Category: Government

The Hill Country Observer covers local leaders, elections and elected officials, town and city councils bodies including libraries, schools, planning and other town boards, and all kinds of conversations and decisions that matter to our communities.

  • Issue:

    Molinaro tries to walk a moderate line in a polarized era

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      Marc Molinaro speaks to supporters in Hudson on Aug. 23, the night he lost a special election in New York’s 19th Congressional District. Less than three months later, voters in a reconfigured version of the district narrowly elected him to the U.S. House. Already the freshman Republican is a top Democratic target for 2024. read more

    Molinaro tries to walk a moderate line in a polarized era
  • Issue:

    Voters pick new mayor, new course for Rutland

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    The city of Rutland has a new mayor after voters chose Mike Doenges over three-term incumbent David Allaire in the March 7 Town Meeting Day election. Doenges, who had been president of the city Board of Aldermen for the past year, won decisively with 56 percent of the vote. His victory capped a campaign in read more

    Voters pick new mayor, new course for Rutland
  • Issue:

    Balint puts focus on housing, mental health

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    New congresswoman for Vermont sees chance of bridging partisan gap Rep. Becca Balint, the first woman elected to represent Vermont in the U.S. House, was sworn into office in early January. Courtesy photo   By MAURY THOMPSONContributing writer   Vermont’s new member of Congress says the nation’s housing and mental health needs are two initial read more

    Balint puts focus on housing, mental health
  • Issue:

    Many reasons to doubt biochar firm’s promise

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    For the sake of argument, let’s be charitable and assume for a moment that the developers who want to build a new sewage sludge-to-fertilizer plant in northern Saratoga County are sincerely trying to solve a pressing environmental problem while making a few dollars for themselves.As our cover story this month details, the partners in a read more

    Many reasons to doubt biochar firm’s promise
  • Issue:

    Endangered owls meet solar panels

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    Green goals collide as energy firm plans project in prime bird habitat   The vast expanse of open land known as the Washington County grasslands is home to 10 of the 11 grassland bird species that are considered in greatest need of conservation in New York. photo by Joan K. Lentini   By TRACY FRISCHContributing read more

    Endangered owls meet solar panels
  • Issue:

    Election 2022 Results

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    Here are the results of the Nov. 8 general election for federal and state offices across the region. Winning candidates are in boldface type if the outcome is not in dispute. Incumbents are marked with an asterisk (*).Figures for Massachusetts and Vermont are final, official returns recorded by the secretary of state’s office in each read more

    Election 2022 Results
  • Issue:

    State’s new ethics panel off to rocky start

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    By MAURY THOMPSONContributing writer   When Kathy Hochul took over as New York’s governor last year after the resignation of Andrew Cuomo, one of her first promises was to strengthen the state’s system for policing the ethics of its top officials. The state’s ethics watchdog at the time, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, known read more

    State’s new ethics panel off to rocky start
  • Issue:

    Saving democracy might require more than electoral reform

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    In nearly two decades of reporting on elections and politics across our region, we’ve covered lots of ideas for making our political system more open and accessible — and for giving voters more meaningful choices. On our editorial page, our guiding principle has been that anything that gets more voters to participate in elections, and read more

    Saving democracy might require more than electoral reform
  • Issue:

    On track to the future? – Federal intrastructure bill could fund new rails

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    Federal infrastructure bill could fund expanded rail links across region   Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express stops in Saratoga Springs on its way from Burlington, Vt., to New York City. photo by Joan K. Lentini   By MAURY THOMPSONContributing writer   When Rutland Mayor David Allaire won his first election to become a city alderman in read more

    On track to the future? – Federal intrastructure bill could fund new rails
  • Issue:

    Election 2022 Preview

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    Here are the candidates and referendum questions on ballots for the Nov. 8 federal and state elections across the region. Because of space limitations, uncontested races are not included. A guide to political party abbreviations is at right. Incumbents are marked with an asterisk (*). Polls are open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to read more

    Election 2022 Preview