2026 New York General Election

Debbie Hecht

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Hecht, 56, moved to Rhinebeck in 2020 and has one child. She is a co-founder of the Pride organization, BeckHook Pride, and holds a Ph.D. in Classics from Columbia University. She is also an active volunteer at her synagogue, Congregation Emanuel of the Hudson Valley in Kingston. Prior to her election last fall, she had never held elected office.

Spinzia will not seek re-election as Rhinebeck supervisor; Debbie Hecht and Amanda Miller set to run in Democratic primary

Hecht graduated in 1988 from Fieldstone School in Riverdale, Bronx, earned a bachelor’s degree in literature from Bennington College in Vermont in 1992, and received a master’s degree and doctorate from Columbia University in New York City in 2010. Hecht is a member of Beck Hook Pride, LGBTQIA+, and Tikkun Olam Committee.

Election 2026: Rhinebeck Democrats to choose between Hecht and Miller in supervisor primary

Debbie Hecht earned a bachelor's degree in literature from Bennington College, followed by a master's degree and a doctorate in Classics from Columbia University. She has one child and volunteers at Congregation Emanuel of the Hudson Valley in Kingston.

Debbie Hecht Decisively Wins Democratic Primary for Rhinebeck ...

Election 2026: Rhinebeck Democrats to choose between Hecht and ...

Supported a hotel occupancy tax requiring visitors to “pay their fair share” to offset tourism impacts.

Hecht, who voted for the Town’s new bed tax on hotel stays, says protecting Rhinebeck’s small-town feel and natural environment is her top priority. In February, Hecht also supported the Town’s adoption of a hotel occupancy tax, which she said will help offset the impact of tourism by requiring visitors to “pay their fair share.”

In run for Town Supervisor, Debbie Hecht promises peace and preservation as critics question readiness

Economy

Plans to stay connected to constituents while governing.

She pledged to run a positive campaign and to resist responding in kind to personal attacks from her opponent, real estate attorney Amanda Miller. On doorsteps, Hecht would tell voters, “How I’m campaigning is how I want to govern: I want to stay close and connected to the people I’m representing.”

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Public Services

Said the town has an opportunity to use its study to discuss growth, development, and quality-of-life impacts.

“One thing I’ve been passionate about is working on the capacity study, the tourism study for the town,” she said. “Talking with residents, I know that there are a lot of concerns about the directions that we’re going in as a town in terms of growth and development,” Hecht said. “While I believe that some amount of growth is always inevitable, I also believe that we have an opportunity now with this study to really talk as a community about what we want our town to be and how the changes that have already been made have impacted our quality of life.”

Election 2026: Rhinebeck’s Hecht faces write-in challenger Monaghan for supervisor

Housing & Urban Development

Prioritizes ensuring that emergency resources can accommodate community growth and respond to emergencies.

Hecht said it will be important to have a consultant provide unbiased data so officials and the community can understand how infrastructure, emergency services, and basic needs are impacted by growth in the town. “One of my big concerns is how the extent to which our safety and emergency resources, which includes fire EMS, and Northern Dutchess Hospital, can actually accommodate (community growth),” she said. “It is my responsibility as someone on the Town Board to make sure that we have the emergency resources to care for someone who falls ill or who has any kind of emergency event.”

Public Safety

Is conducting a tourism capacity study to identify when tourism overburdens infrastructure or irreparably damages the environment.

“I probably canvassed close to 1,500 people,” Hecht said. “One of the most pressing issues, if not the most pressing issue, is dealing with tourism development in Rhinebeck. I am working currently on a tourism capacity study that will help us determine at what point our infrastructure is overburdened and our environment is irreparably damaged, so that the board can take action accordingly.”

Transportation & Infrastructure

Said she wants to preserve Rhinebeck’s rural and historic character.

While Hecht acknowledges she would have liked to have had more time and experience on the Town Board before running for supervisor, she said she ultimately decided to step forward because she believes she has “a good temperament for leadership.” “I'm a conservationist, and I'm a preservationist,” she said. “I want to keep Rhinebeck rural and historic.”

Plans to prioritize testing local aquifers and wells to protect drinking-water safety.

Hecht said she would prioritize testing local aquifers and wells to ensure they, too, are safe and will remain so in the future. “We know safe drinking water is critical to people’s health,” she said.