Didi Barrett makes diner tour stop in Millerton

Millerton ­­— Lunch hour at Irving Farm Coffee House was especially busy on Friday, Feb. 22, with state Assemblywoman Didi Barrett (D-Mid-Hudson), sitting at a corner table, visiting as part of her second annual Diner Stop Tour.“It’s great. It’s one of my most favorite things that we’ve done,” Barrett said of the still-new tradition. “We have the opportunity to talk to constituents in places where they’re comfortable directly — to talk face-to-face about issues — many that are personal.”That allows Barrett to follow up in myriad ways, whether with further research that often leads to community forums, connecting constituents with different agencies that can offer service or even drafting and pursuing future legislation. At the heart of it though, the assemblywoman said the diner tour allows her to connect and promote those she serves throughout her large district.“It supports local businesses like diners and coffee houses, which we want to see flourish,” she said. “I did this last year. This is the 2013 edition, and we’ve gotten great responses. The turnout across the board, from elected officials, nonprofits, moms and kids, I think people really appreciate elected officials making themselves available to them.”Clearly they do. The list of people who came out to talk with Barrett was lengthy, and growing, just a half-hour into her arrival at the coffeehouse. Irving Farm was the second stop on her tour, which began Feb. 15, at the Eveready Diner in Hyde Park, which was labeled a success by Barrett and her office. For Amenia Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner, who was in Millerton as both a concerned citizen and as an elected official, Barrett’s tour was a shining example of how to be a true representative of the people.“I think it’s great when any official reaches out to the community,” she said, “and I think it’s always a great opportunity to speak with any of our representatives to get an idea of where they’re going and what they’re doing.“Being newly-elected, I do not have any specific items on my agenda today, and being the town clerk I don’t have the same concerns as the supervisor or council members, it’s more administrative,” she added. “But I am thinking about shared services. I think it could be good for the staff and I think working together and unifying positions could be helpful.”Besides municipal leaders, there were local residents at the gathering. There were even some present younger than those who might typically take an interest in politics. But 14-year-old Tyler Jasmine, a Boy Scout with Amenia Troop 29, said it’s never too early to take an interest in one’s community.Tyler stopped by to talk to Barrett in order to gain a merit badge based on citizenship in the community, but he said he would have tried to speak with her even if not for the Boy Scouts. Making it a family act, the teenager brought along his younger brother Nicholas, also a Scout in Troop 29, to speak with the assemblywoman. After Friday’s meeting Tyler said he gained much insight from Barrett.“We talked about how young people can do a lot of community volunteering, like clean up roads, join the junior fire department, have fundraisers for victims of [Superstorm] Sandy, a lot of stuff,” he said.Barrett said she covers all sorts of issues at her on-the-go sessions, from school issues to traffic concerns to questions about sewer systems and infrastructure. She said many of the same issues arise across the region, from municipality to municipality.“They’re important [issues to address] to move forward and attract businesses and become sustainable,” Barrett said. With plans to continue the diner tour until the end of April, Barrett said it’s been a win-win-win so far.“It’s great for us, great for constituents and great for local businesses,” she said. “And it works.”Here is a partial schedule for the Diner Stop Tour, with stops that will visit the Harlem Valley:• Pine Plains Platter Friday, March 15, 2013 2987 Church St, Pine Plains 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.• Dad’s Diner Friday, April 12, 2013 178 Route 7A (Main St.), Copake 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.• West Taghkanic Diner Friday, April 19, 2013 Route 82 at Taconic State Pkwy., Ancram 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.