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Reposted verbatim, first published on Imby on May 27th, 2025.
Publication Date: May 28th, 2025 (HCS); May 27th (Imby)
Author: Joe Ferris
Image taken from original Op-Ed on Imby
When I leave my house, the first thing I see is the Pocketbook Factory. When I cross State, the street signs are adorned with whales. These are everyday reminders of Hudson’s history. But when I make a left on State Street and stop at North Seventh, what I see is a stark indictment of our present.
The empty lot owned by Galvan that was originally supposed to be affordable housing.
After mismanagement upon mismanagement, the project is now dead in the water and Hudson will have another empty lot.
A lack of competence today threatens our city’s tomorrow.
My name is Joe Ferris and I’m running for mayor because I believe Hudson is adrift. It is time for a mayor who leads, not a mayor who governs on social media.
I’m running as a pragmatic progressive because I believe we need a City Hall that both prioritizes competence and communication while recognizing that our budget must be in service of building a brighter Hudson for all.
Municipal government is not about ribbon cuttings. It is not about celebratory press conferences. Competence means the garbage is picked up. The streets are plowed when it snows. The budgets are balanced.
It is unacceptable that we have a million dollar budget shortfall and the only response from the current mayor is to call on councilmembers to resign. At the same time, there is more than $2 million in uncollected property taxes. When City Hall can’t or won’t do the basics, people lose trust in local government.
That loss in trust is supercharged by a lack of communication from City Hall. The City’s official Instagram page hasn’t been updated since April. April 2024. Even after the Mother’s Day power outage. If elected, I will hold monthly town halls in every ward. I will host Meet the Mayor office hours at City Hall. And I will send out a twice-monthly newsletter.
At the same time, the problems we face are not nameless. They are not faceless. They affect and impact our neighbors. Our friends. Our loved ones. The City budget puts into words and numbers our priorities. This document should serve as our north star to build a better Hudson for all. It should make sure every dollar is well spent. To that end, if elected I will hire a city planner.
A city planner will not only help us live up to that promise, they will be integral in ensuring my administration and City Hall addresses the issues facing our city: access to housing at all income levels, the need for more green space, and access to good food to name just a few.
We are seeing this dynamic play out as the Planning Board debates the conditional use permit for the Colarusso dock. I urge the Planning Board to issue a conditional use permit that makes clear what Colarusso can and cannot do. At the heart of these conditions must be a cap on truck traffic and barge operation. A permit without an annual truck trip safeguard cap is a non-starter. Without a cap, Colarusso truck volume will continue to surge.
I’ve worked in city government. I’ve worked in the private sector. And I have spent more than half-a-decade in the nonprofit world, including government relations in anti-hunger advocacy. As an active member of the Hudson City and Columbia County Democrats I believe if Democrats learned anything from 2024, it is that primaries are a good thing.
That is why I have called on Mayor Kamal Johnson to join me in five debates. A debate in each ward. The voters of our city deserve the opportunity to hear directly from the people who want to be their mayor. I look forward to a vigorous debate about the future of Hudson.
Hudson deserves a full-time mayor. I will be that mayor.
To learn more about my campaign and get in touch with me, please visit my website.