HUDSON - The generational battle pundits have started talking about, where American seniors start fighting its young for funding and other benefits, surfaced in full glory in the form of a full house at Hudson’s City Hall this week, where dozens of city and area residents turned out on December 6 to urge officials to find a way to keep senior yoga and exercise programming in the budget for next year. Lindsay Suchow reports in today's Register-Star that the city’s monthly Youth and Aging Committee meeting, usually a quiet one, erupted after it became known that the Hudson River Bank and Trust Foundation had decided to no longer allow the $500,000 grant it bestowed on the Youth Department a few years ago to be used for senior programming.

“The money was earmarked for the youth of the city,” Youth Commissioner Gerald Wood said, explaining the move by the fund, which had found that most of the seniors taking yoga could afford to pay its costs. The department has since promised to pick up some of the difference from its own coffers.

“It’s kind of like we’re the unwanted group, and the kids get everything,” said one senior of the decision.

According to the Register-Star, Hudson City Democratic Chairman Victor Mendolia noted that there “shouldn’t be a war between the youth and the seniors,” but asserted that the difference in funding between the age groups is disturbing.

“We have to look at this with new eyes," Mendolia said. "Our population is aging, and we have a duty to our elders to support them.”

For the full story, click HERE.