and meets Thursday, November 5th at 4pm. Next Book: Class Act by Jerry Craft. The Graphic Novel Book Club meets Tuesday November 24th at 7pm and is tackling the amazing Watchmen by Alan Moore. On November 19th is the Fiction Book Club and they will be reading The Other by Thomas Tryon.

Beacon’s own Binnacle Books is also open for appointment only browsing and while you are there, sponsor a book for a prisoner through the amazing Beacon Prison Books Project. I have a few books on my list that I’ve seen on their killer Instagram feed (follow them if you aren’t) that I want to go get. 

Writing Labs And Workshops

I just started an online writing workshop with the New York Writer’s Workshop, in the city, and it looks like there’s loads of workshops with some heavy hitters lined up at The Hudson Valley Writer’s Center.

If you want a less formal group writing environment, I just learned about Hudson Valley Performing Arts Laboratory provides free bi-weekly remote Writing Labs. These Labs provide a space for experienced and aspiring writers to set goals, read and workshop their work, and provide support to one another. And if you develop your work with the Writing Lab, you also have the opportunity to share your completed work (or portions of your completed work) at one of their readings. Dates for the rest of the year are 11/3, 11/17 and then the reading on 12/4.. Please register for the next workshop at hvpal.org/events or email info@hvpal.org for more details. 

Poetry Power!

Want to hear some amazing crème-de-la-crème poets? The Newark-based Dodge Poetry Festival is online this year and if you pay-what-you-can, you can access the recordings of the readings after it ends on November 2nd.

Sarah Lawrence College has a great online event on November 11th when they bring together essayist Rachel Cohen and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Vijay Seshadri.

And there are so many good things happening at The Poetry Project in the city and now you can check them out without getting on the train. Plus! Their beautiful website just alerted me that you can pre-order We Want It All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics from Nightboat Books. This collection brings together seventy-two intergenerational trans poets writing against capital and empire. Yum!

Happy writing and reading, my friends! Maybe I’ll see you around down once the leaf-peeping insanity dies down next week. 

Village Of Wappingers Mayor Resigns; Town Of Wappingers Faces Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Of Highway Department

On Monday, October 26, 2020, the Village of Wappingers Falls Mayor, Matt Alexander, announced to residents via letter that he was resigning, effective December 2020. He has been the Mayor of the Village of Wappingers Falls for almost 14 years. In his letter, he stated: “Over this extraordinary past year, in enforced solitude and decreased mobility, I reflected on my own needs. With great sadness, I am announcing that I will be stepping down as mayor in December to pursue other opportunities.” His full letter is published below.

The announcement broke into the news cycle on Tuesday morning, followed by a press release from County Executive Marcus Molinaro wishing him well, and concluding with a discovery that the Mayor had accepted a job of Comptroller in Peekskill. He is a graduate of Notre Dame and is a certified public accountant.

The Mayor told MidHudson News of his new job: “I’m really looking forward to a community like Wappingers Falls urban and diverse and full of opportunity,” he said. “They just got the Downtown Revitalization initiative – a very prestigious award in New York State – and I am very excited about working on that with them.”

The soon to be former Mayor had run for New York’s 19th Congressional Seat in 2012 against Nan Hayworth, and owned a 19th Century building that was destroyed in a large fire in 2017, which prompted the #WappingersRises movement. Matt owned the shop, Stone Bridge Antiques, which he re-opened in a nearby location, according to Hudson Valley Magazine.

Village Of Wappingers Falls And Mandated Police Reform

All municipalities in New York State are under obligation from a Governor’s Order to supply a police reform plan that works with their unique communities. Mayor Alexander is no stranger to police reform. In 2018, the Village of Wappingers Falls had voted twice to dissolve their Police Department, preferring to use Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office instead, according to a Poughkeepsie Journal article. On August 30, 2018 the Board voted to disband the police force to begin on Jan. 1, 2019.

A judge ruled that the votes were unauthorized, and required a public vote. The judged ruled that the Village of Wappingers Falls did not conduct an environmental review, as required under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, according to the article.

The public vote, after the Village’s 2 rounds of voting to disband were denied, was spearheaded by 2 lawsuits, according to Deming Headlight, resulting in the people of the Village Wappingers Falls voting to keep their Police Department. After that vote to keep the Police Department, Mayor Alexander proposed creating a Citizens Board. ALBB has not reached out to confirm if such a Board was created.

The Police Commissioner of the Village of Wappingers Falls, Carl Calabrese, resigned after 11 years of service, on April 8th, 2020. The Mayor and the Village Board of Trustees honored the Commissioner’s service in the Resolution accepting his resignation. Police Commissioner Walter Burke is currently in the position.

Some legal cases are listed in connection with former Police Commissioner, Carl Calabrese, including NOVICK v. VILLAGE OF WAPPINGERS FALLS, NEW YORK, which revolved around the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), retaliation against the Police Union rules or advocacy of rules, bladder cancer of Officer Novick, reporting correctly or incorrectly into the job for health issues, “Disciplinary” actions, a demotion of Officer Novick, and other details.

Another lawsuit in 2011, PISTOLESI v. CALABRESE, centered around the removal of a towing company used by the Village of Wappingers, as directed by then Police Commissioner Calabrese. The lawsuit named Officer Novick and Commissioner Calabrese, among others, including a then Board Trustee, for harassment. Years later, Officer Novick filed a lawsuit against Commissioner Calabrese and the Village of Wappingers in the lawsuit named above. The newspaper clippings below can be clicked to be enlarged.

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Meanwhile, In The Town Of Wappingers…

A racial discrimination lawsuit was brought against the Town of Wappingers (different from the Village with different departments, and the Mayor does not preside here, as it is managed by the Town Supervisor, Richard L. Thurston) in 2019 by Troy Swain, who was 4 months into the job of Highway Superintendent when he was fired by a unanimous vote by the Town Council of the Town of Wappingers, due to allegations that he did personal tasks while on the job.

Troy was the first and only African American to serve as Highway Superintendent. Troy now works for the City of Beacon as a Heavy Equipment Operator, where he is 1 of 3 Black people working in that department in Beacon. Another worker, Reuben Simmons, had also served as Highway Superintendent for the City of Beacon, before also being unanimously voted out by Beacon’s City Council when they deemed that the job title did not exist in Beacon, and required a Civil Service exam he was not entitled to take (see ALBB’s article and podcast about this).

According to an article in the Poughkeepsie Journal, The Town of Wappingers also thought that the job title did not exist when Troy Swain held it. “Some members of the town board disputed the existence of the position and said Swain was ‘erroneously’ promoted. The union believed the position should've gone to someone with seniority, according to the documents.”

The same logic was used in Beacon in Reuben’s case in an unsigned mystery letter delivered to a Councilmember’s front porch, even though Reuben had been working for the City of Beacon for as long as his replacement, Michael Manzi.

In the Town of Wappingers, according to Swain’s attorney, Masai Lord of Lord & Schewel, he believes Troy’s termination was retaliation for filing an earlier racial harassment complaint. “Swain claims while on the job he was addressed with racial slurs. He said he had spoken about the harassment to his supervisor and a union representative, but wasn't provided a remedy,” he told the Poughkeepsie Journal.

In a lawsuit against the Town, Troy alleges he was discriminated against and denied due process before being fired, among other claims. He's seeking punitive damages. The trial is set for March 2021, due to a delay with COVID.

The goal of the trial, Masai told A Little Beacon Blog, is that “Mr. Swain needs to be compensated for what he went through. Not just the years of racial harassment, gratuitous use of the N-word, and wrongful termination and retaliation, but violation of collective bargaining agreement, and denied his constitutional due process rights.”

The Town of Wappingers voted unanimously via Resolution to terminate Troy on June 13, 2016. He received his termination notice on June 14, 2016. The lawsuit was filed in 2019, and named individual Board Members instead of the Town as a whole. The Board members tried to reverse by filing an appeal for qualified immunity in May 2020, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal article. That appeal of dismissal was denied in the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit in mid-June 2020.

“The Southern District Court of New York also denied the Town's motion for summary judgement on the claims of discrimination, retaliation and retaliation based on the town's opposition to Swain getting unemployment compensation, meaning those claims will be moving forward to trial,” the article stated.

The Letter From The Mayor Of The Village Of Wappingers Falls Reads As Follows:

For ease of reading, Mayor Matt Alexander’s letter of resignation has been republished here:

Dear fellow residents,

It has been the privilege and honor of my life to enjoy the reward and fulfillment of service to my neighbors as mayor. However, all things must come to an end and my service to you has come to that point.

For over eighteen years, I served the people of the Village of Wappingers Faslls, with almost fourteen, as mayor. Over this extraordinary past year, in enforced solitude and decreased mobility, I reflected on my own needs. With great sadness, I am announcing that I will be stepping down as mayor in December to pursue other opportunities.

Our time together has been full of success and failure, joy and grief as well as growth and decline. But from the past fourteen years, I hop you see mostly good. I will do just that. I see how we have made great changes in our community over time. Though, I have some regrets, my belief is that, together, we have left the Village in a much better place than it was.

The best of our Village is its people and I have gotten to know o many of you in a special way that has made me better for it. I will miss this job more than any other. It was a very difficult decision, but I am confident that wonderful things lie ahead for all of us.

Godspeed and be well my fair Village. I will see you next as a fellow private citizen and hope to enjoy the future with you here for many years.

Beacon High School Has Positive COVID Case - And The District Is On It With Support And Contact Tracing

Beacon City School District Superintendent Matt Landahl robo-called and emailed district families today (Wednesday) morning with the news that they learned today that an individual in the Beacon High School had tested positive for COVID-19, and was currently isolated. The individual had not been at the building since Friday, and because of health privacy laws, further information about the person will remain private.
Editor’s Note: Speaking for the community by saying we wish the person and their family health, strength, and compassion.

"Today is one of our remote learning days," said Dr. Landahl via email to district families, "and we are spending the day contact tracing." Wednesday is the day that the entire district is at home learning with teachers. This is the longest Remote Day for all students, where they may have several classes throughout the day, versus one Morning Meeting in the morning on regular Remote Days. The Free Remote Meals had just been delivered to front doors of those who signed up for the delivery option, and otherwise, the Remote day was humming along.

Beacon opened and remains in the Hybrid Model, which means students can opt-in for 2 days of learning in person at school, and 3 days for learning at home (with Wednesday as the day everyone is home learning). "When we consider closing a school temporarily due to COVID-19," continued Dr. Landahl via email to the community, "our plan is to close individual schools that are affected and not the entire district unless there is a health need to do so or we are guided to do so by the Department of Health."

Children or adults who were in contact with the person will be notified first by school staff, and then by the New York State Contact Tracing program with instructions on quarantining and potential testing for COVID-19 (you can find testing information here).

"If you are not contacted, then you will not need to quarantine," Dr. Landahl stated. "We will work tirelessly on contact tracing and communicating updates to the community and individual families who are affected by this."

Schools in the region have had over 150 positive cases as of October 8, 2020, as reported by the Hudson Valley Post. Yesterday, Newburgh Free Academy announced that 1 individual had tested positive, but had not attended school and was in Remote Learning only, therefore, school would not be closed for that building. They have had a total of 5 students test positive since the New York State Report Card Dashboard has been launched, which have all been Off Site, according to the Dashboard.

Other schools in the region have reported positive cases, including Wappingers Central, Middletown, Newburgh Central, Arlington Central, and others. Indicated on the Report Card Dashboard is if a positive case of a student or staff was located On Site or Off Site, as some cases may occur in people who are Remote Learning at home and were not in a school building, but are included on the Report Card.

Dr. Landahl included ways to get tested:
”A list of testing sites can be found on the Dutchess County Health Website (please note, the testing sites can change from day-to-day and week-to-week): (https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/DBCH/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.htm) You may also visit the ‘New York State Find a Test Site Near You’ web page: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/find-test-site-near-you Once you enter a zip code, a list/map view of the nearest test sites will become available. “

Pre-Pandemic Art Gallery Closure: Interview With Erica Hauser of Catalyst Gallery

Back before the time of COVID, there was unease on Beacon’s Main Street, as a turnover of retail establishments was happening, and the drumbeat against landlords was beginning at City Council, spearheaded by Councilperson Terry Nelson, who represents Ward 1. Because business is personal, reasons for businesses closing can be numerous and not always obvious (see past article about the cupcake shop Get Frosted and Underground Beacon - who was saved, but now recently closed due to COVID).

Catalyst Gallery, formerly at 137 Main Street, run by husband and wife team Erica Hauser and Jon Reichert, was a gallery based on a pop-up model. An artist could rent the space for the month or longer, and host a show. Catalyst was one of the first locations for the For Goodness Bake fundraisers, and Catalyst’s small-works sales.

When Catalyst announced their closure in February 2020, A Little Beacon Blog reached out for an interview, got it, and then the pandemic hit. Our publishing cycle got loopy, thereby delaying this piece. With the opening of 2 new businesses where Catalyst was (the smoother store Blend just opened in the storefront next door, and a pottery studio has just opened where Catalyst was), we are running this article.

Erica was often the face of the gallery, and is a voracious artist herself, when not helping stack wood for her family’s wood cutting business. In February 2020, just before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and everything shut down, Catalyst announced they were closing. At first there was sadness, which possibly turned to relief after the unexpected shutdown happened.

As a background to this location, the Catalyst Gallery was in a block of buildings that had been owned by one family in Beacon - the Piccone’s - who sold it to a new family of Joe Donovan of Hudson Todd LLC.

A Little Beacon Blog reached out to Erica to gain some insight into the “Why” behind their decision. Her interview is below.

ALBB: How was your landlord? Did you get pushed out with high rent?
“Our landlord has been good to us and I want to convey that. The owners before that were On The Square. They were good too because they kept our rent affordable, I can't speak to how they were for any other tenants. To be completely at the mercy of owners, I mean we could have been gone in two years. But it worked out and we were able to really establish something. For a while. :)

“We were lucky in that our rent increased very gradually over the 7 years, even after a change in building ownership. If it had gone up drastically, we would not have been able to sustain it. We could have managed 1 more year at the slight rent increase for 2020. It was still below ‘market value’ as far as current comparison with other spaces, because our landlord valued us as a tenant, but it would rise again in 2021. We felt that we would be unable to meet our expenses. It would be challenging to support artists and do what we had been doing for the community, for our own shows and for special events (such as local fundraisers and benefits we hosted) if we continued in the same way.

ALBB: Did you consider a business pivot in order to stay in your location?
”I considered changing the model in order to generate the funds, but this seemed to go against the spirit and mission I had started with. While missions can change, I felt that in this case the original idea - providing artists affordable opportunities for exhibitions and creative events in a great, well-maintained location - had run its course. These words were still accurate except ‘affordable’. Over the years Beacon got busier on weekends and the space felt more valuable, as artists could potentially sell more work to more people, but how much more could we pay without asking, who is supporting who?

“Beacon and its visitors did support us, and we were able to make a strong impression in the art community - that a gallery could sustain itself over time, and that artists could create their own opportunities in a more direct way. It’s still a true idea I will keep in my mind and heart for the future, but I began to feel challenged by the efforts and energy required, and distracted from the potential for new projects either here or elsewhere. So we weren’t forced by the rent or the planned renovation that would reduce our space (which they gave ample notice about and had agreed to postpone). I was able to make the difficult decision based on all factors combined.”

ALBB: Where can we imagine you next?
”As far as what I plan to do with the time I am longer spending the gallery, after resting for awhile…

I am a painter and I do some sculpture and mixed media. I lived in Beacon 2007-2013 and in Newburgh from 2014-present. I used Catalyst to show and sell my own work, to curate group shows, to meet collectors or curators in a space that wasn’t my cluttered studio, and to connect with artists and friends. I will miss having the gallery as my home base in Beacon, but I am still involved in the community and have already been offered several options to curate shows and exhibit in different spaces in the Hudson Valley. So that’s exciting to think about.

“I’ve done some local public art installations - [at the time were] on view are ‘Chromatic Substation’ at Beekman and High St in Beacon, a collaboration with Jon - and ‘Colorgarden’ on Carpenter Ave in Newburgh - and would like to do more, including murals. I have been working with a design studio that produces my prints for West Elm, and am doing an artist pop-up with Madewell; I am focusing on new ways to support my work and reach a wider audience. I will be speaking to a college class about my use of color, and perhaps teaching art to teens. Some people know that I stack firewood as a seasonal job, as that slows down by winter’s end I will be able to allocate more time to painting and finding opportunities to keep making, connecting, living a creative life.”

See pictures of what did happen in Catalyst’s life here.

Find Erica Hauser’s Art Here

“Chromatic Sustation” by Erica Hauser and Jon Reichert.
Photo Credit: Erica Hauser

'Colorgarden' for Terrain Biennial Newburgh and is at Downing Park Urban Farm.
Photo Credit: Erica Hauser

'Chromatic Substation' (at Beekman St near High St on way to train station) was originally done for Beacon 3D last June - November. The owner of the property on which it was installed - who also owns the building Catalyst's used to be in - offered to keep it up through March 2020. “They were effectively leasing it from us, so it is not really any longer part of Beacon 3D,” Erica tells ALBB.

Erica installed 'Colorgarden' for Terrain Biennial Newburgh and is at Downing Park Urban Farm, 207 Carpenter Ave in Newburgh.

At West Elm, you can buy Erica’s wall art, follow her on Instagram, and support her in various ways.

The easiest way is to visit her website for latest works!

Erica Hauser’s wall art at West Elm.