Bonnie Hundt, Candidate for Town Supervisor (D)
Bonnie Hundt grew up on her family’s dairy farm in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. “The countryside where I was raised was very much like Ancram,” she said. “Farm life taught me to respect the land, and that a lot can be accomplished if you work together.”
One of 10 children, she learned the value of public service from her parents, who were active community volunteers. “My mom and dad were devoted to the local town and school boards. They were always helping with some project; my siblings and I followed their lead,” she remembered.
Hundt, 69, was drawn to Amenia after spending summers in Columbia County. A cosmetology school graduate, she opened her Millerton hair salon 27 years ago with co-owner Janice Hylton. They employ three Ancram residents. She became active in the local Democratic caucus and was elected in 2003 to serve a two-year term as Amenia Town Supervisor.
After marrying Mary Murfitt 15 years ago, Hundt moved to Ancram. “Town Supervisor Art Bassin asked me to join the Town Comprehensive Plan committee.” I got to meet all different kinds of people; it was interesting and fun!” Hundt exclaimed. She volunteered for the Zoning Revisions Committee, then was appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Elected to the Ancram Town Board in 2017, Hundt is now in her second term. She serves on the Ethics Committee and is liaison to the Climate Smart Task Force and the Ancram Committee of Respectful Behavior. “I want our town to be inclusive,” she said. “The Respectful Behavior Committee is a resource for town locals with concerns about equality and diversity.”
Hundt has been a member of the Ancram Housing Committee for four years. She cites the lack of affordable homes as the reason young families are leaving the area. “I love our town. I’m worried because it’s become very expensive to live here, and that’s affecting Ancram’s future,” she said. “Many of our elders are looking to downsize but can’t find smaller living spaces they can afford, so they move away.”
Hundt would follow Copake’s model and pass zoning laws that allow multiple family units to be built for people with low-to-moderate incomes. She hopes the necessary land will be donated or funded with private contributions; the town board would also investigate land grants (property gifted by the county or state government). “I want to make sure there is thoughtful, careful development of our town,” she said.
If elected, Hundt would keep the town taxes flat. “They haven’t increased for the past seven or eight years, and I will work to make sure it stays that way,” she said. The candidate’s other goals include the expansion of Ancram’s broadband network; hiring an engineering firm to reconfigure the dangerous town crossroads of County Route 7 and State Route 82; and preserving Ancramemail, Supervisor Bassin’s popular online local news source. (“It helps our community stay connected,” she said.)
“As a leader I could shape the board and make sure we function as a unit,” she said. “I want a consensus; I don’t believe in unilateral decisions.” She would enhance the board’s transparency with additional public workshops to involve the community in decision-making.
“Ancram has undergone a lot of change, and change is hard,” Hundt reflected. “I see a positive, bright future for our town. I truly believe we all want the same thing: a peaceful place to live and work.”
James MacArthur, Candidate for Town Supervisor (R)
James MacArthur decided to run for Ancram Town Supervisor after being asked by his friends to join the race. “I decided to get involved with town government again and help figure out solutions to some of Ancram’s problems,” he said.
He was born in Great Barrington, Mass., and his family moved to Ancram when he was baby. “I started my education at the two-room schoolhouse on Route 7, then transferred to PPCSD,” he said. He graduated from Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School. A Vietnam Veteran, MacArthur served seven years in the U.S. Army then worked as a truck and bus driver.
A 40-year member of the Ancram Volunteer Fire Department, MacArthur is past president of the Columbia County Firefighters Association, past commander of Cadby Shutts VFW Post #7552, Junior Vice Commander for the Department of New York VFW, and past president of Columbia County Town Highway Superintendents Association. “I’ve been a volunteer on so many committees in my life, I can’t think of all of them,” he joked.
MacArthur, 73, retired from the elected post of Ancram Town Highway Superintendent in 2015 after serving for 19 years. He oversaw the construction of the new town garage during his tenure. “The garage was sorely needed,” he said. “It really helped the Highway Department and the town.” Since stepping down from his leadership role, he works as a crew member.
If elected Town Supervisor, his top priority would be to give money back to the locals. “Ancram has a bit of surplus tax dollars and I may use some of that.” By the end of his first year in office, MacArthur hopes to have a plan in place to give Ancram residents a tax break.
Affordable housing and zoning improvements are important to MacArthur; he praised the Ancram Affordable Housing Committee for working on these issues, but noted, “They need to consider other problems young families face: low wages, high taxes, and expensive insurance. We need to make a plan to keep the youth here.” MacArthur said that residents don’t get paid enough for their work and townspeople living in Ancram for generations are being pushed out. “I would change the zoning laws to make it easier for local businesses to open up in town. I want to investigate financing 60 acres of land to put aside for use as a mobile home park for young families,” he said.
MacArthur plans to work on well water access, a long-term problem due to Ancram’s hilly terrain, and improving the town’s poor cell phone service. “We need another tower, but there’s no place to put one,” he said. “I’ll take a look at that.”
The grandfather of four said he wants to return to the days when town residents were outside playing ball together, noting that kids and adults no longer use the town’s baseball fields and basketball courts. “I’m going to look into building a pickleball court,” MacArthur said. “Maybe that can get us all together again.”
Monica Cleveland: Town Clerk (R) Unopposed
Lifelong Ancram resident Monica Cleveland is running for re-election as Ancram Town Clerk. “I have been working at this job for more than 20 years,” said the 45-year-old mother of two. What started as part time work became a busy full-time position: Cleveland assumed the jobs of retiring town employees who weren’t replaced. Besides serving as clerk, she is the tax collector, registrar of vital statistics, record management officer, notary public, assessor’s clerk, and highway department secretary. “I’m available 24/7,” she stated. “Once when I was on vacation, Peck and Peck Funeral Home called me in the middle of the night for a burial document!”
Cleveland carves out time to volunteer for Rhinebeck Boy Scout Troop 28, the Ancram Kids Camp Board, Ancram Presbyterian Church, and the Columbia Greene Town Clerk Association. In August, 2023, she was awarded the New York State Town Clerks Association Municipal Certification, which recognizes professional competency.
Cleveland is running unopposed this year; she was not endorsed by the town Democrats. “I’m not sure why they didn’t support me. My job isn’t political.” Mary Murfitt, Ancram Democratic Committee chair, explained, “We couldn’t find anyone to run for Town Clerk or Superintendent of Highways. We opted not to cross-endorse since it was clear that the Republican candidates would be elected.”
Jim Miller, Town Superintendent of Highways (R) Unopposed
Jim Miller, life member of the Ancram Volunteer Fire Department, is running unopposed for re-election as the Town Superintendent of Highways. “When I retired from 50 years of farming, Jim MacArthur talked me into running for his position as Highway Superintendent,” he said. “I won the 2015 election, and I’ve been in office ever since.” Miller has not been cross-endorsed by the Ancram Democratic Committee.
While working on his family farm (Millerhurst Dairy, established in 1770), Miller was an active community volunteer. He served on the Ancram Zoning Revisions Committee, the Farmland Protection Team, and the Town Garage Committee; he was secretary for the County Highway Superintendents Association for four years, and served seven years on the Ancram Town Board (2008-2015).
The Superintendent of Highways is responsible for the department’s management, budget, and maintenance and repair of town streets and roads. Miller said his top priority is surfacing Ancram’s dirt roads. “When I started, Ancram had 18 miles’ worth of unpaved roads, now we’re down to 14,” he said. MIller explained that the challenges he faces aren’t administrative or budgetary: “My biggest worry is mother nature: snow, ice, wind, mud, dust, and rain. I thought I’d be done with all that when I retired from dairy farming.”
A personal challenge awaits Miller: ankle replacement. “Working on the dairy all those years beat me up and crippled me. I’ll be recuperating in October from surgery, but I’ll be up for the election in November.”
The election is on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Early voting is from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5.