POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County lawmakers approved the appointment of Caroline Blackburn as Dutchess County Attorney. Blackburn is the first woman to hold the position, despite five male Democrats opposing the appointment.
Blackburn was chosen by County Executive Marc Molinaro to serve in the position after decade-long county attorney Jim Fedorchak announced his October retirement earlier this year.
“Caroline brings the right professional experience, demeanor, commitment to serve along with the dedication to truth needed to serve as our next County attorney,” said Molinaro, adding “The first woman to serve in this critical role, she has distinguished herself as a person of integrity, great capacity, and decency. A professional to her core, she has earned this appointment and will serve us well.”
Democratic lawmakers Christopher Munn, Barrington Atkins, Giancarlo Llaverias, Craig Brendli, and Frits Zernike all voted against Blackburn’s appointment. Minority Leader Rebecca Edwards said that Munn “made a valid point” in his opposition when he questioned the appointment. “Why aren’t minutes of the county’s public boards available to the public on request? Many counties post them on their websites, but here even a legislator can’t access them. It’s hard to understand why the county attorney’s office would defend that practice,” Edwards said of Munn’s disagreement with the appointment.
All five of the Democrats failed to respond to a request for comment seeking an explanation of their vote.
