Phil Terpening Passes Away ( Ulster County Legislator)

I was saddened to learn that Ulster County Legislator Philip Terpening passed away on Wednesday evening.
(Reprinted from MIDHUDSONNEWS.COM
KINGSTON – Ulster County Legislator Philip Terpening collapsed and died Wednesday night during a political debate, County Legislature Chairman David Donaldson said Thursday morning.
Terpening, 63, was with fellow Democratic Legislator Alan Lomita when Terpening debated a Republican challenger and collapsed.

“We were running on the same team and he was responding to charges made by a Republican opponent, charges that were made about him and me, ‘if you are happy with the status quo, vote for these two,’ and Phil was very upset by the statement that was made by the Republican and collapsed soon after,” said Lomita.

Lomita said after Terpening collapsed, he was on the floor trying to revive him.

Lomita knew Terpening for 20 years. He was a Rosendale town supervisor before becoming a county legislator. “He was dedicated public servant; one of the hardest working members of the legislature.”

“He has always been there,” Donaldson said. “Phil didn’t do things because they were politically correct; he did them because they were right.”

(Our earlier story suggested that Terpening and Lomita were debating. That was not the case and regret the ambiguity of the statement.)