With the Democratic and Republican caucuses behind us there were several people who voiced concerns about some of the events and happenings during each meeting. There are fifteen weeks between now and the next election that has a number of seats up for bid. Below is a brief list of some of the concerns that were raised by local residents regarding both caucuses:

Venue Blues:
Both caucuses took place in the Pioneer Firehouse (old Norbury Hall) on Center Street. The large hall, with its high ceilings, made it difficult to hear the speeches of those nominating candidates as well as those who were nominated. The structure's acoustics became worse as more people appeared. Neither party was equipped with a public address system. Thus, some candidates' speeches were incomprehensible beyond the first few rows of seats, particularly in the better-attended Republican caucus.

A question was raised as to why the local school could not host the caucuses. A cursory look around the area shows that the New Paltz High School has been made available for both party's caucuses. As of press time, inquiries by this paper as to whether the Ellenville Central School District could house caucuses have not been answered by the ECSD Superintendent, Lisa Wiles.

Nomination Consternation:
Several local residents were surprised and uncomfortable with Village Manager Elliott Auerbach's seconding the nomination of Deputy Mayor Ray Younger. Younger, who serves on the village's Board of Trustees, is part of the body to which Auerbach must report. Since Auerbach serves at the pleasure of the board, many found it odd that he would be involved in the nominating process for, ostensibly, one of his superiors.

In addition, Auerbach also seconded Councilman John Gavaris' nomination for the position of Town Supervisor for the Town of Wawarsing. Why, some wondered, is Auerbach, a former mayor and current public servant in a position meant to be apolitical, still so involved with Democratic party politics?

Law And Order:
Why did Democratic Party Chairperson Sylvia Kalipolites feel that it was necessary to request that Ulster County Sheriffs be dispatched to the Democratic caucus?

Numbers:
With over 1,000 registered Democrats in the village and nearly 2,500 in the town how come there were 20 in the audience during the village's caucus and 150 in the town's caucus? Each of the Republicans' caucuses had roughly 180 people in attendance. There are less than 500 registered Republicans in the village and roughly 1,600 registered Republicans in the town.

Thanks, But No Thanks:
During each caucus, several individuals were thanked for their public service and their commitment to their respective parties. Why was there no public thanks given to either Town Councilwoman Ruth Ann Gunter or Village Trustee Steve Krulick at the Democratic caucus?

Town and Village “No Shows”:
One would expect that after an individual is nominated for a particular position, be it town or village, he or she would attend the meetings of the board to which they are seeking to be elected.

At the first Wawarsing town board meeting since both caucuses were completed, Republican challengers Georgianne Matichuk (councilwoman) and Ed Jennings (supervisor) were in attendance. Terry Houck, the incumbent Republican councilman, missed the meeting due to preparations for his upcoming marriage.

Democratic candidate for Highway Superintendent, Tony Paes, was also on hand.

Gil Davis, Teresa Hyatt and Greg Wood - all running for town positions - were not in attendance.

At the first village board meeting since the caucuses were held, Mayor Jeff Kaplan, the incumbent Democrat, was away on a trip while Deputy Mayor Ray Younger was in attendance.

Democratic hopeful Francisco Olivares, who has attended several village meetings, was not in attendance.

Neither Republican candidate for mayor Ruben Torres, nor Republican candidate for trustee, Wendy Tushak, were in attendance.

However, Patty Steinhoff, was in attendance. Steinhoff, a recently retired teacher for the Ellenville Central School District, is being considered as a possible replacement for Trustee Teresa Hyatt should Hyatt win a seat on the Wawarsing Town Board.

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