Poughkeepsie common council names Natasha Cherry-Brown chairperson

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Poughkeepsie City Hall
Council Chairperson Natasha Cherry, a/k/a Natasha Brown.

POUGHKEEPSIE – Sixth Ward Councilwoman Natasha Cherry-Brown has been unanimously approved as the Poughkeepsie Common Council’s new Councilperson-at-Large and will serve as the chairwoman of the council through December 31, 2023.

The resolution to appoint Cherry-Brown was not on the agenda for Monday night’s meeting but rather “walked on” for a vote by Second Ward Councilman Evan Menist, the Majority Leader of the council.

The chairperson seat became vacant when Sarah Salem resigned from the position on the day Salem was convicted of misdemeanor DWI.  Cherry-Brown, the body’s vice-chair assumed the duties of “acting” chairperson.

Menist introduced the resolution and immediately sought comments from fellow lawmakers despite the lack of a “second” for the resolution.  Menist spoke of Cherry-Brown and called her a strong, effective, and intelligent leader.”

Councilwoman Yvonne Flowers addressed the fact that the city’s law required a person to be named to the position no later than October 20th, noting that “It was a long process” and indicated that some of the applicants that were interviewed for the job possessed the abilities to perform the duties but no candidate was able to get the required five votes from sitting lawmakers.  “We’ve had some disagreements on this council,” Flowers said to Cherry, continuing with “But at this point, it’s time to move on.”

Councilman Lorraine Johnson expressed her displeasure with the process.  “I just don’t like the way this turned out,” Johnson said, noting that her favored applicant did not have the votes necessary.  The veteran lawmaker also said, “We (the council) are divided and I don’t like it.”

After the vote, Chairwoman Cherry-Brown said, “Unity is something we definitely need,” while crediting her fellow councilmembers for their talents.  “Everyone on this council brings something unique,” and Cherry-Brown vowed to use those talents for the benefit of the city.

The council now has 30 days to appoint a city resident to the position of Sixth Ward councilperson for the remainder of the term, which expires on December 31, 2023.  According to the city charter, the seat is required to be filled by December 21, 2022.  No application process for selecting a replacement was announced after the vote.




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