Reader Endorsements: State Senate 39

I am writing to support Yvette Valdés Smith, who is running to represent the 39th District in the state Senate, which includes the Highlands.

Yvette has represented Ward 4 in Beacon on the Dutchess County Legislature since 2022, and she has the skills and experience necessary to be an outstanding state senator. She has tirelessly earned our votes by knocking on doors and participating in community activities. She does not take her office or voter support for granted. She actively listens to constituents to meet our needs.

Last spring, when Dutchess proposed cutting bus service to our Beacon neighborhood, Yvette was the first person I turned to. She navigated me and my neighbors through the steps to voice our concerns. Thanks to her leadership, we kept our public transit.

This November, the choice is clear. To restore decency and return to good governance, we need to vote for Democrats at all levels. We need a state senator who will deliver results for the Hudson Valley, not just photo ops. 

Yvette’s vision is a promise and a roadmap to a better future. She will work to improve our schools, conserve our environment, create affordable housing solutions, protect women’s health and be our voice in Albany. She is a beacon of hope who we can all rally behind. I urge you to vote for Yvette Valdés Smith for state Senate.

Carolyn Bennett Glauda, Beacon

The leaves are changing and falling, The Current is reminding parents to get students vaccinated, the Haldane football team is receiving new helmet cushions and the school bus is puffing its way up and down East Mountain Road South.

Yet, there is the constant reminder of the ever-present gun violence. We can’t keep praying and doing nothing. Why is it impossible for our elected leaders to act? Our state senator, Rob Rolison, voted against the sensible 10-day waiting period between purchase and possession. We need to allow time for law enforcement to complete background checks. This simply makes sense.

Yvette Valdés Smith is running for state Senate. She will support such a pause. I’m voting for her on Nov. 5.

Constancia Romilly, Philipstown

Sen. Rolison is no friend of the environment. In fact, the New York League of Conservation Voters gave him the low score of 64 percent due to his lack of support for environmental legislation in the 2023 legislative session. This is the lowest score of all five Hudson Valley senators, with three of his colleagues scoring 100 percent.

Rolison voted against S3328A, a bill that would establish limitations for toxic air emissions and contaminants including benzene, formaldehyde, vinyl chloride, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and mercury. As neurotoxins and carcinogens these chemicals are hazardous to our health and pocketbooks. They contribute to chronic disease, lost time from work and school and high medical expenses. Sadly, 61 percent of Hudson Valley residents are at risk for air pollution, according to the American Lung Association, and Poughkeepsie is considered the sixth most difficult place to live in the U.S. if have asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.

Rolison also voted against the Just Energy Transition Act (S2935), which would require a study of options to phase-out, replace and/or redevelop New York State’s oldest and most polluting fossil fuel generation facilities by 2030.

Our children deserve better. Yvette Valdés Smith is an environmental champion. She has sponsored legislation to expand green spaces and to hire a county climate smart coordinator. Valdés Smith supports countywide waste reduction strategies: She has co-sponsored legislation to expand composting and supports creating a sustainable countywide waste management system that ends our reliance on burning garbage. Yvette is the leader we need!

Sandi Stratton-Gonzalez, Fishkill

During his time in office, Rob Rolison has failed to protect the people of Poughkeepsie from a toxic water system that has left 1 in 5 children in the city with dangerous levels of lead in their blood.

When he served as mayor from 2016 to 2022, Rolison displayed inexcusable negligence in addressing the city’s lead crisis, which led to Poughkeepsie having the fifth-highest rate of lead poisoning in the state. Rolison mismanaged federal funds intended to assist the city in replacing over 5,500 lead service lines and oversaw the replacement of just 14 lines in four years.

Worse, Rolison signed a 10-year agreement with Veolia, the company responsible for the mass poisoning of children and families in Flint, Michigan, to treat our water while the conglomerate was being sued for that travesty. In September 2022, right before his Senate run, Rolison gave a $175,000 no-bid contract to a vendor that had fleeced the city by charging $150 per foot for copper pipes. Fortunately for Rolison, that company then donated $1,000 to his state senate campaign.

Rolison’s role in the lead crisis should indicate to voters that he prioritizes his own advantage and image over the welfare and safety of the people. The cynicism of his failed governance stands in stark contrast to the politicians who are working tirelessly to address the lead crisis. Citizens like me who prioritize public health over industrial profit plan to vote for Yvette Valdés Smith. Rolison has already proven, time and time again, that he cannot be trusted to look out for us. Let’s vote for someone who will.

Cooper Miller, Poughkeepsie