Politics on the Hudson

A recent mailer from candidate Michael Rights touting himself as the “only Republican” running for Southeast town supervisor faults his opponents, Southeast Councilwoman Lorraine Mitts and Brewster Mayor John Degnan, as being in cahoots with the Democrats. The three are facing off in next week’s GOP primary.

“Why are two “republicans” aligning themselves with Democratic operatives in Putnam County? Because they are not true Republicans. They are democrats,” says the mailer.

That, one would guess, is a reference to Degnan, a registered Republican, running on the Democratic line and of Mitts and Degnan’s cooperation with local Democrats in setting up a pre-primary debate. You can read about that debate, one Rights and his team said they wouldn’t attend but then did, here.

But the other thing to keep in mind is that Rights, a registered Republican, ran on the Democratic line in 1999 in an unsuccessful bid for Southeast town councilman. After the jump is a story from that year….

Wednesday, October 13, 1999

Source: Gannett Newspapers
Edition:
Publication: The Journal News

Southeast race looks at commercial growth, town’s relationship with

MICHAEL RISINIT The Journal News

SOUTHEAST – The incumbents touted the town’s high quality of life and low tax rate as reasons to return them to office. Their challengers disagreed.

Tom Opdyke, who’s challenging Republican Supervisor Lois Zutell, criticized the ‘’ leadership at the top ‘’ during an interview this week with The Journal News’ Editorial Board. He cited the town’s relationship with Brewster village and the lack of retail development as areas that need improvement.

‘’ I want to see if I can better the quality of life for people in Southeast, ‘’ Opdyke, 43, said.

The supervisor’s job is full time, with an annual salary of $48,350.

Opdyke, a registered Republican, is joined by Michael Rights, also a registered Republican, and Democrat Ernest Wunner. The three are running on the Democratic line.

Rights and Wunner are facing Republican board member Paul Johnson and Republican Pat Bonanno for two Town Board seats.

Town Board members are paid $11,250 a year for the part-time posts.

All of Putnam’s commercial growth is happening in Southeast, Johnson said.

‘’ That will cool off. We need to maintain the rural flavor while making sure residents can live in their homes, ‘’ Johnson, 37, said.

The most recent commercial activity have been additions to the Mount Ebo Corporate Park on Doansburg Road and a proposed 380,000-square-foot retail center on Route 312, which received final approval from the Planning Board last month. Wunner is worried development has lately favored ‘’ big, out-of-town developers. ‘’

‘’ Folks who have been residents and taxpayers should have equal footing as the people with big bucks do, ‘’ Wunner, 67, said.

Rights took issue with the town’s fund balance of $700,000 and the yearly increase in the town’s tax rate.

Zutell described the town as ‘’ fiscally conservative ‘’ with the lowest taxes of Putnam’s six towns. Johnson said the size of fund balances could be mostly attributed to the town’s mortgage tax windfall, which is a share in the county’s mortgage tax on home sales.

The town isn’t doing enough to improve relations with Brewster and helping to maintain Main Street, the Democrats contended. Wunner said it was an ‘’ open secret ‘’ that Southeast wants to get rid of Brewster.

‘’ The town of Southeast has continuously antagonized the village, ‘’ Opdyke said.

‘’ Brewster village could be a community asset, ‘’ Rights, 38, said.

Zutell, 64, said the town has sent letters to the village asking for joint-meetings but received no response. Johnson said Brewster ‘’ should be the showcase of Southeast. ‘’ Bonanno said Main Street assistance shouldn’t come from government but from businesses investing in it.

‘’ Individuals make places a better place to work and live, ‘’ Bonanno, 42, said.

As for talk about a referendum on dissolving Brewster and merging it with the town, the Republicans favored village residents having their say, and the Democrats opposed the idea.

‘’ To dissolve the village is a monumental mistake. It will go down farther than it is, ‘’ Opdyke said.

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