On Nov. 5, eligible New Paltz voters cast their ballots for their federal, state, county and local officials. The ballot for New Paltz’s local government included two unopposed seats which were filled by Town Supervisor Amanda Gotto and Town Councilperson Edgar Rodriguez.
Amanda Gotto, a resident of the town and member of its planning board for seven years, was appointed as the interim supervisor on May 28, replacing former Supervisor Neil Bettez who resigned earlier that month. Gotto was set to serve her term until Dec. 31 and has since renewed her term until Dec. 31, 2025.
The Oracle reached out to Gotto for a statement on her election and goals as supervisor but did not receive a response.
Edgar Rodriguez, a long-time resident of the town, former faculty member at SUNY New Paltz and former Board of Education member for the New Paltz Central School District, was appointed on June 20, filling a vacancy left on the Town Board before being elected to serve another year until Dec. 31, 2025. Along with this experience, Rodriguez has also been politically involved throughout the community on issues of housing, policing and immigrant rights.
Upon assuming the role, Rodriguez became exposed to the “scope of the issues of events that affect the town,” detailing his involvement in the upcoming town budget for 2025 and the potential merger of the New Paltz village and town. He has also identified concerns with housing for town employees and funding services such as the youth center and other recreational programs that other towns cannot afford. Understanding their “multitude and complexity” became a critical part of Rodriguez’s duties as town councilperson.
One of the biggest issues that Rodriguez identified is the relationship between the university and the town. “I sort of see them as two separate worlds, and having been in that world of the university as a faculty member, I observe that we are distant, aloof from and not connected to the community.” For Rodriguez, the issues of parking, policing and housing are especially critical considering the students’ involvement in both realms, as he cited lack of communication and partnership between the two in handling these circumstances. Speaking as a concerned citizen, Rodriguez also specifically named the 133 arrests on Parker Quad on May 2, 2024 as a setback between the campus and the New Paltz community.
“I will continue to advocate for an equitable partnership between SUNY and [The Town Board and Village Board] as best that I can … I don’t think that both communities, the campus and the community at large, can exist without being aware of one another, considering one another and supporting one another,” said Rodriguez.
The newly elected officials as well as the rest of the town board can be contacted through their emails listed on the town’s website: https://www.townofnewpaltz.org/town-board.
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