AMDALT Field Notes, Issue 1
Graffiti, John L. Edwards, and finding my aliveness in writing.
I’m trying out something new: All My Dead and Living Things Field Notes. In between the longer, meatier essays, I often find myself holding smaller things I want to share. Sometimes they’re afterthoughts or clarifications on past posts. Sometimes they’re fragments of memory or the feeling of passing a place in Hudson that hums with meaning. Sometimes they’re a person or practice that’s making me feel alive right now.
The longer essays you’re used to will always remain free for all subscribers. Field Notes, though, are a little different — shorter, more personal dispatches I’ll be sending with some regularity to paid subscribers. Your support gives me the time and spirit to write, and Field Notes are how I want to give back: glimpses of what’s alive in between the bigger pieces.
My hope is that the comments section here can also become a place for conversation — where you share what feels meaningful to you, what’s alive in your own days, and what you’d like me to explore in future posts.
So without further ado…
Afterthoughts
Some follow-ups on recent posts:
On last week’s charter change piece: mayoral candidate Peter Spear, who was running on a vision of a citizens’ assembly charter change process, has dropped out of the race. This leaves three candidates on the ballot in November: incumbent Kamal Johnson (Working Families), Joe Ferris (Democrat), and Lloyd Koedding (Republican). It really matters who leads this city! I’ll continue to write about this in the coming months.
On the house that was graffitied on South 3rd Street a few weeks back, the tags turned out to be the homeowner’s doing. He had been running an illegal Airbnb that had been shut down by the city, and had made unpermitted modifications to his property that violated city code. His spray-painted grievances were aimed at Mayor Johnson and Craig Haigh, the Hudson Code Enforcement Officer. He had painted over the graffiti by the very next day. I feel a strange kind of relief that this was personal anger and self-destruction, not a broader civic attack.
On the Galvan piece from July, Dan Kent, VP at Galvan, reached out with corrections and an invitation to talk further. In his words: “Regarding 75 N 7th, we never received a tax credit award and we followed all SHPO requirements for demolition and received all necessary approvals… For Galvan Housing Resources we have continued all of the housing counseling programs, including tenant advocacy, foreclosure prevention counseling, and a program that makes critical repairs for low income homeowners. We have maintained all of the HRCC state funded programs.”
The Dead
The kids are going back to school next week, and it’s got me thinking about John L. Edwards. For most around here now, when you hear about John L., it’s usually in the context of what’s going to happen with the building. Last year, the Hudson Development Corporation announced it would be acquiring it, but ultimately pulled out. In February of this year, Pennrose, an affordable housing developer, proposed a senior housing development at the site. Their plan calls for roughly 65–67 apartments for older adults, along with shared community space and outdoor amenities. For it to move forward, voters would need to approve the sale in a public referendum in October, zoning changes would have to be granted by the Planning Board, and the developer is also seeking a long-term tax abatement from the city (a PILOT).