June 15: Key Democratic Primary Information

The Democratic Primary will occur on Tuesday, June 27.  Polls open at 6 am and close at 9 pm.  Your polling place should be the same as last year, either the Town Hall or the Firehouse. Early voting will start this Saturday, June 17.  You can vote early this year at two nearby locations: at the New Paltz Community Center, 3 Veteran Dr, New Paltz, NY 12561 or the Shawangunk Town Office Building, 14 Central Ave, Wallkill, NY 12589.  For information about hours and other locations, click here.

The only choice Gardiner Democrats will face at the polls is for who will represent the Democratic Party against the Republican opponent in the fall for Town Supervisor:  Marybeth Majestic or Tim Hunter.  The Gardiner Democratic Committee knows both candidates very well, has endorsed Marybeth Majestic wholeheartedly and–without saying anything specifically negative about Tim Hunter, because we want to avoid “going negative”–strongly urges voters to cast their ballots for Marybeth Majestic.

This is important: We are supporting the best candidate to, not just serve as a Town Board member (one of five), but to manage the town on a day-to-day basis for the next two years.  Marybeth Majestic is the only Democratic candidate in this race with a successful record of managing anything, much less a town with up to 50 employees at any given time and a budget of $4 million.

As a committee, we are also charged with selecting the candidate we believe has the best chance of prevailing in November over the Republican challenger.  Again, the choice of Marybeth Majestic is clear.  The incumbent Supervisor would, if she wins on June 27, run on a very strong 8-year record of managing the town.  She also has some bipartisan support.  Her Republican challenger in the fall, Scott Arnold, the owner of an HVAC company, has deep pockets, but no experience in government, as far as we know, either paid or as a volunteer.  He does have experience managing a business, which some find persuasive (think Donald Trump).  Like the Republican challenger in November, Tim Hunter has no experience working in Government but also no relevant management experience.  There is no question in our minds that Marybeth Majestic has the best chance of defeating a Republican opponent in November.

Marybeth’s opposition has run a negative campaign from the outset.  Tim Hunter and his   

surrogates have been going door-to-door, mostly criticizing Marybeth’s record, but also implicitly her character and her status as a “real Democrat.”  Negative misinformation, as stated In my previous letter, was predictable in a primary election against a tenured incumbent, but we will not let it go unrefuted.  The opposition’s approach is, in a slight modification of the old saying, “If you can’t dazzle them with your brilliance (or record or resume), baffle them with you know what…”

The GDC wants to set the record straight about Marybeth Majestic and her record as Gardiner’s Town Supervisor regarding certain points the opposition has been..ahem…shoveling.  So, I am beginning a series of segments entitled, Gardiner Primary ’23–No Bull.”  Pardon the length–sometimes the truth is complicated. Here is the first installment:

Gardiner Primary ’23–NO BULL! Installment #1

WHAT’S BEING SAID	THE TRUTH
Accusation: Marybeth Majestic is really not a Democrat.  She is a Republican masquerading as a Democrat in part because she has lawn signs on properties that are owned by both Republicans and Democrats in Gardiner.	FACT:  Marybeth Majestic is a lifelong registered Democrat.  In 2015 (when she was challenging an incumbent Democratic Town Supervisor) and again in 2017, she attempted in good faith to get the nomination of the Democratic Party at our nominating caucuses and failed to get enough votes.  At the same time, the Gardiner Republicans were imploding and offered her a way to get on the ballot and she took it.  In 2019, 2021, and now, in 2023, after seeing  her in action we realized that she is a highly competent and hard-working Supervisor who is, in fact, completely aligned with our Gardiner Democratic Party’s platform and values.  The GDC wholeheartedly supported her as our endorsee in now three elections.  That vote this year was almost unanimous—the single exception was her current challenger, who we know well. We believe without hesitation that Marybeth is BY FAR, the better Democratic candidate.  The fact that some Republicans have displayed her lawn signs is just an indication that she has some bipartisan support, something that will serve her well in the fall.  She understands what it means to represent all the people.
Accusation:  Marybeth Majestic has not done enough for the environment.	FACT: Climate Smart Gardiner, Community Preservation Fund, Community Choice Aggregation, investigating and repairing the hamlet’s sewer collection and treatment system and other efforts to preserve the natural wonders of Gardiner, reduce the town’s use of deadly fossil fuels, and increase water protection  show this to be false.  Also, refuting this notion is the updated comprehensive plan, created due to Marybeth’s efforts, which seeks to preserve the majesty of the Ridge and the small-town character of Gardiner.  The new Comprehensive Plan is available on the Town’s website.  Please make time to at least skim the document so that you can see where Marybeth plans to lead Gardiner.  We think you will be impressed and want to have her continue as Gardiner’s Supervisor.

If you have any questions or doubts about Supervisor Majestic’s record or leadership, or if you just want to chat, please call her on her cell at (845) 249-6715 or her home line at (845) 255-0091.  She will be glad to speak with you.

(Keep an Eye Out for Installment #2 in the next day or so)

Ending with a Letter

The following is a published Letter to The Editor by environmental and climate activist, Kim Mayer

Dear Editor,

With the horribly polluted air literally hanging over us this week as a result of Canadian wildfires that can be attributed to an extremely uncharacteristic long period of heat and drought that made the area a tinderbox for lightning strikes, it is incredibly important for 

  local government to take steps to reduce local greenhouse emissions and improve climate resiliency. Climate Change is the most pressing issue of our time. We need to save the planet and it starts with us. That is why I am writing to express my support for Marybeth Majestic for the position of Gardiner Town Supervisor.

With Marybeth as our Town Supervisor, Gardiner has moved forward and joined a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program, installed a charging station, planted over 700 trees, entered a contract with NYPA to convert our streetlamps to dimmable, dark-sky compliant LED lamps, introduced recycling at Majestic Park, and developed climate resiliency and climate emergency plans. All of these projects took commitment, hard work, and collaboration, and during Marybeth’s tenure, the town has accomplished this and much more.

Also, I want to touch briefly here on Gardiner’s recent enrollment into the CCA program’s 100% renewable energy option sourced from New York energy suppliers. There was some vocal opposition from Gardinerites about Gardiner enrolling in this program, but Supervisor Majestic and the Town Board BRAVELY chose to move forward because it was the right thing to do for Gardinerite’s electricity bills, our planet and for local energy resiliency. Many people don’t understand why local climate resiliency or supporting 100% renewable energy from NY is important. Let me explain: to help better prepare for energy disruptions, local governments should be making investments to support local infrastructure that will ensure continuous energy supply at good rates. Per the US DOE ,”Creating energy in your own state can help with energy resiliency because it provides a more reliable source of energy. This is because the energy is generated locally and is less likely to be affected by disruptions in other states or countries.”

Marybeth’s opposition in the primary talks a lot. They “say” she is not really a green candidate, but I beg to differ. Let Marybeth’s record do the talking.

Gardiner Democrats, make sure you get out and vote on primary day for Marybeth Majestic. She is the Democratic candidate we can trust to continue Gardiner’s critical work on climate change.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Mayer, Gardiner

That’s all for now folks.  Thanks for your time.  You will be hearing from me again shortly.

Best wishes,

Tom Kruglinski

Chair, Gardiner Democratic Committee