PV Pols Seek Sustainable Careers

The upcoming Putnam Valley election season is sure not to be dull thanks to an intriguing cast of characters. Democrats are putting together their opposition ticket with hopes of unseating current Republican supervisor Bob Tendy. Dawn Powell, a prolific blogger on local matters, has her eyes set on the supervisor job. She has some experience with the town's top post: She was formerly a personal assistant--and live-in friend--of previous Putnam Valley Supervisor Sam Davis.

For town board, incumbent Wendy Whetsel is seeking re-election. Citing the need to focus on her growing hypnosis and psychic medium business, the other incumbent up for re-election, Priscilla Keresey, has declined to run again. As a result, former supervisor Davis and newcomer Chris Lieberman will likely face off against Whetsel in a primary election to determine who will ultimately vie against the PV Republicans for two open board seats.

The Davis administration was one marked both by innovation and controversy. Davis, clearly in favor of "environmental sustainability" and making "green" choices, attempted some ambitious changes to the town, such as proposing the use of photovoltaic cells on town buildings. And against the objections of two town board members and a vocal segment of the larger community, Davis hired Powell (then his girlfriend) to be his personal assistant at $40,000+ per year, with benefits. When the town's Ethics Board censured him, he sued the board and his own town employees, and lost.

Davis and Tendy (a board member during Davis's administration) have often squared off, with both men capable of being demonstrative and testy. Tendy defeated Davis in November 2007.

Tendy's administration has not been controversy-free, either. The question of what to do with Peekskill Hollow Road has been discussed widely at both the town and county level. Tendy was also criticized by local business people for his handling of the grant-funded re-design of the Oregon Corners business district, at the intersection of Peekskill Hollow and Oscawana Lake Roads. These issues are still under discussion, but in both cases Tendy has been accused of not inviting public participation early enough in the process, and of appearing dogmatic and unwilling to compromise.

An interesting twist on the Republican side is the arrival of longtime government watchdog and local businesswoman, Patty Villanova, who is an equal-opportunity critic and has been a vocal opponent of Supervisor Tendy. Villanova has been tackling local school and government issues with relish for several decades and definitely has a strong base of support among the anti-tax crowd that has done periodic damage to PV school budget vote outcomes over the years. She once wrote a letter to the editor attacking the Putnam Valley Library for having a poor selection of reading material and serving as a source of free videotapes for local families.

Because Esther McHenry and Jacqueline Annabi are already the Republican-backed candidates for Town Board, Villanova will likely face off against the two of them in a Republican primary. Given her encyclopedic knowledge of town affairs and pit-bull approach to controversy, she will be a formidable opponent.