New Windsor Supervisor George Meyers led and adjourned his final town meeting on Wednesday, December 6 amongst his fellow council members and town residents who attended in support. Meyers now passes the reins to Stephen Bedetti who will be sworn in as supervisor in the new year.

Prior to the meeting adjournment, Bedetti presented a certificate of appreciation for the 16 years that Meyers served as supervisor, recognizing his leadership, professionalism and dedication to the residents and town employees. Photos were taken and hugs were given before final words from Meyers.

“I’m very lucky to have the employees that we have here. They’re all dedicated. The main players always for me were the department heads and I always appreciate the work that they did. The department heads always pulled in the same direction. And I appreciated that. I was very, very fortunate, extremely fortunate to have elected officials who also pulled in the same direction,” said Meyers. “Everybody going in the same direction was very easy for me and when you look back over the things that we’ve accomplished in four years, there’s a lot of things that we’ve done, but I’m the point guy, but I can’t do it by myself. I am convinced that I did leave it [New Windsor] better than I found it.”

Meyers first entered the political realm in 1994 and served as town supervisor until 2005. During his tenure, he saw the steady increases in the traffic in the town and worked to address the concerns of the water. When Meyers was defeated by George Green in the election, he continued to remain observant to the ways in which the town operated and the way the government impacted the residents.

In 2019, Meyers returned on the campaign trail looking to return to his supervisor position. 2019 was also the same year that Bedetti joined the race for town council. Meyers would face off against George Green and take the victory and serve going into 2020 along with Bedetti. Then COVID hit in March.

During the course of the pandemic, Meyers, the town board and town departments all worked together to ensure the safety of the residents and each other despite the unknown period of time and health concerns. Despite the pause in events and overall life, the town continued to move forward and eventually, daily activities and town operations were able to return to a sense of normalcy.

With all that has been said and the work that has been done to serve the residents, Meyers said he has no regrets as he heads to retirement and he will continue to be a resource should Bedetti need it.

“I’m ready to turn the reins over. I’m confident that the town’s going to keep moving in a direction that we had it moving before. It’s time for someone else to step in and take over,” said Meyers.

For Meyers, he emphasized the importance of local elected officials rather than those in the federal, county and state governments as the ones in local government work towards maintaining resident taxes, providing essential services and overall keeping the town running. “People need to pay more attention to the local elections, and less attention to the other stuff,” said Meyers.

The town board going forward in 2024 will now consist of Council members Eve Lincoln, Sylvia Santiago who was re-elected and Steve Moreau, along with councilman-elect Charles Broe. Patricia Clarino will now serve as town clerk heading into the new year after her election victory over Kelly Allegra.

Meyers’ origins began in Brooklyn. At the age of 17, Meyers joined the ranks of the U.S. Navy and served his country for six years. After departing the service, Meyers then went on to join the ranks of the New York State Police. Meyers is one of five generations of police officers. During his time in the State Police, Meyers rose to the rank of troop commander, completed a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from SUNY Empire State College and later achieved a Masters Degree in public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He became a New Windsor resident in 1970, raised his family in the area and will now spend time with his wife in retirement. He plans to continue some security work after leaving office.