According to Mayor Bill Hallenbeck, Hudson Police Chief Ed Moore is just a ‘figurehead’

(HUDSON, N.Y., October 15, 2015) – Mayor William Hallenbeck Jr. publicly diminished the role of Hudson Police Chief L. Edward Moore, calling him a mere “figurehead.”

Hallenbeck also used the term “figurehead” to describe Hudson Police Commissioner Gary Graziano.

A “figurehead” is “a person given a position of nominal leadership but having no actual authority,” according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

If Moore and Graziano are mere figureheads, it’s not clear then who actually exercises authority over law enforcement in Hudson. Hallenbeck, a former law officer himself whose departure from the police force has never been fully explicated, appeared to take personal credit for what he claims to be a reduction in crime in the city over the last few years.

This reporter heard Hallenbeck use the term “figurehead” to describe Moore and Graziano, and his use of the word has also been reported in other local news media including the Register-Star and Gossips of Rivertown.

Hallenbeck’s insulting comment was made during a debate with Democrat Tiffany Martin Hamilton, who is challenging the Republican Hallenbeck in the upcoming November election. The debate took place at the John Edwards Elementary School last night (Wednesday, October 14).