POUGHKEEPSIE – With 15 Republicans and one Democrat voting for Will Truitt, the 28-year-old senior member of the Dutchess County Legislature was elected as chairman of the body at Wednesday night’s reorganizational meeting. Truitt and his fellow Republicans fended off a challenge from eight of the Democrats who voted for Minority Leader Yvette Valdes Smith.
The Marist College graduate says public safety is the first and foremost issue that he wants the legislature to address.
“We need to tackle the drug crisis that’s here in our backyard, he told Mid-Hudson News after the meeting. “It’s affecting communities across the country and it’s rotting the soul of our communities because it’s killing our children and opioids are truly causing irreparable harm.”
The county’s specialized narcotics unit, the drug task force, consists of members of several of the local police departments, the county sheriff’s office and the district attorney’s office.
The new DA, Anthony Parisi, has said he will seek funding to add at least one more investigator to the task force and Truitt vowed to help.
“I’m planning on investing, with this body, in the sheriff’s office and our drug task force, making sure we can crack down on drugs on our streets,” Truitt added. The chairman said that his first official meetings will be with Sheriff Kirk Imperati and Parisi to determine how the legislature can help support their task of reducing illegal drug use in the county.
Truitt has eight years of service in the legislature, including the last two years as the majority leader. First elected at the age of 20, the lifelong Hyde Park resident is now tied for being the most senior member of the legislature. He is also the youngest member of the board.
