Our Department of Polite Workers (DPW)

On Wednesday, April 29th, I had the good fortune of interacting with a large crew of DPW workers leaving the site of the Harry Howard Avenue repair project that was nearing completion.  Superintendent Rob Perry was even there!  I tried my best to keep to myself and not interact with any of them or get in their way.

WTF Is Going On At City Hall? (New Mayor, New Council President, Same Dysfunction!)

During Rob Perry's DPW report at last night's Code & Infrastructure Committee meeting -- in which for the first time Nick Fox from the Code Enforcement Department was actually present, showing up in person -- the issue of the Pocketbook Hotel's parking lot on Washington Street came up.  It turns out that the signed lease between the PBH and the City of Hudson that was made late last year -- signed by our dear former mayor and Gabe Katz, the man behind the money behind the PBH -- is null and void.  Or it has just been crumpled up and thrown out.  Or there is no longer an "agreement."  Or the signed lease is just being "amended."

Are The New Common Council Committees Any Help?

It shouldn't surprise anyone one bit that the Common Council, the mayor's office and the so-called SAFETY Committee are all tied up in knots with what to do about too many vehicles turning right on red at intersections throughout the city.  Last I heard, the SAFETY Committee is hoping for more DATA before they decide which approach to choose: a blanket NO RIGHT TURN ON RED law throughout the city or individual signs at intersections that someone deems necessary.  What kind of DATA they are they hoping to get (and from whom) is a mystery to me.  

Has City Hall Officially Ditched The Title of Friendly City For JUNK CITY?

 

A few weeks ago, I notified the Code Enforcement Department of the several mattresses on the ground behind 720 Columbia Street.  The part-time officer I spoke with (only the head officer is full-time) indicated that they were already aware of the situation.  Ugly and most certainly a fire hazard for the building and the nearby gasoline station, nothing has been done about them since. 

Who Is In Charge of That Parking Bureau Department Thingy? Does Anyone Care? Does The Mayor Even Know?

 

There are at least four things to be concerned about (and perhaps amused by) regarding what is written in the automatic email response I got yesterday from the "City of Hudson Parking Violations Bureau."

The Evolution Of A 12-Inch-Wide Hole In The Sidewalk In Hudson, NY, January - April 2026.

 

Click for more pictures...

Can We Trust The Police To Offer Us The Truth?

According to HPD's MONTHLY INCIDENTS reports from January, February and March of this year, police officers made a total of 532 traffic stops (227, 140 and 165, respectively).  While the reports give no details about the reasons for the stops, each incident is given a street name.  Columbia Street and Columbia Turnpike -- the city's longest stretch of road -- accounted for 80 of those stops, or about 15% of the total, the highest by far for all streets.