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Charles (Rudy) Hahn
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| Charles Rudy Hahn |
March 07, 2008
Charles (Rudy) Hahn has been a trustee of the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson for nearly thirty years and when he talks about the race for re-election in March 2008, he is low-key and confident that his supporters will put him back in office once again.
Hahn points to his experience handling the various operations of the village as an important asset. “I have a pretty good feel for some of the things we’re going to deal with,” he says. “I’m familiar with the people and the key issues.”
Experience with Water Issues
Hahn cites his knowledge of the village’s water department, which he says has the advantage of drawing on three separate sources of water. He would support selling water to other developers or municipalities as a means of generating income for the village.
Hahn came into office in 1977 with concerns about how the prior village government was handling Con Edison’s proposal to build a power plant on the side of Storm King Mountain. Hahn says that the village had expected the deal to go through and generate more income for the government. When it was defeated, the trustees had to raise taxes from $6 to $9 per thousand, Hahn says. That’s when he got experience in bringing the budget under control.
Paying the Debt Down
“We reduced the taxes over the years under Ed (Moulton’s) stewardship,” Hahn says. “We were able to reduce taxes and pay the debt down.”
The debt came back up in the late 1990s when the village borrowed money to build the Black Rock filter plant. Hahn had just returned to office after a six-year hiatus to care for his aging mother when the village embarked on the construction project, which experienced poor engineering and contractor bankruptcy. Hahn says today that the village should have had better control of the project, which dragged on for nearly a decade.
Hahn knows that the village needs to keep investing in the water system, but he sees ways to cut costs in other areas. He says the village could save several thousand dollars at least by consolidating the village and town police departments, a move, he says, needs to be carefully studied. “We’re going to have to take a hard look at consolidating police,” he says. “It’s a luxury to have your own force.”
He also recommends looking at small savings that could be made in the budget, for items like equipment purchases for the Department of Public Works or fire department.
Seven Decades in the Village
Much of Hahn’s confidence as trustee comes from knowledge he has accrued during his 71 years in the village. He was born into a family of German immigrants who operated several greenhouses on Duncan Avenue that shipped flowers to New York City. He worked in the business as a teenager while he attended high school in the building that is now the Cornwall-on-Hudson elementary school.
Hahn married a childhood sweetheart, Chickie Board, and the couple raised five children, two of whom still live at home. His youngest son, Kurt, is the assistant fire chief at Storm King Fire Engine Company #2 and the town emergency control officer. The elder Hahn retired in 2000 from a career as a research scientist for Clairol hair colors.
Hahn says his style is simple and direct. He recalls how one winter a resident was upset because the village plow kept putting snow back in her driveway. Hahn says he and one of his sons grabbed shovels and went over to the woman’s house to take action.
Vision for the Village and Riverfront
Hahn remembers as a child walking to the shops in the village for food and supplies and he would like to see that kind of commercial activity again. He says he was “very much in favor” of The River Bank restaurant building its patio on two village parking spots. He’d still like to see the village’s lower lot be developed for additional parking and more improvements to the current lot, along with new signage.
As for the riverfront, Hahn would not be in favor of anything but passive use of the park. He doesn’t see any use for a big dock and loves it just the way it is.
After years of public meetings, Hahn says he feels comfortable voicing his opinion and vows to stick by his decisions. He emphasizes that he is not afraid of making a decision and sticking to it.
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