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The Gardiner Democratic Committee (GDC) is the official arm of the state, county, and national Democratic Parties in Gardiner, New York.  It is our responsibility to identify and recruit interested and qualified candidates for local offices of government here in Gardiner.  As part of this effort, we are seeking to speak with citizens who may be interested in contributing their time, energy, and talents as local elected officials.  Before every election, the GDC interviews and votes on whether to endorse candidates for public office.  In addition, the GDC sponsors a Democratic Caucus prior to each election, a public meeting and vote wherein candidates interested in running on the Democratic ballot line have an opportunity to make their case to be the official Democratic candidate for available slots on the ballot.  Democrats who are registered to vote in Gardiner will gather at the caucus to select our party’s candidates for town offices.  While membership (party registration) in the Democratic Party is not a prerequisite for candidates seeking either GDC endorsement or nomination at the caucus, the GDC is looking for possible candidates who strongly share the values of the Democratic Party.

November 2019 Elections Call for Candidates

On November 5, 2019, an election will be held to determine who holds the following Gardiner offices:

• Town Board Member (2 positions)
• Town Supervisor (1 position)

Here are brief job descriptions for your consideration.  For further information on the positions and town government responsibilities in general, see https://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/pubs/townoff/ito.pdf

Town Board Members (2 positions available this year)

Gardiner has five Town Board Members, four of whom serve staggered four-year terms (the fifth is Town Supervisor, which is up for election every two years). The legislative authority of the town rests in the town board, which is the governing body of the town.  The Town Board makes all significant decisions of the town government, including, but not limited to: discussing and passing laws and ordinances; budgeting; filling vacancies in town offices, elective or appointive; may select a town attorney and a town engineer; and provides for the hiring of other employees as necessary for the conduct of the town’s business.  Other functions are too numerous to list here.

The Gardiner Town Board holds regular meetings on the first two Tuesdays of every month and meets at other times as necessary to get the business of the down done.  Town board members also generally serve as liaisons to town operating departments and other town entities, attending meetings as necessary to provide that oversight and communication function. The estimated total time commitment is 10-15 hours per month.  Salary is currently $5,585 annually  (no healthcare coverage offered), as well as contributions to the state retirement system.

Town Supervisor (1 position available this year)

The Gardiner Town Supervisor serves as the town executive and administrator.  After town board decisions have been made, it is the supervisor who often carries out the decisions. The supervisor usually receives the majority of complaints and suggestions of citizens, as well.  The Town Supervisor also serves as the presiding officer (chairperson) of the town board, a town legislator (one of five votes of the town board), the town fiscal officer.  In short, the Gardiner Town Supervisor is the top manager of the town government.

The Gardiner Town Supervisor commits an estimated 100 hours of his or her time to town business each month, however, this amount may vary considerably based on issues he or she is dealing with at any point in time.  The Town Supervisor appoints a Deputy Town Supervisor to fill in and make necessary decisions when the Supervisor is not available.  The annual salary for Gardiner Town Supervisor is currently $42,026 per year with healthcare coverage provided (20% individual contribution), as well as contributions to the state retirement system.

 If Interested, Please Contact Us

If you think you might be interested in either a position on the Gardiner Town Board or as Gardiner Town Supervisor, or would just like more information, we are interested in speaking with you!  Please contact:

GDC Chair, Mike Kruglinski
(845) 649-8966
bigkrug@yahoo.com

GDC Vice Chair Lisa Lindsley
(201) 321-0301
lisa.lindsley@gmail.com

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Some Background on this Endorsement

As you may have heard, our County Executive for the last decade, Mike Hein, recently accepted a new position as Commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance.  The GDC wishes Mike well in this critical new role in Governor Cuomo’s cabinet.  Although the County is in good hands temporarily with Hein’s long-time Chief-of-Staff, Adele Reiter stepping in as Acting Executive, a special election is required within 90 days of the Executive’s resignation to fill the position through the rest of Hein’s term, which was scheduled to go through the end of this year.

The date of the election will be announced shortly.  In the meantime, the parties must get to work nominating candidates for the special election.  The Ulster County Democratic Committee has called a nominating convention for Wednesday, February 20 where members of the various town committees will cast votes for the candidate of their choice.

Three major candidates emerged on the Democratic side: Gardiner resident Pat Ryan, runner-up in the 2018 primary for Congress, Kingston small businesswoman, Pat Strong, who ran unsuccessfully for State Senate in the fall, and Marc Rider, one of Mike Hein’s lieutenants.  Rider dropped out last week and threw his support to Pat Ryan. Another candidate, former Woodstock Town Council member Jeff Moran is not expected to be a factor in the race.

GDC Endorses Pat Ryan for U.C. Exec

At its monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 13, after hearing from both Pat Ryan and Pat Strong, the Gardiner Democratic Committee voted to endorse its fellow Gardinerite, Pat Ryan.  The GDC had endorsed and worked hard for Ryan in the congressional primary last summer.  But past allegiances were not the main reason for the committee’s support for Ryan.  Among the reasons cited by GDC Chair, Mike Kruglinski were the following:

His Stance on the Issues:  Pat has a strong vision for the future of Ulster County, including creating a countywide Green New Deal, fighting to continue Mike Hein’s efforts in reforming our justice system to be as fair as it can possibly be, working closely with our new Sheriff, Juan Figueroa, promoting economic development that benefits all Ulster County residents, and opposing the disastrous policies of the Trump administration.

His Record of Service: Pat is a fifth-generation resident of Ulster County who has made service a top priority in his life.  His mom was a public school teacher and his dad a small businessman and community leader. They taught him that serving his country and community was of paramount importance.  After graduating from Kingston High School, Pat went on to West Point and served two combat tours in Iraq.

His Executive Experience:  After leaving the military, Pat founded a small technology company, which he grew to over 150 employees.  As an executive, Pat managed a $25 million budget and worked to build partnerships with government and nonprofit organizations. He created a jobs training program for veterans without college degrees, equipping them with tech skills to ensure they had high-paying jobs.  So, Pat Ryan has strong executive leadership experience at large bureaucratic organizations, including as an officer in the U.S. Army, that is directly applicable to running a public sector organization like Ulster County.

His Strong Support of Unions:  Pat’s mom, Patti, was a public-school teacher at Chambers Elementary in Kingston and a union member who taught him the importance of organized labor to America’s working people.  In business, he implemented progressive employer policies like paid family leave.  The day after Pat received the GDC endorsement, he learned that he was also endorsed by the Upper Hudson Central Labor Council, which represents 30,000 union members in Ulster, Columbia, and Greene Counties.  Ulster County government has a strong unionized workforce with whom Pat will work closely and cooperatively to maximize the services delivered to county residents while improving Ulster County as a public employer.  He is a strong leader who prioritizes teamwork.

“All things considered,” says GDC Chair Kruglinski, “Pat is the best person for the job of Ulster County Executive.”