Join Us at the Gazebo!

Democracy in Action

For some of us, activism on NO KINGS DAY 3 started in Chatham, at the gazebo. Yes! March 28, 2026 saw a growing number of you, some new and some regular attendees, standing or sitting, waving signs and flying flags, expressing our solidarity, and letting our community know we protest a wide range of injustices.

Gazebo Saturdays

We gather from noon to 1 pm every Saturday. The above photo is from No Kings Day in Chatham as people gathered. With no organizing or fanfare, 40 people turned out to say NO to tyranny, war and hate. There was a cowbell, donuts, great signs and — maybe best of all — a shared feeling of community that lifted all who came. But, what happened the following Saturday, April 4, you say? Well, 15 people came. No ask. No announcement. It was glorious.

These little protests matter, maybe even more than the big ones! They are US, keeping the flame of democracy alive. Hope is contagious. Being part of this group is joyful, as well as empowering. Far from being some dusty, abstract thing, democracy is our beating national heart, and — as is proven every day — it demands our attention, our love, and our willingness to fight for it. And so we show up.

None of us can come every week but all of us can come most or some weeks, and in standing with each other we can find the strength and camaraderie we need right now. Please come! Bring a sign if you’ve got one, or use one of ours. Donuts are optional! 

Democracy needs ALL OF US.

1300+ OF US CAME TO NO KINGS DAY in HUDSON

The third NO KINGS DAY protest in Hudson saw over 1300 participants at the Columbia County Courthouse, after a series of speeches at 7th Street Park on upper Warren Street. The crowd that marched down Warren Street included people of all ages, babies to very senior citizens. They paraded in strollers, or used canes, wheelchairs or walkers, and moved peacefully in families, groups of friends and like-minded citizens. Signs were clever and stark, direct and emphatic. Indivisible (ICNY) members and parade marshals, along with representatives of the Sanctuary Movement, had planned a program that energized those present. 

This is what we can do right now. As we await the next crushing, disastrous, and chaos-producing actions from Trump and his sycophantic administration, we can raise our voices, contact our representatives, support our neighbors, and work in our own communities to build support and services for ourselves and each other.

She said that she had been contacted by the Chair of a committee she participates in, saying he wanted to discuss her post with the committee. In order “to ensure there is no confusion or mischaracterization” of her words, the speaker elected to read her post aloud so that it would be part of the official record. Her post included a description of what had occurred at a recent Executive Session of the Board, details of which have not yet been made public. 

When asked about the source of her information on the executive session, this resident said she had obtained information about the outcome of the meeting by asking the Town Clerk for information and using AI.  Town Board member Simonetti interrupted the discussion, saying that this situation needed to be looked at carefully due to a potential breach of confidentiality. She and the board concurred later in the meeting that they would not make further comments on the situation at the time, pending consultation with the Town Attorney.

The video of the meeting is available here. For interested parties, there is approximately a 30-minute segment of public comment at the timestamp 43, and then a brief, final public comment segment at the end of the meeting. 

Under Old Business, the Board:

(1) Discussed the proposed “Community Picnic” scheduled to coincide with Chatham Summerfest and requested additional information on specifics of the picnic plans.

(2) Heard about an upcoming resolution to memorialize an agreement with a legal consulting firm with specialization in labor and employment law.

(3) Congratulated the members of the Chatham Invasive Species Citizen Advisory Committee for the successful application for a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation grant in the approximate amount of $41,000.00 to address/remove invasive plants that have been identified at Crellin Park.

In New Business, the Board:

(1) Heard about an application for a Farmland Protection Implementation Grant submitted by Columbia Land Conservancy to the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets. The grant would be used for the purchase of development rights for the property named Dog Wood Farm on Hartigan Road, Chatham NY. The Columbia County Land Conservancy recommended the Town Board approve application for this grant and, upon successful grant award, that the Town purchase the development rights on the property using grant monies from the CLC and the Scenic Hudson Land Trust. Supervisor Collins wrote a letter of support for the grant application on behalf of the Columbia County Farmland Protection Board.

(2) Heard from Town Board member Rick Werwaiss that the minutes of the Town Board are not consistently posted on the website following approval of the minutes by the Town Board. He will submit a resolution to require that the minutes of the Town Board meeting be posted within the time frame required by NYS law for Board consideration and a vote.

(3) Heard from Town Board member Lisa Simonetti that she is recommending the Board establish a Town Ethics Board and that the Town’s Ethics Code be reviewed and revised. Simonetti said she would do some research and craft a draft resolution for Board consideration at a future meeting.

(4) Heard an opinion from Town Board member Simonetti that the current Town Board correspondence protocol limits the public access to correspondence to the Town Board. After some discussion regarding the rationale for the current protocol, Board member  Simonetti asked that the Board review and consider changes to the protocol in the future that would allow citizens freer access to written communication to the Board.

(5) Heard Town Board member Angus Eaton highlighted an article from Cornell University regarding Farms and Solar energy. The article summarized survey research on the potential effects of solar installations on agricultural business and concluded that “Solar’s threat to NYS agriculture may be overstated.”

(6) Heard short biographies of candidates who are recommended for the Zoning Code Review Subcommittee.

Invitation to our readers

With your help and support, the Chatham Dems worked hard to elect our Town Board members. With the help of many of you, we raised campaign funds, created campaign materials, and got out the vote for our candidates. As a result Rick Werwaiss was re-elected, and our newest Board Member, Lisa Simonetti, was elected to the Chatham Town Board. Two years before that, Angus Eaton and John Wapner were elected to the Town Board. All four currently serve on the Town Board, along with Town Supervisor Donal Collins.

Being in political office is not for the faint of heart or the thin-skinned! 

Voters have opinions and criticisms at times, and increasingly they voice what is on their minds, whether it be factual or an opinion, based on accurate or inaccurate information. Especially recently, some opinions have been expressed at Town Board meetings that are highly critical of the Board members we worked hard to elect — and have even insinuated that their actions as Board Members are suspect or worse. 

Our hard work to elect people to function in the best interests of all of the people in the Town of Chatham is being called into question. Do you believe that the Chatham Dems and the people we helped get elected to office have ulterior motives to creating a good government? And if these Board members disagree with the Town Supervisor, or vote differently from him on an issue, or hold him to a standard that was voted on at the annual organizational meeting, are they wrong? When our elected officials seek clarification of the legal standards for which records are subject to FOIL requests when there are legitimate questions about that issue, is there an agenda of non-transparency and secrecy?

These are the implications of recent public comment, and some comments consist of direct name calling or accusations of undesirable or improper behavior.

We urge our readers and all citizens to come to Town Board meetings and form your own opinions. Read our Board meeting summaries in the newsletter, support what you like the Board is doing by commenting in public comment segments and respectfully voice your opposition where you don’t, ask questions about issues you do not understand, and become invested in our Town government. 

Come to board meetings! Volunteer to be a part of a Citizens Advisory Committee! Join our volunteer group to contribute to the well being of the Town of Chatham!

NO NONSENSE. JUST CHATHAM.

******************************

And stay tuned here, residents of the Town of Chatham–

Spring Clean-up Day is May 16, 2026

Get rid of trash, electronic waste, tires, scrap metal and more!