Residents vote ‘no’ to dissolving village
In a referendum vote on Monday (Nov. 8), residents of Highland Falls rejected a proposal to dissolve their village.
The vote was 779 to 450, according to Village Clerk Regina Taylor. The village, established in 1906, has a population of 3,800.
A petition signed by 405 residents was certified on July 8, compelling the Village Board to hold the vote. Had the referendum passed, Highlands Falls would have been absorbed by the Town of Highland, which includes Fort Montgomery, Bear Mountain State Park and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“For me this vote was about moving forward and continuing our progress,” said Mayor Joe D’Onofrio. “Now we need to unite and work together and have accomplishments for all.”
Joe DeWitt, who was elected to the Town of Highland board in November and who supported the campaign to dissolve, said he thought the vote would be closer but wasn’t surprised by the outcome, in part because he said police officers campaigned “in and out of uniform” to preserve the village.
“Anything the police did was on their off time,” D’Onofrio responded.
