The next generation of political leaders shared their thoughts on Hudson Valley issues Monday at an event hosted by Patterns For Progress called ‘Across the Aisle.’

Three Republican and three Democratic elected officials, all under 40 years old, held a panel discussion on their visions for local government, and shared what got them into politics.

They touched on college and housing affordability, how to attract and keep people in the Hudson Valley and the impact of high taxes. Most say voter reaction has been positive, but sometimes they feel the need to prove themselves more than an older candidate would. 

"As the mayor said, there's no partisan way to fill a pothole, there's no Republican or Democrat way to pave or plow the roads, or deliver any of the services we deliver at the county level. So I think that there's a desire by some to hyper-partisanize our legislature," said Ulster County Legislator Chairman Ken Ronk.   

"I have a mostly Republican majority. I get along with every single one of them. And we're able to work on different things. But, there are instances where partisanship does matter. With the rhetoric that we're seeing across the county, we need our leaders to actually stand for something," said Orange County Legislator Kevindaryán Luján.

The youngest panelist was 23-year-old Dutchess County Legislator Will Truitt, with the oldest being 36-year-old Kingston Mayor Steve Noble.