January was foundations. February starts the shake-up!
March 3, 2025.
The Builder.
If you’ve been watching the Town Board these past two months, you saw something unusual: a lot of moving parts but not a lot of decision making. The year started on January 2 with the annual reorganizational meeting — a procedural marathon of appointments, designations, and official housekeeping. Necessary, but not exactly riveting.
The January 6 workshop meeting was more interesting. The Town Board turned its attention to Chapter 34, the law that defines the Police Commission. It was a room full of tensions: Police Commissioners, a Village Trustee, and the Town Board all trying to figure out who actually holds what kind of authority — and what “civilian oversight” is supposed to mean in practice.
On January 16, Councilwoman Lewis made an important suggestion: New Paltz needs an Affordable Housing Law, not just informal agreements. She was right. But the conversation moved on quickly — no formal motion, no draft law. Just a nudge.
By February 6, things picked up. The Board:
Adopted a Senior Citizens Tax Exemption
Recognized Black History Month
Debated the towing list selection process
And heard from a resident who said she no longer recommends New Paltz because we’ve lost the “feeling of community”
Five days later, on February 11, the Board entered executive session — and came out with two big announcements:
Councilwoman Julie Seyfert had resigned
Councilwoman Lewis and Councilman Rodriguez were appointed to the Police Commission
Suddenly, the quiet structural work from January looked a lot more relevant.
If you’re like me, you follow these meetings not for the show, but to identify moments when big changes are afoot… I’d say that moment came right around mid-February.