TODAY IS ELECTION DAY!

WRITE-IN vote Don Kerr and Rebecca Rotzler for Village Trustee TODAY, Tuesday, May 7 at the village firehouse at 25 Plattekill Avenue. Polls are open 12-9.

Don and Rebecca are the best candidates for the job. Their experience, passion for our community, and ability to see issues objectively will help our village face the challenges ahead. What our village needs now are leaders like Kerr and Rotzler.

We need Don and Rebecca, and they need your vote. Each and every vote is critical. Winning via WRITE-IN is a considerable challenge, but certainly within our reach. Bring your sharpened pencils to the village firehouse today to WRITE-IN Kerr and Rotzler.

See the many statements of support for Kerr and Rotzler from your village neighbors atwww.KerrRotzler.blogspot.com and on Facebook at “Kerr/Rotzler for New Paltz”.

New Paltz Village Election Debate at SUNY New Paltz: April 29, 2013

Michael Zierler supports Kerr & Rotzler for New Paltz

This Tuesday join me in writing-in Don Kerr and Rebecca Rotzler to be our next Village Trustees. Rebecca and Don have devoted years to serving our community both as volunteers and as elected officials. They have served on numerous boards and committees, often chairing them. And every time they have brought energy, vision, patience, and respect for others to the tasks at hand. I served with Rebecca for three years on the Village Board when she was Deputy Mayor. She worked tirelessly on behalf of our emergency service personnel, helped oversee Village finances as a member of the Finance Committee, and drafted the Village’s affordable housing law, to name only some of her accomplishments. Importantly, I could trust Rebecca to come prepared to meetings and to listen carefully to different points of view. I have watched Don serve for many years on our school board including as President. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with Don and Rebecca on a committee that Don spearheaded and chaired. Our charge was to identify ways to improve New Paltz’s commercial tax base. We set out to identify locations where development would be viable and likely acceptable to the community. We also identified types of businesses that we would like to see. We reached out to Ulster County government to assist us in making these development projects happen. Finally, Don and members of this committee presented our report to the Town Board so that they could implement our recommendations. The remarkable thing about Don was the skills he brought to lead this politically diverse group of citizens towards these common goals. He used everyone’s strengths to our best advantage. He led by example, getting his responsibilities done on time, and reaching out to help whenever it was needed. What the Village Board sorely needs now are people like Rebecca and Don. People who respect their colleagues, and who respect the public even if they disagree with the Village Board. We need Don and Rebecca because they will bring civility and professionalism to the Village Board. And most importantly, they will work on behalf of all Village residents. We need Don and Rebecca’s years of experience, their passion, and their work ethic. Please write in Don Kerr and Rebecca Rotzler on Tuesday May 7.

Michael Zierler

A Conversation with Don Kerr and Rebecca Rotzler

Theresa Fall's Letter to the Editor May 1, 2013

I stand behind Rebecca Rotzler as a village trustee 100%. I have worked side-by-side with Rebecca over the years and have always been impressed by her tireless commitment to serving the community as a dedicated, smart, and caring volunteer. She is usually the first one to offer her help when help is needed - whether for Flood Aid, Family of New Paltz, hurricane disaster relief or even just a fun-spirited community event. I believe her to be a good person down to the core, one who will be fair and just in all things relevant to our village. She has already proven herself reliable and level-headed as our former Deputy Mayor, working diligently and successfully on a diverse board with different political backgrounds. On May 7th, I am writing in Rebecca Rotzler in for Village Board Trustee and I strongly encourage you to do the same.

Don Kerr is an excellent choice for Village Board Trustee. He has a level head and a commitment to our community which he has shown consistently over the years through his volunteer work in so many ways: on the school board, the Land Use and Transportation Committee, a consolidation subcommittee, chair of joint Town/Village Public Access Committee, and of course, his public access television show "A Slice of New Paltz".  We need fair, just, balanced, multi-faceted people our village board. Don is just that person and I am writing him in for Village Board on May 7th. Please do the same. 

Theresa Fall

Village of New Paltz

Brian Cournoyer's Letter to the Editor May 1, 2013

In times of uncertainty and contentiousness, we need experienced leaders who base decisions on facts. Rebecca Rotzler and Don Kerr are those leaders. In her time as deputy mayor, Rebecca Rotzler demonstrated her ability to lead discussion and build consensus on the New Paltz Village Board. She is a well-known and active member of the New Paltz community, and has worked tirelessly organizing a group of local citizens to bring aid to Hurricane Sandy victims on Staten Island. Don Kerr, in his time as a member and president of the New Paltz school board, also showed the characteristics of a conscientious, thoughtful leader who takes the opinions and input of his colleagues and the public seriously and gives careful consideration to the details and the data. I am confident that, as trustees of the Village Board, Rebecca and Don will bring these very important qualities to bear, using facts, rationality and sensibility in making the difficult decisions that lie ahead. 

Please join me in enthusiastically writing in Rebecca Rotzler and Don Kerr for New Paltz Village Board Trustees on May 7th.

Brian Cournoyer
Village of New Paltz

Don Kerr's Letter to the Editor May 1, 2013

It’s time to make a choice New Paltz. On May 7^th, WRITE IN KERR & ROTZLER or fill in the bubble for another candidate. My hope is that this wise community makes the most of an opportunity to elect experienced and creative local leaders – with track records of smart and constructive action.

 

In addition to her term as Deputy Mayor, law writing and grant experience, Rebecca Rotzler arrived on Staten Island with volunteers from New Paltz immediately after Hurricane Sandy. Demonstrating the commitment and energy that my running mate would bring to service as trustee, Rebecca has continued to spend her weekends there in service, up until this campaign. In Staten Island, it was Rebecca whom they sent into sewage filled basements again and again for her fortitude. And when our beloved city of New Orleans fell to Katrina, the Kerr family housed a single mother and her sparkling daughter for months. 

 

Rotzler and Kerr walk the walk. Please WRITE US IN.

 

My email handle is Donpaltz. For me, that says it all. It embodies who I am and my life in our wonderful community: PTSA, Reformed Church Choir (retired), NewPaltz.org, One Bus/One Town, Land Use and Transportation Study, Slice of New Paltz, Public Access committee, Board of Education, NP ad-hoc Tax Alliance, consolidation subcommittee, and more. 

 

Elected positions are best brought to life by clear vision, ability to articulate, empathy, strategy, and skin tough as leather. We have repeatedly demonstrated those qualities over time – you know who we are. You know that you can trust us. 

 

WRITE IN KERR & ROTZLER for New Paltz. Thank you. 

Donald Kerr

New Paltz

Forrest Kerr's Letter to the Editor May 1, 2013

I'd like to provide some personal insight on how my father Don Kerr faces important decisions: when I found THE car that I wanted, I thought about hitting him with some emotionally slanted rhetoric but then I remembered who I was bargaining with. Although he may be an empathetic and understanding man the most important factor for him in decision making is the facts and the rhetoric free reality of any given situation. I crunched the numbers and was able to prove that I could afford it and even pay my tuition and books afterwards and with that I won his vote on the matter. I have always known him to be a kind-hearted and emotional man, but I have never seen him let that take precedent to his deep moral integrity which is centered around hard facts and I like to think he has passed that on to me and shares it with the people he surrounds himself with. More importantly I have seen this modeled by his campaigning with Rebecca Rotzler and I know it is something they will bring to the village board which it could use dearly.

Forrest Kerr

New Paltz

KT Tobin's Letter to the Editor May 1, 2013

I would need 100 pages to fully write about how grateful I am for Don Kerr and Rebecca Rotzler’s contributions to both my own life and our community. As my friends, mentors, role models for my children, and deeply devoted volunteers for New Paltz, our village would be greatly served with both Don and Rebecca at the village board table.

Kerr and Rotzler bring it all: Institutional and Practical Knowledge. Positive Attitudes. Patience. Innovative Intelligence. Dedication. Constructive Thoughtfulness. Integrity. Perseverance. Trust. LOVE of our wondrous, funky, precious New Paltz.

They not only have long, full resumés of service - they have documented success. Their accomplishments span a diverse array of issues we know are important to New Paltzians: social justice/equity, public access, emergency service/preparedness, education, transportation/land use, environment/climate change/resilience, quality of life, and the critical, fundamental piece: affordability.  

A call to my wise neighbors: closely decided elections are not uncommon in New Paltz. In 2011, the mayoralty was won by 67 votes. In 2009, a village board seat was won by a single vote, and the victor was a WRITE-IN candidate. These very recent electoral experiences serve as stark reminders - and hopefully, lessons - that we all need to show up and exercise our right to vote, because every vote counts.

Each and every vote for Don Kerr and Rebecca Rotzler is critical. Winning via WRITE-IN is a considerable challenge, but certainly within our reach. There is no question: I wholeheartedly encourage village voters to bring their sharpened pencils to the village firehouse on May 7th to WRITE-IN Kerr and Rotzler so that we will have a village board headed in the right direction. See you at the polls!

KT Tobin

New Paltz