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This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for its newsletter here.

Buoyed by blue wave, the governor wins second full term

Gov. Kathy Hochul easily won another term as governor of New York on Tuesday (Nov. 3), dispatching Republican Bruce Blakeman and affirming that New York may be returning to its blue-state roots.

Other Democrats prevailed easily statewide. Attorney General Letitia James overcame a spirited challenge from Republican Saritha Komatireddy — leading by 20 points with nearly 90 percent of votes counted — and Tom DiNapoli easily secured another term as comptroller.

The blue wave extended to the state legislature, where Democrats looked poised to pick up seats in both houses.

Hochul led Blakeman by 20 points with 88 percent of votes counted — the widest margin in a New York gubernatorial race since 2018. In 2022, she prevailed over Republican Lee Zeldin by only 6 points.

Speaking to supporters Tuesday night at a Midtown Manhattan watch party, Hochul thanked voters for re-electing her to a job that she called "the privilege of a lifetime." She vowed to spend her next term addressing the state's affordability crisis.

"That's what the next four years are for: to finish what we started, with bold ambition and a sense of urgency," Hochul said.

The results suggest that New York remains a solidly blue state for Democrats — tamping down speculation that the GOP might be making inroads after Zeldin's strong performance and other Republican gains on Long Island. Hochul herself has argued that the state is no sure bet for Democrats, and tried to lower expectations that she would win by a wide margin.

"When people think that it's a true-blue state and you should win by 25 points in New York or even 15 points — those days are over," Hochul said in an October appearance on the Max Politics podcast. "We have truly major pockets of mega-Republicans."

The mood was jubilant at the Manhattan watch party held by state Democrats, where the crowd celebrated Democratic romps across the country.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told the crowd that Hochul has embraced "new energy" and "new ideas."

"Gov. Hochul has led with a recognition that our highest obligation is not to our factions but to our futures," Mamdani said.

Hochul has campaigned aggressively in recent weeks — holding rallies across the state before spending the lead-up to Election Day in vote-rich New York City, where she campaigned with Mamdani and other top Democrats. Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, rallied in Syracuse last month with President Donald Trump, and spent the day before the election jumping from Long Island to Syracuse with fellow statewide GOP candidates.

The race centered on the cost of living, which has consistently ranked alongside the economy as the top concern of New York voters, according to polls. Hochul has run on her record — touting the tax cuts she enacted on middle-income households, her efforts to lower auto insurance rates, and the checks she has mailed to taxpayers in the form of "energy rebates" and "inflation refunds," which have come at a multibillion-dollar cost to the state.

Blakeman campaigned on a promise to eliminate income taxes for individuals earning below $50,000 and married couples making under $100,000, as well as an across-the-board 10-percent tax cut for incomes below $250,000. Blakeman blamed Hochul for rising utility bills and the state's high tax rates, although his own policy platform was thinly sketched out.

Both candidates raised millions of dollars, and both were aided by an onslaught of spending by outside super PACs. Hochul was buoyed by outside groups including Uber, sports betting companies like DraftKings and a hotel workers' union, while pro-Blakeman groups raised millions from New York Knicks owner James Dolan, casino magnate Stephen Wynn and cosmetics heir William Lauder.

Hochul's victory gives her a second full four-year ter...

Also: Kaul defeats Rolison in state Senate race

Rep. Mike Lawler, seeking a third term representing the House district that includes Philipstown, conceded to challenger Cait Conley on Tuesday (Nov. 3) about 2½ hours after the polls closed, and before the race had been called by The Associated Press.

With 57 percent of the votes reported, the Republican incumbent was trailing Conley, 52 to 47 percent. Lawler ran on the Republican and Conservative line and Conley on the Democratic and Working Family lines.

After graduating from Pine Bush High School, Conley enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She served for 16 years as an Army officer, first as a military police officer and then in special ops leadership, deploying overseas six times to combat zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan. She previously served as director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council at the White House.

Lawler, a native of Suffern, graduated from Manhattan College with degrees in accounting and finance. He served as deputy town supervisor of Orangetown, senior advisor to the Westchester County executive, executive director of the New York State Republican Party and served for two terms in the state Assembly. In the House, he is on the Financial Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee.

The race was one of about 10 in the country that had been considered toss-ups in the Democrats' quest to regain control of the House. The Republicans control the chamber, 218-214.

In addition to Putnam County, District 17 includes Rockland and parts of Dutchess and Westchester.

Putnam

Conley 7,811 (45%)

Lawler 9,670 (55%)

Dutchess

Conley 20,696 (49%)

Lawler 21,548 (51%)

Lawler, who pitched himself as a moderate, citing scorecards that emphasized his cooperation with Democratic colleagues, won the seat in 2022 and 2024 despite 41 percent of the district's 522,935 active voters being registered Democrats, versus 26 percent Republicans. Another 28 percent of voters are not affiliated with any party.

Lisa Kaul, the Democratic and Working Families candidate for the district that includes Beacon and Philipstown, defeated two-term incumbent Rob Rolison, who ran on the Republican and Conservative lines, based on unofficial Election Night results.

With 185 of 195 precincts reporting, Kaul had received 55 percent of the vote. The district includes parts of Dutchess, Putnam and Orange counties.

Dutchess County

Kaul (D/WF) 43,004 (54%)

Rolison (R/C) 36,039 (46%)

Putnam County

Kaul (D/WF) 6,059 (58%)

Rolison (R/C) 4,275 (41%)

In a concession statement, Rolison said: "While tonight's results are not what we had hoped for, I am incredibly grateful to the people of the Hudson Valley who have placed their trust in me and given me the honor of serving them.

"Throughout my time in public service, I have always believed that putting people over politics, working across party lines and doing what is right for our communities matters more than any political agenda. That belief has never wavered, and it never will. I spoke to Lisa Kaul and congratulated her on her victory tonight."

Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat, easily defeated Republican challenger Jackie Auringer for a third, 2-year term in Congress, winning 63 percent of the vote. Ryan's district includes Beacon. The Associated Press called the race 37 minutes after the polls closed.

Jonathan Jacobson, whose district includes Beacon, ran unopposed for his fifth, 2-year term. The Democrat and former Newburgh City Council member has not faced an opponent since 2020.

Two Democrats who represent parts of Beacon on the county Legislature — Molly Rhodes (Wards 1-3) and Yvette Valdes Smith (Ward 4) ran unopposed for two-year terms. Because a new state law requires most local elections to be moved to even years, county legislators who won in 2025 served only one year.

Based on two close races as of Election Night, Democrats could expand their 15 to10 advantage over Republicans in the Legislature by one or two seats.

Kirk Imperati ran unopposed for a second, 4-year term on the Republican and Conservative lines. He won the job in 2022 with 58 percent of the vote. When elected, Imperati was the interim sheriff following the death in 2021 of Adrian "Butch" Anderson, who held the job unopposed for 20 years.

Democrats could take second seat on Legislature

Kevin Byrne, running on the Republican and Libertarian lines for Putnam County executive, fought off a challenge from Brett Yarris on the left and Tatiana Brahimi on the right to win a second, 4-year term, according to unofficial results posted by the Board of Elections on Tuesday (Nov. 3).

Byrne received the Conservative Party endorsement in 2022, when he ran unopposed, but this year the party gave its nod to Brahimi, and she received 5.4 percent of the vote. But she didn't pull enough conservative votes away from Byrne to elect Yarris, the Democrat and Working Families candidate, who lost by about 1.5 percentage points, according to Election Night results, which included early voting and mail-in ballots. Absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day, as well as affidavit ballots cast at polling places, have not yet been counted.

Kevin Byrne (R/LP)* 20,145

Brett Yarris (D/WF) 19,550

Tatiana Brahimi (C) 2,271

After the Conservatives declined to endorse Byrne, he angered the Libertarian Party of Putnam & Westchester by collecting enough signatures to take its line. A mailer distributed by the chapter explained that Yarris was its candidate.

Yarris issued a statement on Election Night saying the race, with 595 votes separating the two vote leaders, was too close to call. "The outstanding mail-in ballots alone number over twice that margin," he said. "On top of those, an unknown number of affidavit ballots still have to be counted, and more mail-in ballots need curing before they can count."

Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the Board of Elections by Nov. 10. Military and other special ballots must be received by Nov. 16. Affidavit ballots are those cast at the polls that need verification, such as if a voter lost their mail-in ballot or shows up at the wrong polling site.

The Board of Elections said on Wednesday (Nov. 4) that 1,164 mail-in ballots had been issued but not yet returned. With a 595-vote margin, and assuming every one of the 1,164 outstanding ballots was postmarked by Election Day and is now enroute to Carmel, Yarris would need to win at least 76 percent to overtake Byrne's lead, as well as a large portion of affidavit ballots. Of the 3,352 mail-in ballots tallied by Election Night, Yarris won 66 percent, Byrne 31 percent and Brahimi 3 percent.

The Putnam Legislature could add a second Democratic member if Election Night results hold up once outstanding mail-in and affidavit ballots are counted.

In District 3, which includes northcentral Putnam, the Democratic candidate, Kathy Kahng, holds a 13-vote lead over Joseph Cunningham, the Republican and Conservative candidate. The only Democratic member of the nine-person Legislature is Nancy Montgomery, who represents Philipstown and part of Putnam Valley. The winner will succeed Toni Addonizio, who could not run because of term limits.

Kathy Kahng (D/Putnam Party) 2,461

Joseph Cunningham (R/C) 2,448

In District 2, which includes most of Putnam Valley, the Republican and Conservative candidate, Christian Russo, defeated Maia Gilleo, who had the Democratic and Working Families lines, with 52 percent of the vote, according to the unofficial tally. He will succeed William Gouldman, who was term-limited and ran for Putnam Valley supervisor.

Christian Russo (R/C/L) 2,347

Maia Gilleo (D/WF/Putnam Party) 2,187

In District 8, in southcentral Putnam, Tanner McCracken, the Republican and Conservative candidate, easily defeated Gwendolyn Burke, who held the Democratic/Working Families lines, with 63 percent of the vote. He will succeed Amy Sayegh, who did not run for re-election.

Tanner McCracken (R/C) 2,862

Gwendolyn Burke (D/Putnam Party) 1,649

Even though it handles hundreds of cases, many voters likely know little about the Coroner's Office. Three coroners serve 4-year terms, but the office hasn't been contested in 26 years, since William Stahl (who later retired after 32 years) defeated ...

Some races not called in 2022 for eight days

The stakes in Tuesday's election — which party would control Congress — were clear. And unlike in recent elections, the answer came quickly: With big wins in both the House and the Senate, it's the Democrats' turn to run Capitol Hill.

The Associated Press is calling races in all 435 House districts and the 35 Senate contests that are up for election this year. Control of the House depends on which party reaches 218 seats. Democrats hit that mark early Wednesday.

Currently, 219 members caucus with Republicans, one more than the minimum needed for a majority when all seats are filled. There are two vacancies now.

Democrats took back the 100-member Senate in a flurry of victories late Tuesday.

It was a far quicker outcome than during the last midterm elections in 2022, when the AP called control of the Senate four days after Election Day. The House call was eight days after.

During the presidential cycle of 2024, there was a bigger gap between the two. Senate control was called the day after Election Day, with the House call coming eight days later.

Some states consistently take days to count all their ballots. California, the nation's most populous, has seen thousands of mail ballots dropped off on Election Day. In 2022, half the state's votes were counted after Election Day.

Other states use ranked choice voting. A candidate can win with more than 50 percent of votes in the first round, but if no one reaches that threshold then the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated and their votes are redistributed to the voter's second choice. The process can significantly delay results.

The AP does not make projections and will only declare a winner when it's determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap.

Six short plays will be read by actors on Nov. 14-15

Hudson Valley Shakespeare on Tuesday (Nov. 3) announced today that six short plays about revolution have been selected for its 11th annual Community Bake-Off.

The plays will be read by actors under the direction of Catie Davis on Nov. 14 and 15 in the rehearsal studios at HVS, 2015 Route 9, in Philipstown. For free tickets, register at hvshakespeare.org/bake-off.

The winners are: "Safe," by Alyssa Borelli; "February 38th," by Barclay Travis; "Busters," by Alex Raymond Ross; "Meeting Request," by Melissa Sarno; "I Expect You to Die," by James Best; and "You Smell Extremely Terrible," by Lizzy Cenicola.

Borelli is a Connecticut playwright and a three-time Marist University Playwrights' Festival winner.

Travis is a queer theatre-maker and Hudson Valley native who loves game design and the supernatural and paranormal.

Ross is New York City-based actor, singer and writer who portrayed Marius in HVS production of Les Misérables.

Sarno, who lives in Cortlandt Manor, is the author of the middle school grade novels, Just Under the Clouds and A Swirl of Ocean.

Best is an Emmy-nominated TV writer and Cannes-winning activist from Brooklyn who now lives in the Hudson Valley.

Cenicola, who lives in Beacon, is an actor, playwright and director and co-founder of the collective Devise and Conquer, which is headed to the 2027 Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals.

The play "ingredients" were chosen by composer and theater artist Heather Christian, who most recently composed a five-part score performed by a community choir at HVS's Highland Lights. The ingredients were: a promise, a bag of spilled groceries, a deluge, a poorly remembered song, Galileo, a sneeze, pandemonium, déjà vu, a trampoline and "Viva la revolucion!"

The theme was inspired by Shakespeare's line in King Lear: "The wheel is come full circle." "Revolution" was defined broadly as what happens when something completes a full rotation and arrives back where it started, changed.

Ballots being collected for later tally

The Westchester County Board of Elections announced on Tuesday (Nov. 3) that its voting machines are having technical issues and polling sites have reverted to collecting paper ballots.

"The Westchester Board of Elections wants to reassure every voter that your vote matters, your ballot will be secure and your vote will be counted," it said in a statement.

In a statement, the New York State Board of Elections said the issue affecting the machines "resulted from an update to the county's election programming that occurred after the initial preparation and testing of Election Day voting equipment.

"A change affecting a contest in one municipality required updated election programming, which was subsequently tested and deployed for early voting and for Election Day machines in that municipality. However, Election Day machines elsewhere in the county continued to use the original programming and therefore could not recognize and accept the ballots being used for Election Day."

The state said it is working with the Westchester Board of Elections to "deploy replacement election media using the updated programming previously tested for early voting, which encompasses all contests throughout the county. The immediate priority is to restore scanning capability to at least one voting machine at every polling location, with additional machines being brought online as the day progresses.

"In the meantime, voting continues through established emergency ballot procedures. Completed ballots are securely maintained under bipartisan oversight and will be scanned and counted in accordance with established procedures. Restoring scanning capability will also allow emergency ballots cast earlier in the day to be processed as part of the established counting process. There are no identified concerns with the ballot paper or other physical characteristics that would affect its ability to be scanned.

"Importantly, the affected scanners rejected ballots they could not properly recognize rather than incorrectly tabulating them.

"Every valid vote will be counted, and the established canvass, recanvass, and post-election audit procedures will remain in place. Accuracy will never be sacrificed for speed."

One resident, registered Democrat Benjamin Hort, told The Associated Press he opted not to cast a provisional ballot and planned to return later in the day, when he hoped the machines would be operational. "I'll wait as long as I have to," Hort said. "You would think they would have tested the machines. Not ideal." The polls are open until 9 p.m.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins vowed to launch a bipartisan investigation into what he called a "debacle."

"Once these issues are resolved, I will convene a bipartisan team to conduct a thorough review of the decisions and failures that led to this debacle, determine where accountability lies and ensure that this never happens again," Jenkins said in a statement.

Elsewhere in the country, there were relatively few disruptions. Hannah Fried, CEO of the voting rights group All Voting Is Local, said the issues she's seen are "garden-variety stuff that any of us who works on elections is used to seeing, and it's quickly resolved." David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said it was "remarkable" to have so few issues, and suggested the massive early voting turnout may have contributed to a smoother Election Day.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

One of three Philipstown baseball squads

The Cold Spring Generals 15U baseball team won the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League title on Saturday (Oct. 31) in Ardsley, defeating the Newburgh-based Hudson Valley Storm, 12-11.

The victory in the D4 Championship Bracket is the club's second GHVBL title since its founding in 2021. It follows the 13U team's Gold D3 victory in 2024.

The win came in walk-off fashion, after the Storm took an 11-10 lead in the top of the seventh and final frame.

With the Generals down to their last two outs, Hudson Schacht drew a walk that started the rally. Eli Barton was hit by a pitch and, after a fielder's choice, Will Sexton hit a line drive to center to load the bases.

The Generals then plated two for the win after the Storm mishandled a Hudson Valentine ground ball to short, scoring Barton and a hustling Oliver Herman on the error for the victory.

The Cold Spring rally came after a roller-coaster of a game in which the Generals took an 8-3 lead after the first two innings, and the Storm responded with five runs in the fourth. The Newburgh team scored two more to tie the game in the sixth and took the lead in the seventh.

Owen Mekeel, who started on the mound for the Generals, pitched five innings and struck out seven. Valentine followed in relief, striking out five in two frames.

In the second, the Generals batted around, hitting six singles. Andres Rivas, Barton, Sexton, Valentine, Mekeel and Will Valentine all notched hits, with Schacht, Barton, Hudson Valentine, Mekeel and Will Valentine generating RBIs.

The Generals added a ninth run in the third on an RBI double by Hudson Valentine that scored Herman, who ended the day with four runs scored.

Cold Spring added its 10th and final run before the last-inning rally in the fourth when Ben LeMon stole home as Grayson Wik reached first on a dropped third strike.

Wik, who spent the season as backup catcher, called a strong game in the absence of starter Andy Gaudinier.

The 15U squad, made up predominantly of Haldane freshmen and sophomores, finished the fall season with a 6-1 record and entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, behind No. 1 Lewisboro. The Storm was the No. 4 seed.

Four members of Saturday's title-winning team — Gaudinier, Herman, Schacht and Will Valentine — were also members of the 2024 squad that won the club's first championship.

The Generals fielded three squads this fall. In its first season, the 10U Generals finished 5-3-1, earning the No. 9 seed in the tournament before bowing out in a one-run game in the first round. The 12U Generals finished 1-6-1 and opted out of the playoffs.

State rejects Fair Street sidewalk grant

Mayor Kathleen Foley, at the Wednesday (Oct. 28) meeting of the Cold Spring Village Board, announced that the state Department of Transportation had rejected an application for a $2.2 million grant to fund the installation of sidewalks along Fair Street between Mayor's Park and Little Stony Point.

That section of Fair Street is a Putnam County Road, and the county helped draft the application, submitting it on behalf of the village and Philipstown. As sponsor, the county would have paid 80 percent of the project cost but would have been reimbursed by DOT.

The Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail had pledged to pay the remaining 20 percent, the local share of the project cost. Foley pointed out that the sidewalks would connect people arriving in Cold Spring by a state-run train line (Metro-North) with a state park (the Hudson Highlands preserve).

She said the rejection was "sad" and "disappointing," especially because DOT had encouraged the village to apply.

"The only people hurt in this decision are village visitors and residents who have no safe pedestrian access to the trailheads at Little Stony Point in the Washburn lot," Foley said, adding that the village will meet with DOT officials to discuss how it can strengthen a future application. The village will also continue exploring other funding opportunities.

"I'd hate to think this [denial] is retribution for the village's lawsuit over the FGEIS [Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement] findings [for the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail], but I worry that that is exactly the case," she said.

The village and town are suing HHFT and state parks, claiming that the FGEIS for the proposed 7.5-mile trail to Beacon does not adequately address its impact on Cold Spring.

A walking tour for Cold Spring and Nelsonville residents to discuss stormwater flooding will be held on Saturday (Nov. 7) at 9 a.m. at Nelsonville Village Hall. Elected officials and representatives from Fuss and O'Neill Engineering, which is conducting the flooding study, will point out stormwater challenges and discuss strategies to reduce flooding and improve resilience. The tour will end at the Cold Spring Village Hall at noon. No reservations are needed.

The board approved the Planning Board's recommendation to issue 10 parking waivers at a cost of $1,000 each for 40 Main St. as part of a restaurant opening there. Under village law, the board can issue waivers for sites that lack the off-street parking required in the code. The restaurant, which will serve Italian cuisine and include a grain mill to produce flour for bread and pasta, initially will be open from 4 to 9 p.m.

The Haldane Foundation's annual 5K Turkey Trot run and walk will be held on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26) at 9 a.m. Nearly 250 people took part in 2025, raising $8,000. This year's route will have fewer major street crossings. The board approved the event contingent on organizers getting permission to run the route through Forge Gate condominiums.

The board discussed paid parking signs that Park Mobile is creating. The updated signs are part of a rebranding effort by Arrive, a platform that acquired Park Mobile. Michael Paolini, who is designing the signs, plans to visit Cold Spring to select locations and coordinate installation.

Winter parking rules were approved for Nov. 15 through April 15, including the sale of permits for the municipal lot on Fair Street, which will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis at Village Hall.

Members express concerns over access, density

The Kearney Group on Oct. 22 previewed its plan to transform the former Marathon Battery site on Kemble Avenue into a mixed-use, walkable residential neighborhood during a presentation to the Cold Spring Planning Board.

The 12-acre property is the village's largest undeveloped tract.

Chair Jesse St. Charles stressed at the outset that no application has been submitted and that the session was not a public hearing or a workshop but "an informal, pre-application meeting."

Jeff Speck and Chris Dempsey, principals in the Massachusetts-based urban planning firm Speck Dempsey, outlined their concept plan, which combines elements from two preliminary plans developed during public sessions last spring.

The plan calls for 120 residential units in 77 buildings or building lots, including apartments, lofts, duplexes, rowhouses, cottages and a few single-family homes, all designed to reflect Cold Spring's historic architecture, they said. They said the percentage of rentals versus owner-occupied units isn't yet known.

The neighborhood plan features pedestrian paths and open space with two large parks, six smaller parks, a scenic overlook and a playground. The plan includes 26,000 square feet of retail space, they said, and about 300 parking spaces on the street, in driveways and in lots.

Board members had positive things to say about the plan, calling it "a really nice community" and "lovely" (one board member commented: "I'd love to live there"). They said its vision was "resonant" and "attractive," but also raised concerns, mainly about density, vehicular access and connection to the rest of the village.

"To stick that many units in there, it's oversized," said Board Member Kevin McGrory. "How are you going to get people in there? There's one road in. I don't see how it's physically possible."

Currently, vehicles can reach the site from Wall and Rock Streets and exit on Kemble Avenue, which is one-way northbound above Rock Street.

"Remember, there was a 24-hour factory with over 100 employees on this site, utilizing the existing road network," Speck said. He added that Kemble formerly was a two-way street. "We believe this development can function with the existing access."

In an email to The Current on Oct. 29, Kearney wrote that he believes the road network is adequate. "Reverting Kemble Avenue to a two-way street will improve access to this area of the village, but it's not necessary for the Marathon property to be redeveloped," he said.

Dempsey told the Planning Board that a detailed traffic analysis will be conducted, a point reinforced by both Speck and Kearney Group president Sean Kearney, who lives in Cold Spring. Dempsey said traffic estimates by the Institute of Transportation Engineers indicate about two cars per minute can be expected to enter and leave the site. "It's not going to fundamentally change the lifestyle of people in Cold Spring," Dempsey said.

"I'm not saying I can't get to yes on this," McGrory said later. "I'm just surprised this plot of land is showing this many units with this access."

Dempsey said the 120 units can be misleading, noting that many of the homes are studios, one-bedrooms and smaller two-bedrooms. "The square footage of residential space is much less than you might think" compared to typical suburban developments, he said. He emphasized that the plan reflects comments received at last spring's public sessions, when village residents said they wanted many types of housing included.

Board Member Henry Feldman said he had doubts about the development's connection to the village. "You talk about Cold Spring being walkable, but my concern is these people aren't going to be walkers; they're going to drive to [nearby] Foodtown," he said. "They're not going to want to walk up Wall Street," which doesn't have a sidewalk.

St. Charles also raised concerns about connectivity. He observed that the neighborhood's thoroughfare would only connect "loosely" to M...