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Village Trustees Brant Neuneker and Terry Gipson are seeking re-election
to second terms in the Village Elections to be held Tuesday, March 20, 2012.

We'll be announcing a Meet & Greet soon. To volunteer for the campaign,
send an email to RhinebeckDemocrats@gmail.com.

Check your mail and email for important updates and information!

Brant and Terry have strong cross-party support and are a part of a hard-working Village Board
that works as a team, respects each other and is tackling difficult issues together.
They are seeking their second terms so as to continue to do more of the same.

After all the absentee votes cast in the November 8th election were counted, our hard-working, knowledgeable, deserving and capable candidate, Elizabeth Spinzia, emerged as the winner of one of two open seats!  Her victory over Republican candidate, Debbi Mimoso, gives Democrats a majority position, completing a lineup that includes two other Democrats, Gina Fox and Joe Gelb, and Republicans Tom Traudt and Bruce Washburn, who were re-elected.  Republicans have controlled the Rhinebeck Town Board for all but 2 of the last 110 years, so Elizabeth's win is especially significant.
 
The counting process took over 6 weeks, required 2 meetings at the Board of Elections with both candidates and their attorneys, and BOE staff; as well as 2 appearances in State Supreme Court.  It concluded on December 23rd when the last Democratic witness took the stand and defended her vote against a Republican challenge.  State Supreme Court Justice James V. Brands ruled that this vote was legitimate and should be counted, which lead to a final vote count of 1092 to 1089, a difference of only 3 votes - just enough for Elizabeth to be sworn to office in front of a packed room at Town Hall on January 1st.
 
This election proves that every vote does matter.  The makeup of the Town Board was decided by our absentee voters, the people who were so determined to make their voices heard, that they made arrangements to vote when they knew they'd be away from home.  We want the news of this extraordinary race to reach everyone so that, hopefully, even more people will be inspired to vote in local elections in the future.

Congratulations go out to Kathy Kinsella, who was sworn in as Highway Superintendent for her fourth consecutive term, after a resounding victory at the polls. Supervisor Tom Traudt and Town Board Member Bruce Washburn were also sworn in to office for their new terms, along with Town Assessors Emery Ruger and Bill McGann, and Town Justice Willie Sanchez.

Our thanks go out again to Board Member Gina Fox, who continues to serve for two more years but was not fortunate enough to win in her bid for the Town Supervisor position. And to Jeff Romano, who taught us all some new things about the Town Assessors' responsibilities.

Terry Gipson, currently serving as a Rhinebeck Village Trustee,
is running for the NYS Senate. He seeks the seat currently held by Steve Saland.

Terry Gipson has been endorsed by the Rhinebeck Democratic Committee.

Click HERE to view Terry's campaign website and to sign up for email.

Joel Tyner, Rhinebeck's own Dutchess County Legislator, has announced his candidacy
to take on Chris Gibson in the 2012 federal elections!

Click HERE to view Joel's website.

DUTCHESS COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION

Below are the latest statistics for voter enrollment in Dutchess County, courtesy of BOE Democratic Commissioner Fran Knapp. While Democrats still have an almost three thousand registrant lead over Republicans, these latest figures do show that Republicans gained new registrants in 2011, but the number of registered Democrats actually went down slightly.
In fact, voter registration overall went down slightly.

Please remember to help new neighbors and those turning 18 register. For information on voter registration and down-loadable registration forms, please CLICK HERE:

D.C. Party Enrollment	2010	2011
Democratic:	55,858	55.841
Republican:	52,390	52,549
Independence:	8,667	8,905
Conservative:	3,247	3,342
Working Families:	597	601
Green:	379	377
Libertarian:	75	76
Liberal:	658	634
Marijuana Reform:	4	4
No Party:	43,540	43,099
Right to Life:	552	524
Other:	79	81
TOTAL:	166,046	166,033

* The party enrollment changes that took effect after the November elections are included above.

NEW YORK LOSES TWO CONGRSSIONAL SEATS

The New York Congressional Delegation has lost two congressional seats due to changing population trends reported in the 2010 Census. The New York delegation will consist of 27 representatives, our lowest number since the 1800s.  New York had lost two seats after redistricting after the 1990 Census.  This trend means that New Yorkers' voice in national and international politics is diminishing. Hey, Albany, when will the lines be redrawn?

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