Watching Putnam Valley

Government

Our voice in the county

Rarely do political issues divide our town board strictly along party lines. The same cannot be said for the Putnam County Legislature. There, eight Republican legislators tend to vote in lockstep, with the one Democrat, Nancy Montgomery, often isolated in her positions. This November, the person representing most of Putnam

Government

The Battle for Highway Superintendent

Few subjects generate more animated conversation in Putnam Valley than the state of our roads. So perhaps it is fitting that every two years the issue of who maintains these essential arteries is decided at the ballot box rather than by executive appointment. This year we are being offered a

Government

Your town board candidates

Starting this month, Putnam Valley voters have an opportunity to re-evaluate who represents them on the town board. The position of town supervisor is not being contested. The Democrats have decided not to run anyone against Republican Town Supervisor Jacqueline Annabi, who is widely viewed as having displayed a solid

Government

It's almost lawn sign season!

Later this month, voting starts in Putnam Valley for the representatives who will help govern the town for the next two years.   Town Supervisor Jacqueline Annabi is running uncontested, but four candidates are vying for the two open seats on the town board. Two candidates are competing to be the

Government

Short-term rentals, again

During the past week, Putnam Valley's town board held two more public hearings on its proposed regulation of short-term rentals, most commonly associated with Airbnb. Although few residents spoke at those sessions and most seemed to accept that regulation was inevitable, a few new issues did emerge. Board

Government

Short-term Rentals, Round Two

The Putnam Valley town board held a second public hearing this week on its proposal to regulate short-term rentals (STRs), commonly associated with Airbnb and VRBO listings. The board made some revisions to its original resolution, however the new proposal was only available in printed copies to those who came

Residents weigh in on short-term rental proposal

In a rare sight, Putnam Valley's town hall was filled on Wednesday evening with residents who had come to share their views on the proposed resolution to regulate short-term rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO properties. For an hour and a half, nineteen people expressed opinions that could

The show must go on

Many town residents are undoubtedly preoccupied with the repercussions of the intense rain we experienced last week. So, consider this a reminder that on Wednesday at 6pm, the town board will hold its public hearing on the subject of short-term rentals. The board's proposed resolution for how to

Government

Town proposes regulations of short-term rentals

The Town of Putnam Valley took a big step forward last week in its efforts to regulate short-term rentals most commonly associated with Airbnb and VRBO homes. At its June meeting, the town board published a detailed proposal that would require homeowners wishing to rent out their homes for less

Government

School District Election Results

The people of Putnam Valley's school district have spoken. Crystal Hernandez will be joining the Putnam Valley Board of Education as a trustee, beating incumbent Joseph Ferraro. The vote count was 790 for Hernandez and 589 for Ferraro. For more background on this election, click here. The proposed

Government

Upcoming School Board Election

Not so long ago, local school board elections were a relatively tame affair. But with parents becoming fiercely divided over issues like transgender rights, book bans, critical race theory, and Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law, those days are over. On May 16th, residents in

Government

Town seeks to tax room rentals

After many years of discussion, the town of Putnam Valley is taking the first step towards regulating Airbnb and Vrbo rentals. At a work session on April 12th, the town board voted unanimously in favor of a resolution that asks the state legislature to allow the town to impose a

Government

What kind of library do we want?

On May 16th, Putnam Valley voters who live in the school district have an important decision to make. Do they want to continue under-investing in the town library, with the reduced hours, substandard facility and limited services that result from that? Or should they dig a little more deeply into

Government

Careful what you wish for

Once upon a time there was a town board that was trying to do something very helpful for its constituents. Complaints were surfacing about boat owners who were mooring their boats in a lake (Oscawana) in a manner that was deemed disruptive and unsafe. When it turned out this handful

Government

A cautionary tale

One of our good local newspapers that focuses on the county, not the town, published a column this week that deserves wide readership. It was written by Douglas Cunningham, the publisher and editor of the Putnam County News & Recorder. Although the newspaper is generally behind a paywall, he has

A new hat in the ring

The race for Putnam Valley's primary representative on the Putnam County Legislature heated up last week with the announcement that Maggie Ploener, a town resident for more than ten years, is running against incumbent William Gouldman. Gouldman, a Republican, announced in mid-February that he would be seeking a

Government

Purple Putnam Valley

With four of the five current town council members on the Republican ticket and a Republican representing the town on the county's legislature for the last eight-plus years, one can be forgiven for assuming that Putnam Valley is a "red" town. Fun fact: There are more

Government

Have you registered your boat mooring yet? Wait, what??

At its December 14th meeting, the Putnam Valley town board passed a resolution requiring anyone with a floating buoy in one of our special district lakes to register those buoys with the town clerk - or face a steep fine. Here's a link to the resolution. This new

Environment

Town Hall water is contaminated too!

Residents of Putnam Valley who are trying to gauge the extent of water contamination in their town have a new data point: the well at Town Hall! On four occasions since September 2021, the level of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for the water at Town Hall has exceeded the maximum standard

Environment

Water contamination update

Fireworks erupted at the February 15th town board meeting over who knew what when about the 2016 illegal dumping of contaminated materials at the site of a planned new fire house on Oscawana Lake Road. Before the beginning of the public comment period, Councilman Louie Luongo, a longtime member of

Town drops plan to opt-out!

At the end of a late afternoon work session on Wednesday, February 8th, Town Supervisor Jacqueline Annabi announced that the board would no longer be pursuing its plan to opt out of the NY State property tax exemption program that encourages investments in clean energy. She said that because the

Government

No tax exemption for solar panels?

New York State is one of 36 states with laws that encourage homeowners and businesses to invest in solar and other forms of clean energy. One law in particular provides an assurance to NYS homeowners and businesses that they will be exempt for 15 years from any property tax increase

Environment

How safe is Putnam Valley's drinking water?

Over the last few weeks, The Examiner News has been doing a great job raising awareness about drinking water quality issues in Putnam Valley. The first story, published on January 10, 2023, detailed a lawsuit that the town school district filed against 23 chemical companies in December. The lawsuit contends

Government

This is an important election year!

In case you're unfamiliar with the make-up of our town board, it consists of four council members and the town supervisor. Here is a link to our current board members. Two board members (Ralph Smith and Louie Luongo) and the town supervisor (Jacqueline Annabi) have terms that come