Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

2023 municipal election results are in

2023 municipal election results are in

Election workers compiled the results of the municipal elections in Falls Village. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan
 

Election Day 2023 saw contested selectmen races in five of the six Region One towns. Polls closed at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7, and the votes have been tallied.

New first selectmen have been elected in four of the six towns with many more fresh faces filling board seats throughout the region.

Results by town

Cornwall 

First Selectman: Gordon Ridgway (D)
Selectman: Rocco Botto (D)
Selectman: Jennifer Hurlburt Markow (U)

Cornwall re-elected Gordon Ridgway (D) to his 17th term as first selectman. Filling out the Board of Selectmen in Cornwall for the next two years is Rocco Botto (D) and Jennifer Hurlburt Markow (U). 

Falls Village

First Selectman: Dave Barger (D)
Selectman: Judy Jacobs (R)
Selectman: Chris Kinsella (D)

Falls Village has elected Dave Barger (D) to the seat of first selectman. His running mate Chris Kinsella (D) and Judy Jacobs (R) will fill out the Board of Selectmen through 2025. Greg Marlowe (R), incumbent selectman and candidate for first selectman, was voted off the board.

Kent

First Selectman: Marty Lindenmayer (U)
Selectman: Glenn Sanchez (D)
Selectman: Lynn Mellis Worthington (D)

In Kent’s three-way race for first selectman, Marty Lindenmayer (U) emerged victorious. Glenn Sanchez (D) was re-elected to the board and Lynn Mellis Worthington (D), who was running for first selectman, will round out Kent’s Board of Selectmen for the next two years.

North Canaan

First Selectman: Brian Ohler (R)
Second Selectman: Craig Whiting (R)
Third Selectman: Jesse Bunce (D)

North Canaan elected Brian Ohler (R) to become the new first selectman through 2025. His running mate Craig Whiting (R) was re-elected to the seat of second selectman for the fourth time. Newcomer Jesse Bunce (D) received more votes than three-term incumbent Christian Allyn (D) for the seat of third selectman. Allyn was running for first selectman.

Salisbury

First Selectman: Curtis Rand (D)
Selectman: Christian Williams (D)
Selectman: Katherine Kiefer (U)

In Salisbury, Curtis Rand (D) ran unopposed for first selectman and will fill the role for his 10th term. Christian Williams (D) was re-elected as selectman along with challenger Katherine Kiefer (U), who previously served on the Board of Selectmen in Salisbury from 2013-2017. Kiefer will replace Don Mayland (R) on the Board. A slender eight-vote margin between Mayland and Kiefer automatically triggered a recount. On Wednesday morning, Nov. 8, the Salisbury registrars were busy setting up the recount for Monday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m. at Town Hall.

Sharon

First Selectman: Casey T. Flanagan (D)
Selectman: Lynn Sharon Kearcher (D)
Selectman: John Brett (U)

Sharon’s selectmen races were uncontested. Casey Flanagan won first selectman with Lynn Sharon Kearcher (D) and John Brett (U) filling the other two selectmen seats.

Latest News

Early morning Kent crash sends car into ditch, disrupts traffic on Rt. 341

A blue SUV remains in a ditch after an early-morning crash along Segar Mountain Road in Kent May 27.

Ruth Epstein

KENT – A driver escaped with minor injuries after an SUV crashed into a utility pole and water line before rolling into a ditch along Segar Mountain Road early Wednesday morning, May 27, disrupting traffic for much of the day and affecting water service to a nearby residence.

The single-vehicle crash occurred around 4:30 a.m. near 36 Segar Mountain Road, just under half a mile east of the intersection with South Kent Road. State police said the blue SUV struck the pole, went over a guardrail and came to stop in a roadside ditch.

Keep ReadingShow less

Pauline King Garfield

Pauline King Garfield

EAST CANAAN — Pauline K. (King) Garfield, 94 of 77 South Canaan Rd. formerly of East Canaan, died Sunday May 24, 2026, at Geer Village.She was the wife of the late Duane Garfield who passed August 14, 2017. Pauline was born April 3, 1932 in North Canaan, CT in the former Geer Hospital. She was the daughter of the late Charles and Rose (Van Vlack) King.

Pauline spent her career at Becton Dickinson in Canaan, after being a stay-at-home mother for many years.She was employed at Becton Dickinson for 23 years. She enjoyed bus trips with her late husband Duane to the Casinos, spending time with her family watching the grandchildren grow up. Recently she made a comment to care givers that was “wait until I see that husband of mine for leaving me here, I am going to read him the riot act.” Over the years she enjoyed many crafts, but her favorite was crocheting gifts for everyone.

Keep ReadingShow less
A blessing for pets — and a lifeline for their health
Lazarus, a Eurasian eagle owl, poses with Dr. Laura, his longtime handler. The rescue raptor — known as the event’s “wow factor” for his striking presence and six-foot wingspan — will appear as the Raptor Ambassador at Rhinebeck’s Blessing of the Animals.
provided

For many pet owners, animals are family. On Saturday, May 30, that bond will be celebrated in a uniquely practical and heartfelt way when the Blessing of the Animals returns to Third Lutheran Evangelical Church in Rhinebeck alongside a free rabies vaccination clinic hosted by Hudson Valley Animal Rescue & Sanctuary.

The event, scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., is free for Dutchess County residents and open to dogs, cats and domestic ferrets three months and older. While the clinic itself provides an important public health service, organizers say the day has become about much more than vaccinations.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Local filmmaker Yonah Sadeh takes his lens to China

Filmmaker Yonah Sadeh on a shoot last year in New York City.

Matt Kashtan
When I was around 12, a family friend showed me how to use my family’s computer...from that point on, it was pretty much all movies. — Yonah Sadeh

Filmmaker Yonah Sadeh of Falls Village left May 8 for China, where he will shoot a short documentary.

“I got into a documentary film intensive program where we have two weeks to shoot, edit and screen a 10-minute documentary about a topic of our choosing,” he said.“I’ll be in Changsha, Hunan, making a film about a fifth-generation shadow puppet master.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Silvano Monasterios wows packed Cornwall Town Hall audience

Silvano Monasterios thrilled a sold out audience in Cornwall.

Natalia Zukerman

Grammy-nominated pianist, composer and producer Silvano Monasterios performed works from his upcoming “Solo in Paris,” his seventh album, on Sunday, May 23 at Cornwall Town Hall to a packed audience. Presented by Music Mountain in partnership with the Cornwall Town Hall and Cornwall Library, the concert showcased Monasterios’ signature fusion of sophisticated jazz harmonies and vibrant Latin rhythms. Throughout the performance, he moved seamlessly between intricate compositions and spontaneous improvisation. The concert built excitement for Music Mountain’s upcoming summer jazz series, which will bring an array of acclaimed performers to the historic venue. For more information, visit musicmountain.org

Author Courtney Maum to discuss new novel at Norfolk Library

Norfolk Library celebrates the release of Courtney Maum’s latest novel, “Alan Opts Out,” with a book launch party Tuesday, June 2, at 5:30 p.m. The author will speak about her book in conversation with WAMC radio producer Sarah LaDuke.

A graduate of Brown University with a degree in comparative literature, Maum is an acclaimed author of five books, including the romantic comedy “Touch,” a New York Times Editors’ Choice and NPR Best Book of the Year; “Costalegre;” and “I’m Having So Much Fun Without You.” Her memoir, “The Year of the Horses,” was chosen by the TODAY show as top pick for Mental Health Awareness Month. Vanity Fair listed her author’s guidebook “Before and After the Book Deal,” as a best resource for writers, and she has an eponymous Substack newsletter.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.