I attended the debate last night (March 3) at Haldane School and I’m amazed at the lack of respect some people gave to Michael Bowman and Cathryn Fadde. Poking, hissing and jeering! That is truly rude. And to the person telling a senior to “shut up” while they themselves were talking? No matter which side you were cheering for — they all deserve our respect. I will be attending the next debate and I hope all will bring forward a common effort to let people have their say without unkind gestures.
Donna Anderson
Cold Spring
I agree some attendees exhibited a lack of respect for Cathryn and Michael, but unsurprisingly they remained calm, eloquent and professional.
Thanks for saying what many of us were thinking, Donna. I couldn’t attend, but watched the video with great interest. On the one hand, I thought it was refreshing to see all four candidates interact directly with one another and challenge each other without the timers, heavy moderation and scripted answers you typically see in the heavily staged events that pass for “debates” in other elections. Thanks to The Paper for providing such a refreshing format for this type of event!
On the other hand, the very audible (on the video) heckling, jeering and hissing (really? hissing?) from the audience was painful to hear. Kind of proves the point that there is a civility deficit in the village with regards to what “team” you support, doesn’t it?
Donna, I realize that you are primarily concerned about senior services in the background of your comments, so I want to point out that all the candidates, Matt and Donald included, are 100 percent behind supporting the senior population of Cold Spring, and they are very willing to listen and respond to the needs. Thankfully this is not a divisive issue and should not be the driving consideration for anyone, seniors included, when they decide how to vote.
I admit I was among those who did hush some of the senior conversation, as I was having trouble hearing over conversation that was not about the debate. My apologies for that (I don’t remember anyone saying “shut up”).
As for the debate, I thought all the candidates did an excellent job articulating what they stand for, and answering what questions they were given. A little more active moderation could have helped pull out more answers. Overall, it is wonderful that we have four great local people who care enough to take on a job that consumes countless hours. Thank you, candidates!
I am concerned about the senior center, Judy, but there is much more there than a community center/senior center. There are 56 units of senior housing for seniors who want to downsize and have a home with services taken care of. Walking to town with a bank, food, doctors, physical therapy, nutrition center, senior learning center with computers, social interaction with other seniors and pharmacy right near them, with-in walking distance. It’s not just about a senior center, it’s much more. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?