Though registered Democrats recently edged out Republicans in Saugerties, and the town went Democrat in the past several presidential elections and last year's county executive race, three of the four county legislators in District 4 hail from the GOP. This year, the Democrats hope to make some gains. Incumbent representative Gary Bischoff will be running with Nicole Tucker, Alverta Jones and Marcy Goulart. Here's a bit about the newcomers. Subsequent articles will deal with incumbents of both parties, and GOP nominee Mike Sweeney, running for Joe Roberti Jr.'s seat.

MARCY GOULART

The expression, "if you want something done, ask a busy person" could well sum up Marcy Goulart's description of her background and activities.

She's been an actress, a restaurant owner, real estate salesperson, and she is currently a senior corporate sales manager for Holiday Inn. Goulart has won awards from several trade associations.

Locally she has runs the silent auction for the Salvation Army golf outing, chaired the Woodstock Artist Studio Tour and is on the boards of the American Heart Association and the Alzheimer's Foundation. She's active in the Ulster County Democratic Women and serves as the development chair for the Ulster County Democrats. She was an early member of the National Organization of Women in New York City in the 1970s.

"I'm a member of seven chambers of commerce and three trade associations," she said. "I have the pulse of what's happening.

Widowed, with three grown stepchildren, Goulart said she has more time now to devote to public affairs.

"I never thought I would be happy living away from the sea, but I truly love Ulster County- it is beautiful," Goulart, a native of Gloucester, Massachusetts and daughter of a fisherman, said. She is the youngest of eight.

"We were taught that you have two hands and a good mind and use them," she said. "And life wasn't going to be easy; it was up to you to make it what you want it to be. Both my parents were very liberal people; they believed in the working man. They believed we are responsible for the government we elect."

Her education has mostly been outside the traditional institutions, having studied dance and acting, and taken courses through professional organizations, rather than formal higher education institutions. She speaks four foreign languages. She takes courses at the Woodstock School of Art. "I have a very varied background," she said.

While she works for Holiday Inn, she does not have a financial interest in the Holiday Inn Express proposed for Kings Highway. "Every Holiday Inn is independently owned; it's a franchise. People may wonder what we need another hotel for, but the fact remains that tourism is very important to our economic stability; it's what we really have to offer. In addition to the hotel, tourists buy meals, attend events such as the Garlic Festival, pay for entertainment and so on," she said.

Another important issue, Goulart said, is affordable housing, especially for the elderly. "I think it is being addressed, but I think we need to work harder at it. We have an aging population, and where will they live when they can no longer afford to keep up their homes?"

In Saugerties, the addition of water and sewer services in the Kings Highway corridor should give the town and the county a boost, as it will help draw light industry, she said.

As busy as she is, Goulart still feels she can devote sufficient time to the County Legislature. "If you don't have a husband and children to look after, if you don't watch TV, you have a lot of time to really contribute. I have a very inquisitive mind, I have a great deal of energy, and it's what I really love - business, why we get it, why it doesn't come to Ulster County."

There's more funding available for new industries - especially green industries, Goulart said. One of the major adaptations the legislature will have to make is to define the roles of legislators and the new county executive. While some legislators seem to be having trouble adjusting to the new system, "excuse me, but the people voted for this form of government; the people decided we need one person to be accountable for what's happening in the county. This was voted on, so we can move on to the next thing."

"I campaigned with Mike Hein, and I'm convinced we made the best choice for leadership," she said. "We're so new at this, we need to settle down, take a break, work in a cooperative way and not jump on bandwagons."

One important issue for Goulart is the relationship between business and government. With taxation, controls and legal obligations, "it's incredible for anyone to be in business today, and we have to help," she said. "Small business is the backbone of our economy."

While not a native, Goulart said she has come to love the Hudson Valley. "I've lived in Saugerties only a few years, but I lived in High Falls for almost 20 years. I've been coming up to the Hudson Valley for 20 years, first coming up weekends - but then I decided I had to stay."

"Change is coming to Ulster County - we are going to grow. We have to make careful choices about what we allow in our community - what kind of businesses, how they affect our quality of life."

ALVERTA JONES

After raising five kids while working, Jones is ready for new challenges. She believes the Ulster County Legislature is a place where she can contribute to the community and bring a different voice to its deliberations.

A Kingston native, Jones has been living in Saugerties for just a year, but she feels prepared to represent Saugerties and look out for its interests. Many of the county's towns face the same problems and wrestle with the same issues as Saugerties, she said.

"How it happened for me, I was doing some speeches for Obama just before the elections, and some people became interested and started promoting me and encouraging me to become active," she said. "I've always been interested in politics; my father was always interested. But after I left home I was married, and I had five children; you don't always have time to do all the things you're interested in."

Her children are grown and she's retired. "I'm free to do this," she said.

Jones is a graduate of Kingston High School and has three years of college at SUNY in New Paltz, attending when she was in her 40s. Her grades were good, she said, and her example inspired her children to work harder and try to match her good grades. "I was on the Dean's List, and I was working full-time and being a mom full-time." Illness forced her to drop out after her junior year.

"I didn't understand that I could have taken it a lot slower than I did. It wasn't until after the fact that I realized I could have taken is slower than I did. I was pushing it to the limit."

In her working career, Jones worked as a counselor at a children's home, in the New York State employment office, a mom and pop oil company - "I'm retired from a lot of things," she says.

Retirement has given her the time to become involved in politics, Jones said.

Ulster County faces many of the same issues as municipalities and states face across the country, Jones said. Unemployment, jobs, loss of homes. "It's not relegated to just one area of the country," she said. "This is one of the times that as the nation goes, the county goes."

The county can try to bring in federal money, keep jobs in the county and try to bring in additional businesses, be supportive of the needs of its citizens, she said. With a new form of government - a county executive, the legislature will be more focused on policy. As a legislator, Jones said, her role would be "to speak the voices and minds of the people; to get them heard. I have plenty of time to listen."

"I think it's a good concept, because somebody is responsible. I can't lay blame over here, or lay the blame over there. When all is said and done, (county executive) Michael Hein has to face the day. I think the county executive brings more accountability, more responsibility."

Jones would represent Saugerties in the County Legislature, and she would be looking out for the town, "but I don't see how you can separate them," she said. "We've become so global; what is going to affect Saugerties is going to affect others. There will be times when we have to form partnerships with other districts for the good of the whole. But first and foremost, yes, I would represent Saugerties. I don't think people would be disappointed if I were elected."

In preparation for this run, Jones said, "I've gone to the county, shook a few hands, listened to what they were saying, and getting the flavor of it all. I enjoy going to the meetings, just listening to them."

"I would hope to be a greater voice, a new type of animal, so to speak. I think that's what today is calling for; it's not business as usual, and we have to be able to learn."

NICOLE TUCKER

Nicole Tucker's enthusiasm for government and politics is obvious as she discusses her candidacy for the Ulster County Legislature.

Tucker, 27, has been teaching history and government at Saugerties High School for the past four years. She has also worked for the Closeup Foundation, which brings students to Washington to learn about government first-hand. Apart from her brief stay in Washington, Tucker has lived all her life in Saugerties.

Tucker comes from a political family. Her father, Phil Tucker, served on the Saugerties town board, and her uncle, Don Tucker, served on the Saugerties School Board until this year. Her mother, Terry Tucker, ran unsuccessfully for the town board in 1999. Nicole Tucker said she shares her parents' enthusiasm for government service.

Nicole Tucker is unmarried. She has not run for political office before. After county legislator Gary Bischoff and his wife Marge came along on her four-day trip to Washington with a high school class, Bischoff offered her a place on the ticket, Tucker said

She earned her master's degree in education at the State University at New Paltz in May, giving her the free time to contemplate a run for the Legislature. She attended Western New England College in Massachusetts, majoring in government.

Locally, Tucker has worked summers with the Boys and Girls Club, which she said does an excellent job of working with young people. "I got to meet a lot of the families, also from working at the school, I really feel I'm part of the community and I would be able to express their concerns." She served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club while she was in high school, and "I helped to get them started."

She has also been active in the historical society.

"I want to get my students involved in local history," she said. "One of the projects is I have them do in the beginning of the year is to study the Revolution - it was right here." The students are assigned to make picture postcards of the many buildings that date to the revolutionary period and write about their historical relevance, she said. "I'm trying to bridge the high school and local historians."

Tucker said she feels she can bring a different perspective to the legislature, and she hopes to inspire more younger people to get involved in the political process.

The most pressing issue facing county government is defining the roles of the legislature and the county executive, a position created last year, Tucker said. The government will function very differently under a county executive, and the new powers and roles are still being defined. As the process moves forward, "I don't want the people to lose their voice in the county government," she said.

One of the major changes in government is that the county executive is now in charge of formulating a county budget - a job formerly in the hands of the legislature.

"I think it's a good idea - most counties do have different branches of government," Tucker said. "I support the change, but I want to make sure it is implemented correctly. The current executive, Michael Hein, appears to be doing a good job so far."

While the legislature governs the entire county, Tucker said, legislators should represent their districts. "I was born and raised here, so I'm a member of this community," Tucker said. "Our voices should be heard on town issues. I believe our interests need to be looked out for in Kingston."

The county jail project is an issue that Tucker said she would have to study. She believes it is important to work through the history of the jail's construction and determine what went wrong to prevent a repetition of the over-budget and poorly-executed project. "I would need to know more about it before I can comment. If I was given the opportunity to be on the legislature, I would guarantee that money would not be frivolously spent."

Tucker said she is planning to take a tour of the jail in the near future.

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