My name will appear on the November ballot as a candidate for a seat on the Cold Spring Village Board. I also have been house-hunting since January. It was my great hope that I would be able to do both simultaneously, but after viewing available properties and considering my budget and family needs, I have decided to purchase a home in Philipstown, outside the village limits.
I told everyone who signed my nominating position that I was house-hunting. When it became apparent that the third house that I put an offer on might pan out, I began looking for a candidate to suggest as a replacement for the ONE Cold Spring party line.
With the election less than four weeks away, it is too late to remove my name from the ballot, but I will not be campaigning. If I win one of the two open seats and have not yet moved, I can serve as a trustee until I move. However, the intent of this letter is to be transparent and let voters know that I may have to resign soon after the election if I win.
That being said, I urge Cold Spring voters to cast their ballots with great consideration. If I win and become ineligible to serve, the newly elected mayor would appoint someone to fill my seat.
The name of our committee is ONE Cold Spring for a reason: This is a community we all love, and the current national climate of political divisiveness has no place at the local level. We need deep roots invested in our local leaders, to create a community that can be stronger together as a whole. Please take the time to embrace our similarities rather than our differences and know that we all have the same goal — to maintain the village as the home to the family and friends that we cherish so much.
While my personal pivot will not likely allow me to serve this time around, I will continue to serve as an elected member of the Haldane Board of Education. My future in other local political endeavors will have to wait for the next chapter.
Margaret Parr, Cold Spring
Very classy message from Ms. Parr. I hope the unity vision of ONE Cold Spring will help in the effort to find common ground at the local level, where we all live, after all.
I applaud Ms. Parr for her honesty and integrity regarding the possibility that she may move out of Cold Spring. Her action shows the quality of her character. I could not help but notice how one of the “related stories” at the bottom is about the debacle and shenanigans surrounding the most recent Nelsonville election. The connection of the two stories made me smile (and groan).
Potts is a former Nelsonville trustee.