TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – The Town of Poughkeepsie’s elected officials were sworn in on Wednesday evening prior to the start of the reorganizational meeting. Town Supervisor Jon “Jay” Baisley was administered his third oath of office, delivered by Town Justice Paul Sullivan, who was sworn in earlier in the ceremony.
Baisley’s address started with the proclamation that “We have a phenomenal board,” and recounted some of the previous successes of the board while pointing to upcoming projects that are taking place throughout the town. Baisley noted that the town “counts every penny” and has stayed under the tax cap every year since he took office. “This should definitely make the tax base stable. We saw such a downturn for years with commercial, with values going down and homes going up, so homeowners were picking up the tab,” he said. “Hopefully with these, we will stabilize the taxes and we won’t see any increases.”
A positive fund balance, major improvements to the parks and overall town recreation, and the Hometown Heroes program that honors veterans were just some of the accomplishments of the board.
The Parking Ticket Amnesty program was a “huge success” and Baisley said it netted $200,000 for the town’s coffers in 2019.
Eastdale Village, the major Kirchoff undertaking on Route 44, is a tremendous boost to the town’s economy according to Baisley. With three residential buildings already constructed, the first commercial space, a medical facility, is slated to open on January 10, with the groundbreaking for the west side commercial space including Rossi’s Deli, happening in the near future.
On the north side of town, on the grounds of the former Hudson River Psychiatric Center, the $300 million Hudson Heritage project is taking shape, according to Baisley. Much of the property has been cleared of trees and brush to make way for a supermarket, hotel, housing, and recreational opportunities. “The Cheney building is slated for demolition but most of the buildings are going to be saved and rehabbed,” said Baisley. Groundbreaking for the new Shop Rite on the property is slated for March of this year.
“The Town of Poughkeepsie has a very low inventory of available housing,” Baisley said as he touted the town as “A place where people can live, work, play, and educate.”
In addition to Baisley, the town board is made up of incumbents. Returning board members include Jeff Renihan, Bill Carlos, Jessica Lopez, Michael Cifone, Matthew Woolever, and Ann Shershin. The political makeup of the board is four Republicans and three Democrats. Town Clerk Felicia Salvatore and Highway Superintendent Marc Pfeifer, the master of ceremonies for the evening, also took their oaths.
Newly-elected Town Justice Ed Gabel participated in the ceremonial oath while holding his two-year-old grandson Cole Judge, as Gabel’s daughter Elizabeth Judge held the bible.
In his remarks, Pfeifer praised Baisley for being willing to work in a bipartisan manner for the betterment of the town. “When you work with Jay, he listens,” said the veteran highway superintendent. “Our town board works very well together,” added Pfeifer.
