Patterns in the silence: what January and February revealed about the shape of our town
March 31, 2025.
The Environmentalist.
When you follow local government meetings closely — not just one board, but all of them — you begin to notice patterns that aren’t visible in a single agenda.
January and February gave us seven Town Board meetings, two Planning Board sessions, and one Police Commission meeting. On paper, a productive winter. But underneath the motions and minutes, a different story is unfolding.
Participation and Absence:
Councilwoman Julie Seyfert missed several January meetings and resigned on February 11 without much public explanation.
Councilman Edgar Rodriguez was also absent from key votes in January — including the special board meeting on January 18.
Many votes passed with only three board members present, including warrant approvals and early-year appointments.
Meanwhile, newly appointed members — especially Deputy Supervisor Kitty Brown — were active and consistent in their presence. She was present for every Town Board meeting and played a key role in organizing discussion.
The Affordable Housing Dilemma
Across multiple meetings, from Planning Board critiques of the New Paltz Apartments project to Councilwoman Lewis’s call for a formal housing law, one message has emerged:
New Paltz talks about affordable housing, but hasn’t figured out how to make it last.
The term “affordable” appears in nearly every meeting — but without consistent definitions, enforcement mechanisms, or transparency. A project can be “affordable” when approved and market-rate three years later.
As someone who cares about ecological succession and long-term systems, I see a parallel: if we plant trees but don’t protect the soil, we won’t have a forest. If we approve housing without laws that preserve affordability, we won’t have a community.
Governance Under Strain
January’s workshop on Chapter 34 revealed confusion about who really holds oversight of the police — a structural question we still haven’t answered. At the same time, the Planning Board was reviewing documents from the Village it didn’t fully trust, while lacking legal leverage to change them.
Resignations, reappointments, and public confusion about who’s on which board suggest a deeper problem: governance gaps. Too many responsibilities are falling on part-time boards with limited support. We’re a growing town using a governance model designed for a smaller one.
What to Watch Next
Will the Town have the guts to enforceable affordable housing law?
Will the Planning Board empower the stronger legislation and enforcement to ensure a natural environment for future generations — soil, stormwater, and emergency service planning as more high-density projects roll in?
Will the Town Board revisit Chapter 34, or will it settle into old patterns of limited oversight?
And most importantly, who will show up — not just in meetings, but when it’s time to vote?
January and February weren’t loud. But they revealed fault lines. We should be paying attention — not just to what was said, but to what wasn’t.
Because in New Paltz, like in nature, the quiet seasons shape the growing ones.