Both Ward 4 candidates still on ballot
Dan Aymar-Blair will appear on the Democratic line for the Ward 4 seat in Beacon on the November ballot after receiving 66 percent of the vote in the party’s primary race on Tuesday (June 25). He defeated Kelly Ellenwood, 237-123.
Aymar-Blair will also appear on the fall ballot on the Working Families line, and Ellenwood will appear on the Independence Party line.
In the Green Party primary for Beacon mayor, Terry Hockler received seven votes and a write-in candidate or candidates received 10. The write-in votes will be counted by the Dutchess County Board of Elections next week, along with absentee ballots.
There were no Green Party candidates in Beacon’s wards, but voters registered with the party could write in candidates to appear on the party’s line on the November ballot. In Ward 1 there were eight write-in votes, in Ward 2 there were three, and in Ward 4 there were two. There was one write-in vote cast in Ward 3 but the ballot was ruled ineligible.
In county Legislative District 18, which includes part of Beacon, there were 10 write-in votes for the Green Party line.
It saddens me that Beacon Democrats have gone full NIMBY and endorsed someone who wants to prevent more housing and businesses from getting built in Beacon. The policies supported by Mr. Aymar-Blair will only cause housing prices to skyrocket and force out many locally run shops as rents skyrocket because of the city’s NIMBY development policies.
I also found it funny for him to complain about gentrification in Beacon when he himself is a gentrifier and his policies would only exacerbate those problems. More people want to live in Beacon and if we want housing prices to stay affordable, we will need more housing units. The basic economics of supply and demand apply to Beacon, regardless of Aymar-Blair’s wishful thinking otherwise.