On Thursday, May 12, at its regular monthly meeting, the Gardiner Democratic Committee endorsed a slate of candidates for the upcoming Town elections in November. The candidates are: Lisa Lindsley for Town Supervisor, David Dukler and Warren Wiegand for Town Board. Other endorsees include Tracey Bartels for Ulster County Legislator, Robert Rich, who is running for reelection as Justice for Town Justice Court; Brian Stiscia for Highway Superintendent; and Michelle Mosher for Town Clerk.
Lisa Lindsley for Town Supervisor
Lisa Lindsley is an activist and financial expert running for Town Supervisor in Gardiner. She has been an active member of the skydiving community in Gardiner for more than twenty-five years and has been a full-time Town resident since 2013. Lisa holds an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and an MBA from NYU. Lisa uses her 30 years of experience in finance and her MBA to support non-profit organizations through her consulting firm, KarmaKapital, based in her home in Gardiner. She is a founding member of the progressive group, Move Forward New York 19 and the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network. Lisa has also been an active member of the group opposing the development of wetlands adjacent to Shaft Road in Gardiner.
Lisa is passionate about parks, open space, and smart development for Gardiner, as well as professionalism and sound financial management for town government. She is looking forward to putting her business leadership savvy and 30 years of experience in finance to work for Gardiner.
David Dukler for Town Board Member
David Dukler, a long-time Gardiner resident, is seeking election to his second term on the Gardiner Town Board. A social worker by training, David worked in the Arlington school District with both high school and elementary school students in his 21-year career there. His leadership experience is vast. He served on the New Paltz School Board for nine years, serving two years as Vice-president and two as President. He was on the Gardiner Library Board for four years, serving as President for three years. He has been on the Gardiner Town Board since 2013.
Some of David’s areas of focus have been the Rail Trail, serving as a liaison with the WVRTA and applying for grants to maintain the trail. He found a savings to the town of over $40,000 yearly by identifying a better health care plan for our retirees. He works closely with the Environmental Conservation commission and is liaison to the Town transfer station. Among his other efforts for the Town, David is concerned with improving the functioning of the variety of all-volunteer boards and commissions serving Gardiner.
Warren Wiegand for Town Board Member
Warren Wiegand, a familiar face in Gardiner, is running this year for Town Board. Warren has lived in Gardiner for more than 30 years and has previously served two full terms as a Town Board member, his most recent stint ending in 2015. He holds a BA from Trinity College and an MBA from Columbia University. Before bringing his knowledge and experience to Gardiner, Warren spent 35 years as a marketing and banking executive and as owner of his own communications firm, which he sold in 2003.
A natural listener and practical problem-solver, Warren has many civic accomplishments. Preservation of the Hess and Kiernan farms, successful negotiations with the town’s union, instituting fiscal discipline to keep taxes down, raising money for building the Town Library, as well as engineering the sale of the old library building, are just a few of these. In 2014 Warren developed and executed a successful plan to get the actor Robert De Niro to reimburse $129,000 in legal fees the Town had spent defending a law suit brought by De Niro’s accounting firm. During his time out of public office, Warren has continued to serve, currently as a member of the Gardiner Planning Board. He is intensely interested in continuing his work on the Town’s behalf in the areas of sound financial management and infrastructure investment as well as smart development.