Lorem Ipsum
Nunc non pharetra arcu. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Aenean ac auctor ex. Nullam erat lectus, feugiat eget tellus quis, interdum laoreet diam. Nulla in nibh urna. Cras sed sollicitudin turpis. Nullam at eros est.
Building a better Rhinebeck for everyone with community, transparency, and solutions.
Building a better Rhinebeck for everyone with community, transparency, and solutions.
HOUSING, ZONING AND AFFORDABILITYExpedite the "Workforce Housing Overlay"[add here an explanation of what this is and where it stands now] Moving beyond "it takes what it takes" to proactive leadership on projects like Locust Hill.
Modernize Zoning: Simplify the code to allow homeowners to make "sensible modifications" to their properties without a bureaucratic nightmare. This is also a housing affordability issue. Making modifications to older homes so that our older populations can age in place should not be prohibitively expensive or protractedly long due to Planning Board fees and excessive red tape.
COMMUNITY-FIRST INFRASTRUCTURE AND RECREATION[Intro para]
Our parks and roads are open to everyone and gatekeeping them drives away revenue.
Protect Our Traditions and Prioritize Community-Building: Protect Rhinebeck traditions like the Turkey Trot and help stakeholders replace Sinterklaas with a non-denominational winter festival. Instead of trying to end events that bring the community together, we will work with organizers on a fair fee and safety structure that supports family infrastructure such as new playgrounds.
Bridge & Road Safety: Prioritize the Parsonage Street Bridge replacement to enable the "Safe Routes to School" sidewalk project.
Mazzarella Park: Expand utility by exploring night-game lighting for the soccer fields.
Closing the Coverage Gap: Reliable cell service is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity for emergency services, local and work from home businesses, and modern life. Too many areas of Rhinebeck—particularly along the Route 9G corridor and in our northern rural zones—remain "dead zones" where a simple 911 call might not go through. I will advocate for a town-wide signal audit to identify the most dangerous dead zones for first responders and prioritize those areas for immediate infrastructure grants. We will work to address these coverage dead zones with technologies that do not require massive new towers to have the lowest possible impact on our beautiful landscape and environment while still getting our community the services they need.
RESTORING, TRANSPARENCY AND INTEGRITY TO TOWNHALL[Intro para]
End "Executive Session" Governance: No more secret votes. The current administration has abused the use of executive sessions to make decisions that impact all of us behind closed doors. I would commit to transparency and put an end to the inappropriate use of executive sessions. executive session vote on on lawsuits (like Six Senses) that concern projects not occurring in the Town, that waste taxpayer money, and don't benefit the people of Rhinebeck.
Create structures that help ensure Ethics & Accountability including Establish a strict Anti-Nepotism Policy for Town departments to ensure that the Rhinebeck government is a meritocracy, not a family business and Term Limits to maintain fresh perspectives and energy.
Budget Transparency and Responsible use of Funds: The town of Rhinebeck has spent far too much money on frivolous lawsuits to attack our neighboring towns as well defending the town Rhinebeck from lawsuits that are often a result of ineffective leadership and communication. I would….
21st Century Communication: It should be easy to find out what’s going on in Rhinebeck and to reach your elected officials.
● Digital Reach: Launch official Town Instagram and Facebook accounts to provide real-time updates on road closures, meetings, and events and other important information.
● User-Friendly Government: Build a modern, searchable Town website that is mobile friendly.
● Personal Outreach: Commit to regular, informal community meetings at various gathering places around Town to hear residents’ concerns before laws are passed.
UNITY AND COLLABORATION[Intro para]
● Increasing Shared Services Between The Village and Rhinecliff
○ Shared-Service Efficiency: I will explore a shared-service agreement with the Village of Rhinebeck or a private contractor to ensure that Rhinecliff residents receive the same or better level of services that they once did.
○ Restoring Essential Leaf Pickup. Current Town leadership has failed to recognize that Rhinecliff is not rural like other areas of the Town; it is a dense neighborhood. There are no "woods" to toss leaves into, and burning is both dangerous and environmentally unsound in such close quarters. I will restore the annual leaf pickup specifically for the Rhinecliff Hamlet.
○ Direct Communication. Rhinecliff residents shouldn’t have to drive to the Village to find out what’s happening in their hamlet.
■ The "Morton Library" Satellite Office: I will commit to holding monthly "Supervisor Hours" at the Morton Library to ensure Rhinecliff voices are heard directly and consistently.
SUSTAINABILITY AND PROSPERITY● Protect Rhinebeck’s open spaces by focusing any development in the urban center of Rhinebeck.
● Reduce commuting into the village
● The Rhinecliff Corridor
○ Businesses in Rhinecliff Rhinecliff is a historic crown jewel of our Town and an entrance for more than 229,000 passengers per year. Rhinecliff should be an economic engine and a social hub, not a challenge for businesses due to Town red tape. As Supervisor, I will move beyond passive observation. I will convene a meeting with the owners and stakeholders to identify the specific bureaucratic or zoning hurdles.
○ Amtrak & Parking: Collaboration & Real Solutions. The Rhinecliff Amtrak station is central to Rhinebeck’s economy. It is a vital bridge between our Town and the global center of New York City. The station allows high-earning professionals to choose Rhinebeck as their primary residence, bringing their tax dollars and local spending into our community year-round.
■ Stop delays to vital safety and aesthetic updates to the station and proactively work with Amtrak to overcome hurdles
● The Bed Tax: Investing in Rhinebeck, Not Town Hall: The proposed 3% occupancy tax should be a tool for community improvement, not a "slush fund" for the Town Board.
○ Binding Revenue-Sharing with the Village: The Village of Rhinebeck bears the brunt of tourism and is the primary reason we have tourism. I will establish a formal, binding agreement to ensure a substantial portion of this tax is funneled directly to the Village to pay for or upgrade shared assets and services.
○ Prioritizing Infrastructure: By using visitor-generated revenue to fix our bridges and walkways, we can complete essential projects without raising the property tax burden on Rhinebeck taxpayers. I pledge that zero revenue from the occupancy tax will be used for Town Board raises, administrative bonuses, or cosmetic or other repairs to Town Hall. We will prioritize community infrastructure. This means using bed tax funds to repair and expand the sidewalk network connecting our neighborhoods to the schools, the hospital, and the Thompson Mazzarella Park.
JUSTICE FOR ALL[Intro para]
● Stop with aggressive "imprisonment" language in our parking codes. We should not be "bullying" the community (including vulnerable populations such as undocumented immigrants) with $900 fines and 5-day jail threats.
● Reopen the courts and address current backlogs [Amanda needs to fix this one and add in that court should be at night to accommodate working people who if they miss work or hours of work they don’t get paid].
● Something about making sure everyone feels safe and welcome in our community and is protected against illegal actions -
○ I would work with the Village board to create legislation that would prevent our local police force from cooperating with ICE