The repercussions of Town Board infighting

NORTH EAST — Following the Wednesday, Aug. 17, Town Board meeting, Councilman Steve Merwin said he regretted things had gone so far, but added that he felt as if his back was put up against the wall.“He [Councilman Dave McGhee] made the comment the truck is under state bid and we can’t get it any cheaper, and I said we can, and he completely flew off the handle,” Merwin said, adding he’s a certified diesel mechanic. “I have experience with that stuff; I know we can get it cheaper. I can guarantee cutting $50,000 off the price, and the fact is we can fix the truck we have now. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s worthless.”Merwin has a track record of saving the town money when it comes to equipment. Last year the board was ready to approve the purchase of a $115,000 tractor; Merwin was able to whittle the cost down to $60,000.McGhee disagreed; he said the town spends thousands every few months to keep the 1994 truck running. He even suggested selling it two years ago. The councilman said he has expertise on the subject, too — he worked for the Dutchess County Department of Public Works (DPW) for 16 years and served as the town’s highway superintendent for two.But the root of the problem goes beyond equipment — protocol and decorum are issues the Town Board needs to deal with, according to both men, who described last week’s scene somewhat differently.“He stood up and I thought he was going to come across the table,” Merwin said. “Obviously he was looking for a fight, because then he went after [town Supervisor] Dave Sherman. It’s really unnecessary. We should be able to talk and have rational conversation and hear each other out. That’s why we ran for Town Board, to contribute our knowledge, and we’re all on an equal playing field. It’s not personal; we are in charge of spending people’s money to the best of our abilities.”“I didn’t stand up,” McGhee said. “And [Councilman] Timmy [Shaffer] said he thought Steve was going to clock me. People can have differences of opinions, but it doesn’t have to be expressed like that. That’s going too far, and I think he has to learn better. He blows up very quickly and I’m not going to sit there and be talked to like I’m an idiot.”“Such behavior diminishes the Town Board’s ability to conduct the people’s business in an efficient and effective manner,” Sherman said, adding both men were leaning over the table toward each other during the heated exchange. “We are in the midst of the most difficult economic times we have seen. I believe it is a disservice to our taxpayers for board members to fail to demonstrate the maturity and judgment needed to deal with important matters.”“It’s too bad that it happened,” McGhee said. “But it did and what are you going to do? I’m only human, and there are going to be arguments. Nobody is perfect on any of our boards.”“It sets a poor example,” Merwin said, adding had he a choice, he wouldn’t have engaged in the exchange. “I would like to say I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do about it. It’s unfortunate and shouldn’t have happened. I don’t want to sound like a jerk and blame anybody, but it shouldn’t have happened. It doesn’t look good or make the rest of us feel any better. It makes us want to get up and leave. Nobody wants to take time out of their day to be yelled at.”

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Bobbie C. Palmer

LAKEVILLE ­— Bobbie C. Palmer, born in Lakeville on Jan. 13, 1948, passed away peacefully on March 4, 2024. He is survived by his loving wife, Marva J. Palmer, son Marc (Sandra) Palmer, daughter Erica (Fleming) Wilson, two grandchildren, Andrew Yost and Ciara Wilson, and two great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents Walter and Francis Palmer and four brothers; Henry Palmer, William Palmer, John Palmer and Walter Palmer Jr.

He leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, and laughter that will be cherished by his family and those closest to him.

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Finding ‘The Right Stuff’ for a documentary

Tom Wolfe

Film still from “Radical Wolfe” courtesy of Kino Lorber

If you’ve ever wondered how retrospective documentaries are made, with their dazzling compilation of still images and rare footage spliced between contemporary interviews, The Moviehouse in Millerton, New York, offered a behind-the-scenes peek into how “the sausage is made” with a screening of director Richard Dewey’s biographical film “Radical Wolfe” on Saturday, March 2.

Coinciding with the late Tom Wolfe’s birthday, “Radical Wolfe,” now available to view on Netflix, is the first feature-length documentary to explore the life and career of the enigmatic Southern satirist, city-dwelling sartorial icon and pioneer of New Journalism — a subjective, lyrical style of long-form nonfiction that made Wolfe a celebrity in the pages of Esquire and vaulted him to the top of the best-seller lists with his drug-culture chronicle “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” and his first novel, “The Bonfire of The Vanities.”

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Art on view this March

“Untitled” by Maureen Dougherty

New Risen

While there are area galleries that have closed for the season, waiting to emerge with programming when the spring truly springs up, there are still plenty of art exhibitions worth seeking out this March.

At Geary Contemporary in Millerton, founded by Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary, Will Hutnick’s “Satellite” is a collection of medium- and large-scale acrylic on canvas abstracts that introduce mixtures of wax pastel, sand and colored pencil to create topographical-like changes in texture. Silhouettes of leaves float across seismic vibration lines in the sand while a craterous moon emerges on the horizon, all like a desert planet seen through a glitching kaleidoscope. Hutnick, a resident of Sharon and director of artistic programming at The Wassaic Project in Amenia, New York, will discuss his work at Geary with New York Times art writer Laura van Straaten Saturday, March 9, at 5 p.m.

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Caught on Camera: Our wildlife neighbors

Clockwise from upper left: Wildlife more rarely caught by trail cameras at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies: great blue heron, river otters, a bull moose, presenter and wildlife biologist Michael Fargione, a moose cow, and a barred owl.

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

‘You don’t need to go to Africa or Yellowstone to see the real-life world of nature. There are life and death struggles in your wood lot and backyard,” said Michael Fargione, wildlife biologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, during his lecture “Caught on Camera: Our Wildlife Neighbors.”

He showed a video of two bucks recorded them displaying their antlers, then challenging each other with a clash of antlers, which ended with one buck running off. The victor stood and pawed the ground in victory.

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