County Legislature District 5

Dutchess County Legislature

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Haas Manley

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Linda

About Linda

LINDA HAAS MANLEY has lived in New York for more than 20 years and has resided in Ward 5 in the Town of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County since 2011. She is running for Dutchess County Legislator in Congressional District 5. Since 2016, Linda has served as a committee member on the Town of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County Democratic Committees where she has supported the democratic process through petitioning, visits to state public officials, and voter registration drives. She is committed to transparency in government and fights for free and fair elections and policies that support hard working people.

As a Dutchess County resident, Linda is deeply concerned with the well-being of county residents in all stages and walks of life. As a community leader, she has devoted herself to efforts that support children, seniors, families, working people, union members, and veterans. Linda has chaired a social ministry committee, has served on the board of a nonprofit agency, and holds a professional role in workforce development at Dutchess Community College. As a legislator, Linda will use these experiences to fight for all residents to have access to a quality education, relevant workforce training, effective mental health care, and affordable housing. Linda is concerned about the dignity of all people and, as a proud union member, supports fair working conditions, strong public schools, and lower taxes for county residents.

As an educator, she is known for coordinating and supporting local events each year. Most recently, she collaborated with more than 100 employers, college staff, and community members to connect job seekers to employment opportunities through the DCC Career Fair. Currently, she is working on reviving the Service-Learning program that will connect students with community agencies and businesses that provide mutual benefits to learners and organizations. Through these experiences, students will enter the workforce better prepared to make important contributions to their communities.

Linda also is a dedicated wife and mother who enjoys spending time with her husband, Dr. James “JJ” Manley Jr., her two sons, James III, and Michael, and her two rescue dogs, Bella and Ruby Rose.

Issues

Lower Taxes and Public Safety

The current Town Board's proposal to address the need to build a new police station in the Town of Poughkeepsie was to borrow 54 million dollars to build a municipal complex with no new services. After public protest, which included Linda's letters to board leaders and comment on the wasteful spending and enormous tax increase it would entail, the project has been paused and a working group is looking for more affordable options to get the police in a new station faster. Let's remember how this plan was defeated and continue to work together on a more reaonable solution.

Affordable Health Care

I support universal, single-payer health care that serves all community members. Health care in our rural areas is inadequate, and a lack of transportation makes access difficult. I support efforts to improve this situation, including the support of the Dutchess County Stabilization Center which offers a Mobile Crisis Intervention Team to help our most vulnerable residents. I fully support the goal of this center which is "to divert those feeling overwhelmed due to substance abuse, mental illness, and/or other life issues away from unnecessary emergency room visits or the criminal justice system and toward the help they need."

Immigration and Transparency

"Viral Story of Migrants Displacing Unhoused Veterans from Hotels turns out to be False"

Read more here. The arrival of about 40 refugees at Poughkeepsie's Red Roof Inn has prompted humanitarian aid by local faith and social justice groups, and disturbing responses from Dutchess Republicans, including Legislator Tony D'Aquanni on Facebook, and Town Supervisor Jay Baisley. You may have seen coverage in the Kingston Freeman, Albany Times Union, and New York Times about an anti-immigrant group in Orange County that recruited homeless men in the City of Poughkeepsie under false pretenses, to claim they were veterans being booted out of housing in Newburgh. The state is investigating. Times Union.

Linda will fight misinformation and keep Dutchess County residents properly informed of the facts that affect our lives and decision making.

Union Support and Strong Public Schools

As a proud union member, Linda will support fair wages, including raising the minimum wage, to help working families to thrive in our beautiful Hudson Valley. Research shows* that union support has a positive influence on public schools. And research also consistently shows https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/pol.20190257 that effective public schools result in higher academic performance and stronger communities. Linda will fight for strong unions and public schools that support our children and communities and prepare our future workforce!

*Han, E. S., & Maloney, T. N. (2021). Teacher Unionization and Student Academic Performance: Looking beyond Collective Bargaining. Labor Studies Journal, 46(1), 43–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/0160449X19883373

Affordable Housing

Low-income families and homeless individuals struggle to find affordable housing in our county, but well-educated and well-paid residents also struggle to find decent housing at an affordable price. Part of the reason for this housing dilemma is due to high taxes in our county and part of the dilemma stems from a lack of affordable housing for the number of people who desire it. Linda is very interested in making sure the people in Dutchess County can find affordable housing so that families can continue to raise their children in our strong school districts, and all residents can benefit from the stronger communities that result from school-community partnerships.

Healthcare Access