Political Analysis of Hudson Mayoral Race

True story:

I called Joe Ferris months ago and told him not to run for Mayor.

I expressed my concerns and, like any real New Yorker, was very blunt. I told him he was too new, did not know enough people, and since my top priority was to have Margaret Morris elected as president of the Common Council, I was concerned that Joe’s candidacy could jeopardize her race by energizing the opponent’s base of supporters.

I strongly suggested he run for Fifth Ward Councilmember.

I saw Joe out-and-about last week and he said to me, “You also told me I was living in La-La Land.”

I don’t remember saying that exactly, but, it does sound like something I would say, so I did not argue.

When Joe won the primary Tuesday night, I congratulated him and told him I was (obviously) wrong. If they were serving crow at St. Florian, I would eat it.

How could a fairly new resident win the Hudson Mayoral Democratic primary? I’ve been pondering this question all week, and this is what I’ve concluded.

Angry people vote

People who do not like the status quo, regardless of party affiliation, vote. Complacent people do not vote.

Why are people angry?

Unpaid City Property Taxes

This was a big issue for a lot of people. Someone told me at an event to look into the city’s unpaid property taxes. As chair of the city’s Finance Committee, I asked this question last November. The Finance Committee learned that not only did the city have about $3M in unpaid property taxes, but the city did not have a lawyer assigned to do any follow-up, foreclosures, evictions, etc. Since then, Finance Committee member and Fifth Ward Councilmember Vicky Daskaloudi found an attorney for the city.

The Mayor’s response to this issue was that the city needed to find “relief” for those with unpaid taxes. But, what about the people who have been paying their taxes regularly? For them, this does not seem fair.

GALVAN

This is a major issue, maybe the biggest. The Mayor’s connection to Galvan is too close. People are tired of watching multi-millionaires get tax breaks and PILOTs (Payment in Lieu of Taxes), while taxpayers shoulder the burden of city services.

The Planning Board

The City of Hudson’s Planning Board is a hot mess. There are a few planning board members who are trying to do the right thing and listen to the community, however, the Planning Board pushes through “affordable” housing for PILOT-seeking developers while forcing tax-paying developers to jump through too many hoops.

Margaret Morris is a Force of Nature

People came out and voted for Margaret Morris. They want change on the Common Council. Morris did the legwork herself. She knocked on doors and walked the wards. People watch the Common Council videos, they know her, and they like her. She is thorough, professional, and has an even temperament. This is what people want. When she walked in the Fifth Ward, folks approached her and eagerly signed her petition. Morris received about 300 votes more than DePietro. Although she did not endorse any mayoral candidate, her voters were less likely to vote for incumbent Mayor Johnson.

Working Families Party (WFP) and the Register-Star

Now, it gets weird. The day after the election, I received a phone call from reporter Tiffany Greenwalt-Simon about the primary. The first question was standard, “What message would I like to give to my constituents?” My message was “I’m very thankful and grateful to everyone who came out to vote.”

The second question was, “How do I feel about Alexis Keith running on the Working Families Party line and potentially splitting the vote?”

How do I feel about that? I told her I’ve met Alexis Keith and she’s very nice, but do not have an opinion on her running on that party line, so I gave no comment.

When the article came out the next day, the headline was “Incumbents defeated in Dem primary plan Working Families run in November.”

The Register-Star’s article and its “last grasp” slant shows the newspaper’s bias.

The Register-Star’s headline could have been, “Mayor with Close Ties to Developer Loses Dem Nod” An article about the Mayor’s rent appeared in the Times Union prior to the primary.

Many felt the Mayor was arrogant during the debate.
Do they teach Icarus and Daedalus at Hudson High School?
Peter Paul Rubens / Jacob Peter Gowy

The general election in November includes NOPs (No Party Affiliation/Independents) and Republicans. Even though Democrats are the majority of voters in Hudson, NOPs and Republicans are still about a third. If the WFP candidates did not do well in the Democratic primary, they face an uphill battle in the general as they try to get the support of more moderate NOP and Republican voters.

The WFP does not have the money and resources to back losing candidates. My prediction is that some candidates will bow out or have a minimal campaign effort.

Note: In the flier for First Ward Supervisor, Randall Martin did not include photos of Kamal Johnson nor Tom DePietro. When Alexandria Madero asked me for campaign advice for her First Ward Supervisor run, I half-jokingly told her, “I think you just have to be on the ballot and you’ll win.” Her minimalistic campaign proved sufficient. She won 2:1.

What’s Going to Happen in November?

There will be four candidates for Mayor of the City of Hudson in November.

In alphabetical order:

• Joe Ferris – Democrat
• Kamal Johnson – Working Families Party
• Lloyd Koedding – Republican
• Peter Spear – Future Hudson

A lot can happen between now and then. We’ll see…

This is me, on my way to vote for Margaret Morris