As we digest the results of Election Day, I thought Beacon residents might want to take a walk down memory lane to review what happened 35 years ago, in 1989.
I co-chaired the Republican campaign in Beacon that year, and the results of the November election were groundbreaking. All five Democratic City Council members, including Mayor Jim Fredericks, were swept from office by Clara Lou Gould and her four Republican or independent running mates: Dr. Robert Frankel, Al Romanelli, John McElduff and Joseph Guarneri Jr.
In addition, by a 58 percent to 42 percent margin, voters approved a change in how the city was run to a “strong mayor” structure. Instead of the five council members being elected citywide (i.e., the commissioners of public works, public safety, finance and accounts, plus the mayor), the seats would represent each of the four wards, supplemented by two council members elected citywide (“at-large”) and the mayor. That is the system the city uses today.
Notably, Poughkeepsie amended its charter shortly after Beacon but kept the mayor off the council, which I thought was a mistake. If you asked each mayor who has served in Beacon post-charter revision, I suspect they would agree that it is important not to create more distance between the executive and legislative branches.
Although Beacon in 1989 was one of only a few municipalities in New York state that still operated with commissioners, there were many heated discussions about changing the charter. I co-chaired a group with my friend Charlie Kelly that supported the change. Charlie challenged Mayor Fredericks in the Democratic primary but was narrowly defeated. Tony Borrero was the only member of Kelly’s coalition to oust an incumbent “old guard” council member in the Democratic primary, but he lost to McElduff in the general election.
The charter change approved by voters radically changed Beacon’s government. All administrative authority shifted to the mayor, who was empowered to appoint a city administrator to run day-to-day affairs. The mayor could also remove the administrator.
The six-member council was given legislative and policy-making duties and approved appointments such as the city administrator, the city attorney (a position I held from 1990 to 1999), members of the planning and zoning boards and various other committees. The mayor chaired council meetings.
Although approved in 1989, none of these changes took effect until after the 1991 election, when voters filled the six council seats and elected a mayor. (The Republicans swept that election, as well.)
Mayor Gould would serve for the next 18 years. Joseph Braun, the city’s first administrator, also held his position for 18 years. That sort of tenure was unusual at the time. One argument against the reforms was that Beacon was too small to keep the same city administrator for any length of time.
I suspect that few current residents are aware of what transpired 35 years ago during that historic election, but I believe most would agree that the results benefited everyone who has lived and worked in Beacon since 1989 and for many years to come.
