A crowd of nearly 60 people chatted cheerfully inside the chic basement bar of Left Bank Ciders in Catskill to celebrate state Sen. Michelle Hinchey’s run for re-election. As the senator rallied her supporters for a speech, however, she was interrupted.

“Why do you choose to betray the tenants in your district and refuse to sign on to Good Cause Eviction?’” a protester yelled through roaring applause.

The critic was later revealed as a member of “For the Many” (formerly Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson), a grassroots activist group that is fighting for legislation that protects the most vulnerable folks in their communities. In early February, the group rallied outside of Hinchey’s Kingston office, demanding that she publicly support Good Cause Eviction on the state level. You can read more about their protest talking points here: bit.ly/3hXzqpu

“We did not want to have to crash the senator’s fundraiser to make our voices heard,” said Vanessa Cid, member of the Housing Justice for All Coalition and For the Many organizer. “We were forced to bring our concerns directly to the senator, because she refuses to listen to her constituents and sign onto this legislation. While she holds a fundraiser to kick off her reelection campaign, tenants across her district are left vulnerable to eviction.”

For the Many was joined by roughly 25 protesters, posted outside of the bar, representing organizations like the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, the Hudson-Catskill Housing Coalition and the Mid-Hudson Valley Democratic Socialists of America.

Hinchey's reply to the activist was that her campaign kickoff party was not the proper place to talk too much about legislation before responding.

“We actually do a lot about housing and we actually met with a group on Friday,” Hinchey started before she was cut off by the surprise visitor. The protester continued to critique Hinchey for not making enough time to talk with For the Many and other good cause eviction supporters. But the critic’s voice was soon drowned out by a persistent round of applause and they were asked to leave the building.

Hinchey, a Saugerties native, was first elected to the state Senate in 2020 to represent the 46th District. A Democrat, she is the chair of the Senate’s Agriculture Committee and is a member of the Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee, among others. She is seeking a second term this fall and will be opposed by the man she beat two years ago, Greene County Republican Rich Amedure.

As the room fell quiet again, Hinchey talked about some of her legislative goals that would, she said, protect tenants and their communities. She hoped to bring more regulations for short-term rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo, and make it easier to build housing with laws that can work around folks who are more concerned about the impacts a development may have on their backyard view. Hinchey said she also wanted more funding for local code enforcement officers and building inspectors to make sure that tenants are living in safe conditions.

“We need to fund the process to make sure that it’s not on the tenant to report [issues], but that our local governments are actually standing up for the people who live there and have the tools and funding,” to do the work, Hinchey said.

Hinchey also touted her accomplishments thus far, noting that her office got 30 bills signed into law. She said that ties her with Capital District state Sen. Neil Breslin for the most signed bills in that time period. Hinchey added that her legislation helped farmers and small businesses survive the financial tolls of the pandemic, and brought funding for roads, education and expanded healthcare access.

Looking forward, Hinchey mentioned other items her constituents are concerned about, such as affordable housing, good-paying jobs, education funding, and environmental protections.

“These are the things we are fighting for every day,” Hinchey said.