Category Archives: Uncategorized

This week’s Dutchess County Legislature meeting was widely described as historic. Milestones were highlighted. Firsts were celebrated. Biographies were elevated. But once the ceremony ends, a harder truth remains: Symbolism is not governance. History does not manage a $400+ million county budget. Representation does not negotiate labor contracts. Narratives do not repair roads, fund publicContinue reading “Symbolism Is Not Governance”

There it is. The whole argument. Eight words that say more than a thousand policy papers ever could: Abolish Homeownership (Just Not Mom’s). This week’s lesson in modern Democratic politics arrives courtesy of an aide connected to Zohran Mamdani, previously celebrated for declaring that owning a home is a driver of white supremacy. A boldContinue reading “Abolish Homeownership (Just Not Mom’s).”

A Valley Viewpoint Narrative For years, the image was carefully curated. The red suit. The white beard. The smiling photos with kids. The nickname that stuck — Community Santa. In the Hudson Valley, Frankie “Frank” Flowers wasn’t just a guy in costume. He was a symbol. A feel-good story in a region that loves itsContinue reading “When the Mask Slips”

A Valley Viewpoint Narrative There are moments in politics when the mask doesn’t slip — it’s lifted. This week, one of those moments arrived quietly, buried in resurfaced social-media posts, until the implications became impossible to ignore. A senior tenant advisor aligned with New York City’s progressive leadership had once described homeownership — not redlining,Continue reading “When Homeownership Becomes a Dirty Word”

So here we are again. Another chapter in the long American story of “How did no one notice this sooner?” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz — once marketed as the steady Midwestern grown-up in the room and briefly elevated to the national stage — is reportedly preparing to skip a reelection run. The timing, of course,Continue reading “When the Check Clears but the Trust Bounces”

When I agreed to help organize our 50th Xavier high school reunion, I thought I was saying yes to dates, emails, and logistics. What I was really saying yes to was memory. Almost immediately, the work stopped being about a weekend and became about people. About reconnecting with classmates I hadn’t spoken to in decades.Continue reading “Lessons Learned From Organizing My High School’s 50th Reunion”

There I am. Hands folded. Feet planted. Standing exactly where I was told to stand. The red sweater fits just right—because it was made that way. Knitted by my Auntie Delia, my grandfather’s sister, stitch by stitch, with the quiet certainty of someone who knew both her craft and her people.My grandfather’s sister was namedContinue reading “The Kid in the Red Sweater”

A Valley Viewpoint Narrative We talk a lot in this country about access to justice. Filing fees. Legal aid. Overworked public defenders. Backlogged courts. All of those are real problems, and all of them matter. But in 2026, the deeper fight may be something far more uncomfortable to confront: what happens when the system isn’tContinue reading “The Quiet Collapse of Trust in America’s Courts”

From time to time, someone will say, “Relax—it’s just a dog,” or “That’s a lot of money for just a dog.”What they don’t see is the distance traveled, the hours invested, the sacrifices made—all for what they dismiss so casually.Some of my proudest moments have come beside just a dog.Some of my loneliest hours wereContinue reading “Just A Dog”

A Valley Viewpoint Narrative This week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve has become my favorite time of the year. This year, it arrived quietly, almost without announcement, as if the world itself had decided to exhale. The noise receded. Expectations loosened. The constant hum of what’s next softened enough for me to finally hearContinue reading “The Comfort of the Week In Between”

I’ve never been very good at the New Year rush. You know the routine—big resolutions, bold promises, dramatic declarations that this will be the year everything finally comes together. New calendar, new you, no loose ends allowed. But most years don’t begin that way. They begin quietly. Unevenly. With some things unresolved and others stillContinue reading “Trust the Slow Work”

A Valley Viewpoint Narrative Hudson Valley residents don’t need a lecture on government waste. We’ve sat through enough school budget hearings, property-tax debates, and “temporary” levies that never seem to disappear. We understand something fundamental: when oversight fails, the bill always comes due — locally. That’s why what happened in Minnesota isn’t some distant MidwesternContinue reading “Why Minnesota’s Fraud Scandal Should Matter to the Hudson Valley”