Amanda Purcell is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media that although the submission date has passed, the residents of Hudson still remain in the dark about how the Downtown Revitalization Initiative Local Planning Committee has recommended that $10 million in taxpayer money be spent. On March 1, the committee decided to vote privately on the projects recommended for funding, with each member submitting their votes directly to Stantec, the project consultant. The first private vote was held March 5, but after resistance to the inclusion of three projects sponsored by the Galvan Foundation surfaced, the committee decided to hold a second vote. The Galvan projects were removed and a new private vote held March 9. “I am happy the vote moved to a second vote after the Galvan projects were removed,” committee member Colin Stair, owner of Stair Galleries in Hudson, said. “I don’t believe in corporate welfare and rich people getting free money that they don’t need.” Purcell's calls to the Galvan Foundation for comment were not returned, and several committee members declined to disclose how they voted. Steve Kearney, Stantec senior associate and planner, directed all calls to the state Department of State press office, as did committee co-chair Tiffany Martin Hamilton. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.