Amanda Purcell reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the ugliness and degradation of current national politics was in Hudson Nov. 1, as an unidentified person threw dog feces at city officials during a budget hearing during a discussion about the city Youth Department. The feces were in a plastic bag, and hit the side of the table and the floor, but not any humans. The mayor’s assistant, Branda Maholtz, cleaned up the bag. Hudson police Chief L. Edward Moore said that so far, the person responsible is unknown, despite a packed audience, and numerous city officials in the room. “We will investigate,” he said. “We have leads.” The excrement was thrown after Mayor Rick Rector announced that he had let Nick Zachos, the city’s youth director, go as of Nov. 1. “It's hard to believe this meeting, which was postponed by the mayor and treasurer, was held at what appeared to be the last minute in order to give the mayor time to fire the head of youth department,” Common Council President Thomas DePietro said. Rector claimed Zachos was not fired, and said he has offered him another position. After the announcement about Zachos' job, DePietro made a motion to allow public comment, but the Rector and City Treasurer Heather Campbell refused to let the public have their say. Full disclosure: DePietro is also a volunteer programmer at WGXC. Read the full story at HudsonValley360.com.