Tommy Zurhellen: “A Guy Who Wants to Help People”

Tommy Zurhellen in Fontaine by Rebekah Hendricks '24.

Editor’s Note: This article is not an endorsement of any political campaign or candidate by Marist College nor does it represent the views or opinions of Marist College.

Marist English professor Tommy Zurhellen is on the move with his campaign for Dutchess County Executive, ready to bring needed change to this area. 

Zurhelle’s mission to better Dutchess County was born in 2017. During his tenure as the Command of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 170, he grew tired of seeing veterans not receiving services they needed. Because of this, he took action.

“I decided to do something totally foolish and walk across the country and I made it,” said Zurhellen. 

His goal was to shed light on the homelessness crisis amongst veterans. For 131 days Zurhellen was a homeless veteran, walking across the country and meeting people along the way. He said that he met another veteran almost everyday, and his perspective on the country changed. 

“The good news is, people are nice all across the country,” said Zurhellen. “I was expecting to get run out of town.” He was embraced by those he met along his journey and realized that people aren’t as different as they seem.

“We’re told in the news that we’re all against each other, but I gotta tell you first hand I found out that’s not true. People all around just want to help. I think they’ve just been told that story,” said Zurhellen. 

Zurhellen created VetZero to ensure that veterans in Dutchess County receive the services they need. VetZero provides transportation for veterans, including over three thousand free rides across the county. Homeless veterans are employed by VetZero. He believes his experience running his non-profit has provided him with the necessary executive leadership skills to make a difference in the county. 

Zurhellen believes that the Dutchess County Executive is primarily about leadership. Services they’re paying for, inspiring others to be their best, and not telling people what to do is how he views the position.

Zurhellen sees that his unique experience will provide the county with new opportunities. 

“I’m proud to say that I’m not a career politician. I think that that’s a good thing. I don’t know what it’s like to take money from corporations. I don’t know what it’s like to do a back door deal,” said Zurhellen. “I think we need someone with fresh ideas, a fresh start.” 

The frustration that inspired him to walk across the country continued when he arrived back at Marist. He is frustrated that people are struggling to remain residents of Dutchess County. He believes the lack of affordable housing is the biggest issue facing the county. He was eager to share his plan, something he feels his opponents are reluctant to do.

“The same people have been in charge of Dutchess County now for 32 years and they haven’t done anything. That’s why I ran, I knew I could make an impact,” said Zurhellen. “Short term, we have to keep our seniors and those on a fixed income in their homes.” 

His plan is to implement a supplemental voucher program. This program would be different from Section VIII support which is based on Fair Market Rent. However, the rent in Dutchess County exceeds the Fair Market Rent that has been set. The voucher would bridge the gap between Section VIII support and the actual cost of living. He says that the money to implement this program already exists in the Dutchess Housing Trust, meaning that residents will not see an increase in taxes as a result.  

“Long term, we have to talk to municipalities and have them make modest changes in their zoning laws. You can’t have a work force without work force housing,” said Zurhellen. 

Although it is up to municipalities to make this decision, as County Executive, Zurhellen could put incentives in place for municipalities that create affordable workforce housing.  The Industrial Development Agency is a chance to bring business to Dutchess County and he wants to tackle bringing workforce housing opportunities at the same time.

His twenty years of experience as a college professor provided Zurhellen with a connection to youth voters that many politicians struggle to achieve. 

“There’s a stigma out there that people your age don’t care about anything, but that’s of course not true, they might just care about different things,” said Zurhellen. Primarily climate change and sustainability are top of mind for young voters. 

He thinks the county isn’t doing enough for the local environment. From the incineration of garbage in the county, high rates of asthma throughout Poughkeepsie and sustainability with the local farms, he plans to address this down the road.

Food sourcing has been on his radar of issues to tackle, knowing that many children in the county live in food deserts, including Poughkeepsie. One of his solutions is to support local farms to make a positive impact on the health of the communities. 

“Ten years from now, our region is going to be the food producing region for America. Places like Nebraska and Iowa, with climate change they’re not going to be able to produce the food,” said Zurhellen.

Unconventional is the word to describe Zurhellen’s plans to fight food security. He’s going to donate his salary of around $144,000 to fight this issue to show Dutchess County his deep commitment to local families.  

“We want to leave Dutchess County a better place for future generations and we’re not doing it right now,” said Zurhellen. 

His book “The Low Road” shared with the world his solo trek across America. His plans for his new book “The High Road" highlight a different challenge entirely. 

Is it possible to win an election in America while being entirely positive?

When asked if he was going to “take the gloves off” against his opponent Sue Serino, he stated his firm unwillingness to do so. 

“I’m never going to get negative… It became a teaching moment, leadership is about positivity, it's about collaboration, bringing everybody on board,” said Zurhellen. 

There has not been a Democrat leading the county in decades, but he believes this fear can lead to massive change. “If we win this year, think of all the things that would change on the first day. That’s what keeps me going,” said Zurhellen.

Zurhellen is not your typical politician, and he is certainly not striving to be. He wants to carve a place of his own, leading the county in a new direction. 

“I’m trying not to be a politician, I’m just a guy who wants to help people.”