Hillsdale can’t find a place in the sun

By Lorna Cherot Littleway

For Capital Region Independent Media

Democratic incumbent state Sen. Michelle Hinchey is seeking re-election in the 41st Senate District against Republican challenger Pat Sheehan.

The 41st district includes all of Greene and Columbia counties, most of Dutchess and Ulster counties as well as western Putnam County. It extends from New Lebanon, in northeast Columbia County, south to Dover in Dutchess County; west to New Paltz and Plattekill in Ulster County; and northwest to Windham and Prattsville in Greene County.

Each candidate was provided with a questionnaire and was asked for a candidate statement. Their answers are below:

MICHELLE HINCHEY

The 36-year-old senator was born in Saugerties and currently lives there. Hinchey is a graduate of Saugerties High School and the School of Industrial Labor Relations (ILR) at Cornell University.

Before running for office, she worked for a decade in communications in the technology and media sectors while continuing environmental advocacy as a grassroots organizer for Environment New York and as a member of the board of directors with the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development.

As state senator, Hinchey is chair of the Committee on Agriculture and sits on the Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, Energy and Telecommunications, Environmental Conservation, Finance and Cannabis committees, as well as the Joint Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction and Overdose Prevention.

Hinchey has received accolades from community organizations the past two years including: 2024 – Champion of Child Nutrition, Honorary Life Member from Pleasant Valley Fire District; 2023 – Nelson A. Rockefeller Award, Leader of the Year from the Rural Schools Association, Food Policy Champion, Legislator of the Year from the American Red Cross and Alf Evers Award for Excellence.

The senator’s name will also appear on the Working Families (WF) Party line.

Candidate’s statement:

“I ran for office to advocate for the rural and Hudson Valley communities that raised me. I’m proud to bring strong upstate representation to Albany along with new ideas to address issues that have been left on the table and underinvested in for decades. In just three and a half years, I’ve had 84 bills signed into law, nearly all with bipartisan support, because the issues I’m fighting for shouldn’t be partisan – they’re delivering on what’s important: housing support specific to rural and upstate communities, reliable cell service, access to affordable health care, support for our emergency services and family farms, protecting our environment, expanding access to local, healthy food and fighting for ways that will make our communities more affordable places to live overall. I’m running for another term to build on this work and continue delivering for our Hudson Valley communities. Learn more about my platform at michellehinchey.com.”

PATRICK SHEEHAN

Republican challenger Pat Sheehan is seeking his first elective office in the NY District 41 senate race. Sheehan is listed on both the Republican and Conservative party lines.

The 54-year-old lives in Ruby, a hamlet within the town of Ulster. He was born in the city of Kingston. Sheehan and his wife, Caroline, have four children, ages 11–21. He is a businessman with interests in real estate and economic development. He has a BA from Boston College and a JD from Albany Law School.

Sheehan said he opposes Proposition 1 on the ballot this November. The Amendment to Protect Against Unequal Treatment, if approved by voters, would amend the state’s constitution to “protect against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes, as well as reproductive health care and autonomy,” (the wording of Proposition 1). He said it incorporates “vague language” and “conflicts regarding religious freedom, parental rights, and the integrity of women’s identity and sports will hamper fair play and opportunities for female athletes specifically and all women and girls” in New York.

Candidate’s statement (the following has been edited to meet the 150-word limit):

“National origin protections under Prop 1 will enshrine in illegal aliens the rights and privileges citizens of New York state hold dear without swearing an oath of allegiance to the Empire State or the USA. The democratic supermajority wants to provide voting rights in state and local elections under Prop 1 to those who have entered this country unlawfully. We value our legal immigrants who chose to assimilate and follow the process to become naturalized citizens. Prop 1 erases the very essence of what it means to swear allegiance to this republic.

“Instead of a short-term rental registry, I support establishing a statewide animal abuse registry. Regarding short-term rentals, I take a balanced approach to promote homeownership, ecotourism, and private property rights without overburdening property owners or local communities. I value individual rights and private property rights over government overreach through increased regulation, which is what we have seen over the past five years with the democratic supermajority.”

For more information about the candidate, go to www.sheehanforny.com.

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

GREENVILLE — Greenville and surrounding communities are bursting with talent, and the second annual Arts Around Greenville Studio Tour will showcase all they have to offer.

The group Arts Around Greenville, a subcommittee of Community Partners of Greenville, will host its second annual studio tour on May 20 and 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A preview reception will also be held on May 7, from 2-5 p.m., at the North Barn at George V. Vanderbilt Town Park on Route 32, where they will be able to pick up tour maps, view a slide show and check out the works of the artists that will be on the tour two weeks later. There will also be live music from the local band Moonrocka, and a silent auction.

On the two days of the studio tour, on May 20 and 21, maps will again be available at the North Barn in George V. Vanderbilt Town Park on Route 32 and then visitors will travel from studio to studio, meeting with artists, checking out the tools of their trade and learning about their artistic process.

The studio tour first held in 2022 also gave rise to an increasingly active artists’ group that gives local talent a chance to share ideas and fellowship, and learn about opportunities in the local art world.

“Last year we did this for the first time. We had 19 artists who participated,” organizer Natalie Boburka said. “Because the tour went so well and people wanted more community, we created a group called Arts Around Greenville from that. We have 39 members right now. They are not all on the tour, but we get together every month and we do art salons at different studios where we talk about art, what we are making, what opportunities are out there and we also have a newsletter that we send out. It’s been a real lifeline for artists.”

Artists of all kinds have joined the newly formed Arts Around Greenville, but one group has particularly benefited, Boburka said.

“We have a variety of people — men and women of different ages — but for the women who are 60 and above who are looking for a new sense of purpose and community, this has been huge,” she said. “I had no idea how much this would affect people. This has been a huge connection for them.”

Boburka — an artist herself — said she was aided by a team of volunteers and support from local businesses to put on the studio tour.

Last year’s event showcased the studios and works of 19 artists, and this year there are 25. All participating artist studios are located within a 12-mile radius of the center of Greenville and span the communities of Medusa, Westerlo, Freehold, Earlton, South Westerlo, and, of course, Greenville.

For artists who may not have a studio that is suitable for public visitors, there will also be two central locations where several artists will gather.

“We have a couple of group locations. One is the Gristmill — there will be four artists there in a group spot,” Boburka said.

The Gristmill  is located at 268 County Route 405 in Greenville. There will also be a group of nine artists at the Greenville Public Library Art Gallery, at 11177 Route 32, also in Greenville.

The studio tour makes art available to anyone, Boburka said.

“Part of the reason that I did this was to create community with artists,” Boburka said. “The second reason was because I really wanted art to be out there and accessible to everybody in the public. I hate the image that art is elitist. Art is for all of us — every single person.”

“I thought that if we had a studio tour, people would be able to go in and meet artists and talk about their process and talk about what they are doing,” she added. “They get the chance to go behind the scenes and meet the person that created this. You can have all kinds of conversations about art and you don’t need an arts background to do it. It becomes more interesting in that way.”

The studio tour will offer a glimpse into the inner workings of the art world and how art is created, Boburka said.

“This is nothing like going to a gallery,” she said. “Going to a gallery, you barely ever get to talk to an artist. With this, you are literally going to have conversations with artists and get to see how they create their art.”

Last year’s tour was held in July, but this year’s event was moved to May. There is no cost to attend the reception or the studio tour.