Dear friends and neighbors,

Did you hear the news? Thanks to the efforts of so many candidates, volunteers, and voters like you, we have flipped the Dutchess County Legislature blue and gained five seats. This means that former Minority Leader Yvette Valdes Smith has now been elected Chair of the Legislature, former Assistant Minority Leader Barrington Atkins will be the Majority Leader, and our own Kris Munn has been elected as the Assistant Majority Leader. As Atkins said in his statement about the new leadership, “We are stepping into this majority not just to maintain power, but to shift the narrative. For too long many communities have been told to wait their turn. Well, that turn is now. We are not here to rearrange the chairs, we are here to build a new table.” 

In 2026 we have more work ahead to elect candidates that reflect our values and can work together to achieve the change we want to see. That is why we are asking for your support: a contribution to the committee will help us go into 2026 strong. In the next year, we have plans to field candidates, communicate with voters, hold events that inspire our community, and take care of poll workers and other volunteers. 

Every dollar raised will go toward supporting local efforts to build a stronger voting community. 

Please donate today. (This link includes information on where to mail a check if that is your preference.)

With gratitude for all our work together,

Sarah

Take Action

As local resistance efforts continue to take shape, we will share what we know of here, while staying focused on our mission to engage in building up the local Democratic community and supporting Democrats who run for office locally. 

• Saturday protests: folks are meeting at the four corners in Red Hook at 12 noon each Saturday to protest DOGE, ICE round ups, and more. This is not organized by a specific group, it’s organic. As far as we know there is no further contact info.

• The app 5 Calls, makes it extremely easy to contact your representatives, including providing numbers and scripts for outreach.  When doing so, always be sure to identify yourself and where you are from, including leaving your zip code in the voicemail if you have to leave one! 

• Hudson Valley Strong is one of the best spots to go for more regular updates on protest activities; it’s a local nonpartisan progressive organization out of the Indivisible movement and they have a helpful newsletter. https://www.hudsonvalleystrong.org/

• Sign up for Pat Ryan’s weekly emails here. As our representative in the House he has been active in collecting information about the impacts of federal actions on our district, showing up at protests, and he is holding regular strategy zooms and town halls.