As many people focus on next year’s presidential elections, my thoughts move to our elections here in Beacon. I am pleased that Terry Hockler is running as a write-in candidate for mayor.
I have known Terry for many years and am confident that she is a true advocate for the citizens of Beacon. I appreciate her platform of protecting the elderly by fixing or lowering their taxes, as well as her desire to find more accessible transportation for senior citizens and the physically challenged.
Terry Hockler understands that we all need good roads and essential services; that our children deserve quality schools; and that supporting our local businesses make for a healthy, thriving community. She also believes that the essential charm and ambiance of our city should be preserved, and that growth should be thoughtfully planned.
It is refreshing that she believes that only with transparency in government can faith be restored, and I believe in the platform she has laid out in her website. Terry Hockler will be a positive voice as the mayor of Beacon.
Silkie Robinson, Beacon
This year, my family celebrated 25 years since our move to Beacon from Long Island.
In 1994, our little city was struggling with the effects of the infamous urban renewal policy, which was well-intentioned but left crime and poverty in its wake. Empty overgrown lots. Sad blocks of empty storefronts. Crummy roads. That’s when the Paul Newman movie Nobody’s Fool was filmed here. If you want to know what Beacon looked like before, watch the movie. (It’s really good.)
Since our move, we witnessed many false starts before Beacon turned it around. I am going to give the lion’s share of credit for that turnaround to Mayor Randy Casale. Finally, people are moving here. Finally, you can shop on Main Street. Finally, we are the tourist destination we were meant to be. Finally, children are safe. And I must add, the roads and sidewalks are better too, and our water and utilities are upgraded.
National politics are ugly, but Mayor Casale doesn’t deal in partisan bitterness. If an idea is good for the people, if a program is beneficial, he implements it. Under his leadership, we have reduced our carbon footprint, installed a solar farm and partnered with Hudson Valley Community Power so that Beacon can lead the way in renewable clean sustainable energy and community solar. He also got us a free bus loop!
A lot of people like Randy because they see him on the street, watering the potted plants every morning; or because he returns every phone call; or because he is a full-time mayor although he draws a part-time salary. Other like him because Beacon’s fiscal condition is sound and our taxes are under the state tax cap. I like him because I like what Beacon has become since Randy’s been mayor.
If you are one of my new neighbors, Mayor Randy Casale is the reason you like Beacon, and I hope you will vote for him and keep this great momentum going!
Mary Kate Pendergast, Beacon
We are writing in support of keeping Randy Casale as Beacon’s mayor.
The average age of Beacon is over 40 years old; the city has a lot of people with gray hair, like ours. Mayor Randy has done a great job. He has kept taxes down, which matters to those of us no longer in our earning years. And he is bringing young people to the city. He cares about the reality of Beacon. He plays basketball with the kids. He knows which plot of land would make a great pocket garden. He is working to get a second ambulance, which is a big deal for those of us who worry about what will happen if we call and the first one is busy.
He tells it like it is. He says it to our faces, whether we like it or not. He knows Beacon better than anyone in the city. And he lives here full-time. He knows that parking on Main Street isn’t an issue on Tuesday. He knows when a new business opens and goes by to say “Hi.” And he knows that we need new and younger people to help share the tax burden that comes not from the City of Beacon but from the school district and the state.
People around the world complain about gentrification. This is not just a Beacon issue. Yes, Beacon is special in many ways, but not in our challenges. There have always been changes in population and housing in cities, and there always will be. Trends show that people will live in smaller spaces and share bigger common spaces. We think that is a good thing: As older people, we know that one of the most important things in life is community, and for us community means a dynamic place like Beacon and not a gated artificial place reserved for the old.
We have lived long enough in Beacon to know that when some people disagree, they choose to hurl insults online, anonymously and in closed Facebook groups. One of the favorite accusations is that others are “on the take.”
If Mayor Randy were on the take, would he live in a rental? Would he put in full-time hours in a part-time job when he could be off spending or making money somewhere else? Would he be one of the only adults in Beacon we know who is trusted by people of every color in the community, instead of just the few who feel entitled enough to disparage the powers that be?
We are grateful and proud that Randy is our mayor. He has our vote, and our support in continuing to build a city that will produce a worthy successor to him next time.
Jim and Ronna Lichtenberg, Beacon
I first ran for Beacon City Council in 2015, with the intention of unseating Lee Kyriacou, because I didn’t like where the city seemed to be headed in terms of development. Two years later I ran again, but this time I got to know Lee. I was amazed at how well he knew this city and so many of its residents. I learned from watching him engage and answer questions openly and honestly. I saw how hard he worked to speak with as many of his constituents as possible, and how much he enjoyed it.
I have now served with Lee on the council for nearly two years, and I am continually grateful for the ideas and wealth of knowledge that he brings to our discussions. It’s easy to look in from the outside and think about all of the things that we wish the council members were doing, but Lee understands how to actually get those things done.
Lee’s guidance in zoning and attention to detail has been a tremendous help as we have worked to slow down development and preserve the essence of our community. He is thoughtful, thorough and he really listens. He encourages each and every council member to use his or her own voice, and helps us fight for the things that are important to us and our constituents.
Having Lee Kyriacou as our mayor will ensure that seemingly minor details don’t slip through the cracks, and that every member of our community will be represented. Please join me in voting for Lee Kyriacou for mayor of Beacon.
Jodi McCredo, Beacon
McCredo represents Ward 3 on the City Council.
I am happy to see Terry Hockler running as a write-in candidate for mayor. I respect her love for the city and, as a lifelong member of the Beacon Sloop Club, I believe her ideas are best for Beacon. She is concerned about our parks, river and mountain, and does not want them to be encroached upon by development. Terry feels that the city’s planning and zoning boards should be elected positions. She will work along with Beacon’s residents to rezone the city.
When an administration is not acting in citizens’ best interest, we need a change. I will most certainly write-in Terry Hockler for mayor on Nov. 5.
Daniel Searles, Beacon
It is with great pleasure that I endorse Lee Kyriacou for mayor. I have known Lee for the last four years and have served with him on the City Council for the last two years. I believe Lee to be a team player and a leader with many great qualities. We have had many conversations on controlling the development of properties and tightening the zoning laws. He brings a wealth of expertise along with a strong commitment to the council and I believe he would be a great mayor.
Lee is for working with the community for a better quality of life. Lee is in favor of affordability to make Beacon a more livable place for all. Lee has great values and he will listen to people’s concerns and address issues in a timely matter. Lee has strong family values, as well, and I believe he will look for ways to keep our children actively engaged in the community.
It is for these reasons and more I believe that Lee can take Beacon to the next level. Join me in voting for Lee Kyriacou to become the next mayor of this great city.
John Rembert, Beacon
Rembert represents Ward 2 on the City Council.
A recent campaign mailer produced by the Beacon Democratic Committee in favor of their mayoral candidate responds to policy about development in our city. If you look at the voting record and policy influence of our mayor and the Democrats’ candidate regarding development, you will find little, if any, difference.
That is also true of the voting record of long-serving Democrats on the City Council or on the Beacon Democratic Committee. The single material difference that I draw from those ads is Randy Casale doesn’t distance himself from his decisions. If he can help craft a better solution he will, without dodging responsibility or shifting blame for unpopular results the way those mailers have.
Randy seeks partnerships wherever he can and he is never beholden to county, state or federal authorities or politicians he thinks have a view that might not be in the interest of our city and its citizens. He works across all lines of diversity, including political. On these matters, his opponents can’t compare.
This election is clearly in the hands of registered Democrats who have a choice between the incumbent and their party’s candidate. To them I say: if you put your party as the priority in choosing a candidate, you have not followed the principles that have made Beacon a diverse, dynamic and peaceful community for hundreds of years. To those who are relatively new to this community, please understand that these are principles that have stood well beyond the term of any elected official who has ever served or any party that has held a majority.
Please join me in re-electing Beacon’s best and most loyal advocate, Randy Casale, a man who does not follow the direction of so-called higher authority or let political aspirations dictate his actions.
Dan McElduff, Beacon
