Beacon Dispatch

Meet the Candidates

This November 8, the citizens of Beacon have a rare opportunity to decide on the makeup of a new city council. Every one of the six seats -- 4 wards and 2 at-large -- are up for grabs. Many of the candidates have gone door-to-door to make their case, but if you weren't home there were few opportunities to learn more. There was a debate scheduled at the Howland Cultural Center, but as we mention in this month's editorial, it was canceled. The subsequent "Meet the Candidates" meetings were poorly publicized and attendance was relatively sparse (roughly the same 40 people showed up at each meeting.) How are concerned voters meant to form an intelligent opinion on the candidates?

Below we present some more information to help you make a smart decision on Tuesday. If you want to know more about your ward candidate's record, give them a call. We've included their phone numbers below for your convenience. There's still time to learn who you want to lead Beacon in the next two years. Once you've reached a decision, be sure you come out to vote on Tuesday.

Hiddenbrooke – the Developer Responds

by Jack Sine

With new houses springing up all over Beacon, open land in the city is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. That is the main reason the Dispatch ran an article in the September issue detailing the difficulties of building on the Hiddenbrooke property on DePuyster Avenue, a 123 acre wooded site formerly owned by the Ursiline Sisters and now the property of developer Larry Kalkstein’s Preshrock Corporation.

The primary deterrent to development noted in the previous article was water. During the rainy season, runoff creates serious problems for the residents of Jessen Park, a development that was once part of Hiddenbrooke. As resident Bernadette Clemens noted, “When it rains, the mountain weeps and we get floods in Jessen Park.”

Beacon Voices: Edwin Lee Gibson, "Actor-vist"

by Michael Daecher

The waiter approached our table, “We only have ‘Plantation’ rum, sir.”

Edwin laughed, “Now how are you gonna offer a brother a drink with a name like that? Come on!” He then left the waiter off the hook and placed his order.

Edwin Lee Gibson is an actor who believes strongly in speaking his mind. Maybe that’s what makes him so popular with the kids. I first encountered Edwin more than a year ago at the first community meeting to discuss the Beacon Master Plan. There he asked some tough questions about how people outside of the meeting would be involved. One of the few African Americans in attendance, he may have made some people feel uncomfortable about starting such an ambitious project without input from the entire community. Rightfully so.

Over the past six weeks you could have found Edwin reading and acting out stories for small children, such as “The Lorax” and Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree.” Edwin and his theater partner Daphne Richards created the program, which they call The Petry Dish, as a prelude to a larger community theater project. With a strong commitment to community, keen intellect, and an easy laugh, Edwin may be one of the few people that could bring people onto the stage who have never set foot in a theater. I sat down with Edwin over drinks at a steak house in Fishkill to talk about how he made it to Beacon, and why he feels that theater is critical to our future as a city.

Beauties Tame the Beasts

Fathers and daughters dance together at Yanarella’s November recital

By: Jeffery Battersby

It’s 9:00 am on a Sunday morning and Mary Ritter’s got her hands full.

A rambunctious class. 

A room full of boys.

Noisy, boisterous, rowdy, and loud. 

She takes a moment to study some writing on the small sheet of paper she holds in her hand. She looks at her class, takes a breath, and then, in a voice that sounds as if she’s smiling from the inside out, she conquers the noise with her own.

“Okay!” she draws out the “o” and “a” to gather our attention. 

There are thirty of us in all, and the moment we hear Mary’s voice we clam up like perfect little Sunday school angels.

“Okay! This is great! Welcome! Come on in here onto the dance floor. We’re gonna teach you how to dance!” 

Actually, we’re not boys.

At least not in the physical sense. 

We’ve graduated slightly to boy brains in men’s bodies.

Boy brains that, upon hearing the word “dance” uttered in any proximity, much less with direct reference, to ourselves, still has the ability to make skin crawl. 

Men who, until this moment, have been happy to stand in the waiting room of Yanarella School of Dance.

Men who are used to standing in the waiting room of Yanarella School of Dance… watching our daughters as they step out onto the floor. 

And now, for one brief moment, we look at each other like the lost little boys that we are.

Highland Wanderer: West Hudson: Stillman/Bluebird Loop

If the rainstorms of the last weeks of fall haven’t completely knocked the leaves from the trees, the end of October into the second week of November can prove to be a glorious time to enjoy the final burst of fall color. These West Hudson trails feature grand north/south views of the river, a secret spring-fed cistern, bird’s-eye views of Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, and a decrepit but safe wooden bridge, all under the cover of the last color of fall.

The trailhead is well marked and begins at two stone pillars which are about 8/10 of a mile from the intersection of Route 9W and Mountain Road in Cornwall. There’s limited parking at the pillars, so if it’s a busy hiking day you may need to park along Mountain Road.

Editorial: Government That’s Good for All

If you’ve walked or driven down the west end of Main Street lately you’ve seen the purpose and the power of a determined City Council at work. While Ron Piccone is to be commended for transforming his street level apartments into beautiful storefronts, this transformation wouldn’t be taking place if it weren’t for our present City Council. Their vision and their willingness to exert the force necessary to bring about these changes is exactly what has changed the face of the west end. 

Today there are many issues that are at the same tipping point that west Main Street was a little less than a year ago. Hiddenbrooke, East Main Mills, hydrant pressure, taxes, vandalism, affordable housing, the police department, and the master plan to name a few. Due to the retirement of several longtime council members, this month’s election will result in changes to nearly every seat on the council. If the City of Beacon is going to continue moving in a positive direction, it’s important it have the best group of council members possible.