We are running together for re-election to provide critical expertise and advocacy to firmly manage Beacon’s burgeoning development. We are endorsed by the Beacon Democratic Committee, Working Families Party, Women’s Equality Party, Dutchess Central Labor Council.
George, who was first elected in 2009, is running for a fourth consecutive term as at-large councilman. He brings extensive planning expertise, serving first on the planning board, and helping guide the city through two Comprehensive Plan updates. A Fordham University graduate, he does his research homework, works through complicated issues and provides an evenhanded and reasoned approach to decision making. He owns the Dogwood Restaurant on East Main, and is a builder and artist.
Lee, first elected in 1993, is running for a ninth term on City Council. When Beacon was a struggling community, Lee envisioned and led the zoning changes that (1) ended conversion of single-family homes to multi-family, (2) phased out storefront apartments on Main Street, and (3) shut down Beacon’s waterfront sludge incinerator, attracting young home buyers and Dia:Beacon. He is outspoken and fearless in taking on development and financial issues, and brings the long-view of Beacon’s redevelopment. Lee is a strategic planner and analyst, with law and economics degrees from Yale.
We both recognize that Beacon is at a critical juncture in its development. “While Beacon’s incredible success is to be lauded, we must now look carefully at how development is unfolding and manage it more proactively,” George observed. Lee added: “Beacon is so popular that we are in the driver’s seat for new development and must aggressively manage new projects for exactly the density, style and community quality of life that we can now demand.”
We both support the proposed residential building moratorium, and have laid out an extensive agenda of detailed review for zoning affecting Main Street, Fishkill Creek, historic properties, bridge restoration and job creation.
Please remember to vote in the primary on Sept 12. The future of Beacon depends on your vote.
Lee Kyriacou and George Mansfield, Beacon
Democrats have an important choice to make during the primary election on Sept. 12. The Beacon Democratic Committee, which has 20 voting members and represents all segments of the party and the community, chose overwhelmingly to endorse Lee Kyriacou and George Mansfield, the current incumbents, to represent the party in November for the two council at-large positions.
In order for George and Lee to represent Democrats in November, they need to win the primary in September.
There is really no comparison of Lee and George and their challenger. If Democrats want consistent, thoughtful and experienced leaders for their candidates in November, they will vote Kyriacou and Mansfield. The polls are open from noon to 9 p.m.
Charlie Kelly, Beacon
Since 2013, I have had the privilege to serve with two exceptional councilmen at large, George Mansfield and Lee Kyriacou. Together, they have brought to City Council a wide spectrum of skills and qualities. I am writing to affirm their invaluable contributions to the city of Beacon.
Kyriacou’s analytical skills, knowledge of the tax code and legal training have been a great bonus to the council. His deep institutional knowledge of city government dating back to the 1990s has been of particular help to those of us who were new to Council. He offers the long-view of zoning, planning and fiscal policy, as well as valuable historical context for our successes and, more critically, for our challenges.
Mansfield has brought extraordinary common sense, civility and decency to our work. Clearheaded, ethical and pragmatic, his experience as a businessman who has given the city a special “third place” in Dogwood, he also brings considerable experience as a contractor and a member the Planning Board. As everyone who knows him will agree, he has his ear to the ground. Personally, he has been a touchstone for me in seeking a path through the maze of information presented to us both as council members and concerned citizens.
To sum up, what both council members bring to our immediate challenge of managing growth is experience and proven, time-tested leadership. We cannot afford less.
Peggy Ross, Beacon
I write in support of Lee Kyriacou and George Mansfield for City Council.
As a former member of the City Council (2008 to 2013), I had the honor of working with both men. They bring considerable skills and experience to their roles: Kyriacou brings financial and budgetary skills, legal training and experience with city and state codes, and Mansfield brings his experience as a businessman and member of the planning board.
Both have a deep knowledge of the Beacon community as well as institutional knowledge of its government and history. Both were also deeply involved in the community-based Comprehensive Plan, including the Fishkill Creek, Main Street and Linkage Plans and the recent Comprehensive Plan Update, which have helped guide Beacon’s revitalization to become one of the most livable and sustainable communities in the region.
Kyriacou and Mansfield are committed to effectively managing the City’s continued development. They understand the vision behind the comprehensive plan — preserving neighborhoods; creating a robust and prospering Main Street, maintaining a responsible and responsive government; and honoring Beacon’s natural beauty and historic heritage — and can put the right pressure on developers to do what’s best for Beacon. They understand that a comprehensive plan is a living document that shapes the city and is also shaped by the city.
At this critical point in Beacon’s redevelopment it is more important than ever to have individuals with the skills, experience and knowledge of Kyriacou and Mansfield on the City Council. I hope that Beacon’s residents will consider reelecting both in the primary on Sept. 12 and the general election on Nov. 7.
Sara Pasti, Beacon
Democrats win when we stand together. After the 2016 presidential election, a wave of activism spread across the country. While many marched and made weekly calls to elected officials, organizations like the Working Families Party and Citizen’s Action developed strategic initiatives to train citizens to run for elected office themselves. An unprecedented number of people stepped up to run as council members, village trustees and school board members in their communities.
In Beacon, we saw our monthly Democratic meetings and our volunteer ranks swell. This summer, almost 50 volunteers collected signatures from 800 Beacon citizens onto petitions for our endorsed Beacon Democrats.
As new candidates for Beacon City Council, Dutchess County Legislature and the Beacon Democratic Committee, we are excited to be part of this next wave of activism in Beacon and the larger national movement to build progressive power. The Beacon Democrats have welcomed new faces and ideas — building a deeper bench of leadership by encouraging newcomers to run for committee and council seats.
We, in turn, value the experience of incumbent Democrats George Mansfield and Lee Kyriacou, who have been effective leaders for all Beacon residents. By passing important protections such as safe storage for guns and declaring Beacon a “welcoming and safe city,” they put people first. By supporting an expanded moratorium on development, they show commitment to our community. By developing comprehensive proposals to empower our city to preserve its unique character in the face of development pressure, they show vision. As Kyriacou said, “Beacon is in the driver’s seat with respect to development, and we do not have to give away additional development to get what we want.”
For their leadership, experience and dedication, we will confidently cast our ballots on Sept. 12 for Lee Kyriacou and George Mansfield to serve as Beacon’s Council members at-Large.
Jim Cotter, Amber Grant, Lisa Jessup, Alex Kelly, Lisa Marie Martinez, Jodi McCredo,
Adam McKible, Terry Nelson, Nick Page, John Rembert, Frits Zernike, Beacon
I choose Lee Kyriacou as candidate for city councilman at large in the City of Beacon. Lee acquired a great deal of experience dealing with local, county and state legislation while serving in his current term. He has been a tremendous advocate for Beacon. In this position, Kryiacou gained tremendous respect from the public as well as law makers and government officials.
Kyriacou is a long-time Beacon resident with a strong background in community service. His understanding of the complex issues Beacon faces is bar none. He has helped research, educate and execute many successful plans. Lee fought to limit density with in the Main Street corridor and helped protect our neighborhood from unbridled development.
I worked with him on the Linkages Zone Issues as well as the Comprehensive Plan update. Lee is a source of immense data and was able to help me and my neighbors to know how to best navigate a very complex system.
His understanding of various zoning, planning and historic overlay challenges is phenomenal. Volunteering with him is an absolute thrill as he truly has the deepest insight to many of the pressing issues the city faces. At a time when over development, water shortages and a lack of livable wage jobs are pressing on our community; he offers realistic and sensible solutions!
With proud enthusiasm, I support Lee Kyriacou as our party’s candidate for city councilman at large for the city of Beacon.
Lisa Gallina-Alvarez, Beacon
Democrats, please vote on Sept. 12. A lot is at stake for the future development of Beacon.
Fortunately, we have two excellent Beacon Democratic Committee endorsed candidates George Mansfield and Lee Kyriacou for both city council at large seats.
There are three incumbent councilmen seeking the two positions. The top two vote-getters will be the Democratic candidates in the November election.
As part of the Beacon Democratic Committee endorsed slate as a candidate for the Ward 2 seat, I am happy to be on the same team as George and Lee. Between them they have 24 years of combined City Council experience . Both have demonstrated that they are knowledgeable and capable of managing the challenges of Beacon’s development.
Please join with me in voting for Kyriacou and Mansfield on Primary Day to represent the best of the Democratic Party and what is best for the City of Beacon.
John Eric Rembert, Beacon
As a Main Street property and business owner who served on the Main Street Linkage Committee to rezone our business district, I feel the need to weigh in on the upcoming Democratic primary.
First, a little history: When we began the process of rezoning, the world was just barely recovering from the great recession. Beacon development was moving slowly in the right direction but we felt we needed a one-year moratorium to rezone properly. Our goals were to craft laws that would encourage density in the middle of Main Street and the train station while enhancing walkability of our city, increasing housing availability and discouraging sprawl.
What we did not for foresee is that all this development would happen at once. Right now we have many good and some not-so-good projects in the construction phase and more awaiting approval from planning and zoning. I believe it is time to pause, reflect on what we did right and what we did wrong, and to respond intelligently. George Mansfield and Lee Kyriacou are the candidates whom I believe can work to craft that intelligent response. Please vote for them on Sept. 12.
John Gilvey, Beacon
Kyriacou and Mansfield have proposed the most sound, informed and sensible outline to manage growth in Beacon.
Their draft proposals for zoning and planning changes outline six development goals which will help steer development in a positive way. The awareness that Beacon’s desirability as a real-estate investment destination should be leveraged to assure that community development is given equal weight when negotiating with developers is an important strategy in developing zoning policy.
After seeing what it looks like firsthand, I especially agree with the elimination of five-story zoning in the downtown area. The view of Mount Beacon is obscured for two blocks west of the new building going up on Eliza Street. Why do people move to Beacon if not for the views of our beautiful Hudson Valley?
More important is the observation by Kyriacou and Mansfield that the building moratorium should address more than the water issue. A city growing as fast as Beacon should have a long-range plan with a strong zoning board and regulations. Additionally, they recognize that redevelopment should focus on job creation as well as residential development.
Beacon’s economic future will be much stronger if there is a mixed economy with readily available jobs other than those in the service industry, which seems to be the engine of growth at the moment. We can’t depend solely on tourism.
William Sciambi, Beacon
