Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Hudson Mayor Rick Rector, April 19, vetoed the resolution approved by the Hudson Common Council authorizing the termination of the city's contract with GAR Associates, the company hired to conduct a revaluation of the city's real property assessments. “After carefully reviewing the manner in which the resolution was presented, the content of the resolution itself, and the conclusions contained in it, I cannot support the resolution at this time,” the mayor wrote in his veto message. Commenting by email, Common Council President Tom DePietro acknowledged receipt of the mayor's veto, saying, "Fortunately, there is still time for the Council to act. At our forthcoming meeting on Wednesday [April 24], I anticipate a motion for a vote to override his veto." In the veto message, Rector criticized how the measure was presented, and hinted at a lack of transparency and equity in how the matter was handled, arguing the city has no power to reject the assessment. DePietro pointed out that the mayor did not distinguish between a preliminary assessment and the final assessment, which has not happened yet. "It's unfortunate that at our last meeting, the council had to rely on the same attorney who was already advising the mayor on how to respond to citizen outrage. This hampered our understanding of this complex issue," DePietro wrote. As for any suggestion that the council failed to be transparent in its handling of the matter, DePietro wrote, "That's clearly false — the council has listened to the people of Hudson and discussed the matter in the open. It's the Mayor who is hiding behind closed doors." NOTE: DePietro is an active WGXC volunteer programmer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.