On a cold and rainy Tuesday evening a week before the election, Ellenville's Trudy Farber Center saw a poor turnout at the NAACP's Meet the Candidates Night from both the public and the candidates themselves.

Despite reports from NAACP President Maude Bruce that this event had been standing-room-only in years past, the number of residents who attended this year's event hovered around ten, with late-comers arriving as the night progressed. The candidates, likewise, were not all in attendance: County Executive candidate Michael Hein and Comptroller candidates Elliott Auerbach and James Quigley were unable to appear at the event, as they attended another event in Kingston. Hein's opponent Len Bernardo appeared, though he spoke and took questions first in order to go to Kingston as well.

State Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, running for reelection against challenger Robin Yess (not present) also appeared. Candidates for Ellenville's village justice and Wawarsing's town justice all spoke at the event, while Village Trustee candidate Patty Steinhoff, running unopposed for a one-year term, was not present.

Bernardo spoke about his plans for Ulster County, as well as the need for accountability in government and leadership, and plans to bring jobs back to Ellenville. When asked how he would create jobs in Ulster County on day one, Bernardo said that he would replace Lance Matteson as head of the Ulster County Development Corporation, who he cited as ineffective and not having delivered on the promises of the position. He also said that he would look to have increased cooperation and partnership between the various town supervisors who lead the different towns in the county, so as to provide stronger support for shared services among municipalities throughout the county.

Cahill spoke next, discussing his desire to continue working in the assembly during the upcoming belt-tightening the crisis on Wall Street will likely cause. Cahill said he would not cut education or health care services, and pointed to his record after 9/11 and the financial crisis that ensued. Cahill emphasized the need for energy independence, and said he would want to fund education in the renewable energy field to create jobs and to decrease dependence on traditional energy sources.

The Town Justice candidates, Julie Lonstein and Charlie Dechon, took the floor next. They each spoke briefly about their backgrounds with the law; Lonstein cited 18 years working in the Lonstein Law Office in Ellenville, and Dechon discussed 21 years with the state police.

When asked about the relationship between police and town justice, the candidates' responses were relatively similar. Lonstein said the judge's role is not to sign any warrant presented by the police, but to make sure that it's complete, shows probable cause, follows due process, and that no person's rights are being taken away.

Dechon said the police and judge have a symbiotic relationship, in that the justice must be available 24 hours a day for arraignments to help the law enforcement process move forward. He also said Lonstein's sentiments were correct, in that the judge is not going to rubber stamp warrants since they must meet legal standards and be complete.

When asked what changes each would bring to the court, Lonstein said it wasn't appropriate to run on a platform of change, since the justice position did not set policy, but that having a second judge would relieve current Town Justice Wayne Lonstein of some of the caseload. Dechon commented that he would offer a judicial alternative, implying that having two Lonsteins on the bench create a conflict. Lonstein responded, saying that she was not a clone of Wayne Lonstein, her brother-in-law, and that there was no legitimate reason to worry about such a situation.

Finally, the candidates for Village Justice, Dan Johnson and current Village Justice Matt Parker, spoke. Johnson discussed his family-ties to the area, and how he believed in the state's justice system which puts regular citizens on the bench. While he acknowledged that there was nothing a judge could do to change anything, he said that many people he spoke with said that something in the area needed to change, and he said a vote for him would be a way to help that happen. He also promised that, if elected, he would work hard to study the practices of being a judge and go to various courts around the area to learn. He did admit, however, that he had not been to village court during his time running for justice.

Parker, who has held the position of village justice for 14 years and has been elected twice, thanked Johnson for running, and said that anyone who throws his or her hat into the ring for public office should be applauded. He also said that he was pleased to hear from Johnson that no one mentioned how it was the courts that needed to change, and that he must be doing a good job. He discussed his years serving as the court's judge, and how he hoped to continue serving with the same respect he's provided over the years. He also said that being the judge would take a lot more than studying and watching other justices, saying you learn the position by doing it, and that he was the best-qualified candidate because of his experience on the bench.

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