Ulster County Legislator Laura Donovan, D-Marlborough, used her closing remarks at the Legislature’s September meeting to call for renewed focus on public service, partnership and action as county leaders confront challenges facing residents and communities across Ulster County.

Donovan delivered the remarks following public comment from more than two dozen residents who raised concerns about the county’s response to domestic violence, as well as living conditions at the Kingston Motel.

For more than an hour Tuesday night, women who spoke to legislators and a standing-room crowd described, at times tearfully, the physical and psychological violence they endured at the hands of intimate partners. Many said they were failed a second time by a system they believed was supposed to protect them and connect them with help. Several urged legislators to enact policies and fund programs to address domestic violence.

Allison Cramer told legislators her mother, Melinda “Mindy” Brugger, had repeatedly sought help, including shortly before she was shot and killed Aug. 21 by her husband, James Brugger, in what police described as an apparent murder-suicide. Brugger was a volunteer with the Milton Fire Department.

“Not one person besides Jim Brugger is responsible for my mother’s death, but so many people, collectively, could have been responsible for her living,” Cramer said.

Donovan began her closing remarks by reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, which had been marked just days earlier, and on the tradition of service that followed — from first responders to neighbors who stepped up to help in the aftermath. She said that spirit of service felt especially close to home in recent weeks amid the loss of Brugger, calling her death a tragedy that has left the Milton Fire Department and the broader community in mourning.

“My thoughts remain with Mindy’s family, her fellow firefighters and first responders, her colleagues, and everyone throughout our community who knew and loved her,” Donovan said.

Donovan then turned to the responsibilities of public office, saying service must ultimately translate into action that delivers for the community.

“For those of us entrusted with public office, I believe that responsibility carries a call to action — to listen to the people we represent, identify the challenges they face, find solutions, build the partnerships necessary to move those solutions forward, and ultimately deliver on something that makes a difference in people’s lives,” Donovan said.

She said addressing Ulster County’s challenges requires collaboration across branches and levels of government, as well as with municipalities, county departments, community organizations, businesses, labor and local leaders.

“Very little of this work happens alone or in a vacuum,” Donovan said. “Those partnerships don’t require us to agree on every issue. But effective government depends on our ability to communicate openly, demonstrate respect, and continue working together in the areas where we share common ground.”

She closed by urging officials to measure public service not by intentions but by tangible results for the communities they represent.

“Public service has to be about more than good intentions,” Donovan said. “It has to be about what we are able to accomplish for the people who entrusted us to serve.”

Donovan’s full remarks are available on the Ulster County Legislature’s video archive.