The results of tonight’s primary election have us ahead by a razor-thin margin. The absentee ballots have yet to be tallied but we believe we have the upper hand in that count as well. Thank you for your unwavering support throughout this primary campaign, and we look forward to working hard towards the general election this November.
-Hayes
Today is the day when all the noise stops, and the voters get to make a decision. It has been a long, tough fight, and I know that you will make the right choice.
Polls will be open 12-9. If you don’t know your polling place, or you need a ride or assistance otherwise, please call us.
845-481-4231
There can’t be a safe, thriving Kingston without a safe, thriving Midtown. It starts with that simple fact and the realization that Kingston will thrive or decline as a whole, not as a patchwork of neighborhoods — some safe and secure, some not.
Spend any time discussing quality of life issues with law enforcement professionals, building inspectors and legal experts – as I have – and the steps we need to take in turning around Midtown and other problem areas become pretty clear:
• First and foremost, we need to re-establish a dedicated police unit, walking the beat in Midtown, much as we had with the very successful Midtown Stabilization Unit that tackled a crack-fueled crime wave there in the 1990s. Some say this is impossible, given the existing police-union contract and its provisions for time off. I say, Nonsense. The next Mayor, working with the PBA and a new police chief – one dedicated 100% to community policing – has to lead the way in putting more of our police professionals on the streets, especially in problem neighborhoods. Task forces and shared services are very important tools in the fight against crime and gangs, but the one proven approach is more KPD officers on the street. I am dedicated to making that happen.
• We need to expand the Block by Block program, making it a full time, year-round approach to coordinated clean-up of problem areas. And we need to back up that commitment by steering more of Kingston’s annual Community Development Block Grant funding to objectives tied to the Block by Block program. It’s an approach that’s working in certain neighborhoods of Albany. We can make it work in Kingston.
• We need to crack down on derelict landlords whose tenants abuse neighborhoods, by tightening fines for building code and nuisance-abatement violations. The laws are in place; we need to make more aggressive use of them, particularly against the relatively small number of landlords responsible for a large portion of the blight and misbehavior that is bringing down entire blocks and neighborhoods. I also plan to make public the names of property owners who have been cited, and the addresses of the property they own.
• Effectively prosecute cases against derelict landlords. Bottlenecks in tracking down title holders slow us down in the hunt and prosecution of derelict landlords and other property owners. We need to figure out ways – part-time help and redeployment of existing personnel, for starters – to unclog those bottlenecks and make more problem-makers face the consequences of their neglect.
• We need to set bond requirements for bad-faith landlords who hide behind “LLC” shell companies, refuse to comply with landlord registration laws or fail to register a local contact person. Other cities have done it. We need to figure out how we can force the landlords who don’t even comply with landlord registration – approximately 20% — to live by the law or lose their “right” to be slumlords in Kingston.
• Bring to life a Business Improvement District for the Broadway corridor. A BID for Broadway is a small but critical first step, I think, toward transforming the area and restoring its historical role as a major center of Ulster County employment. BIDs bring together businesses and residents together to invest in much-needed supplemental services – from sidewalk cleanup to additional security, streetscape beautification and festival programming. They’ve worked wonders not just in high-profile spots like NYC’s Times Square, but in smaller communities like Middletown, as well. One other benefit: a BID could leverage what’s being done at City Hall for economic development by providing an additional agent for seeking public and private grants for Broadway improvements. In essence, we could expand our approach to winning hard-to-come-by monies with a savvy BID team. The current BID proposal for the Broadway corridor would levy a relatively modest “median” annual fee of $300 per business in the BID zone. (The annual fee for a homeowner would be a nominal $1.) I think it’s well worth it, and my responsibility as Mayor would be to make sure the BID delivers a lot more value than $300 to every business in the district, day in and day out.
• Create more positive opportunities for neighborhood kids. I am proud to have worked this summer with my Common Council colleague, Ward 4 Alderwoman Shirley Whitlock, to launch the first annual Clean Up Squad. (See pictures below.) The week-long program brought together more than 30 Kingston children and teen-agers to clean up Midtown streets and build community pride, in exchange for the opportunity to earn stipend for back-to-school needs. It was great to see not just the results but the lessons about community pride and hard work that the participants took home afterward. A small step, sure, but when replicated in small ways around the city, it’s the type of step that can move a whole community far forward.
Filed under Campaign
As a successful businessman, I understands what it takes to keep existing businesses in Kingston, and where and how to recruit new opportunities:
• Give priority to existing small businesses looking to expand. Retaining an existing business is the most cost-effective route to economic development. I am always amazed at the ideas local entrepreneurs have for expansion, in Kingston. We need to be proactive in learning about those ambitious ideas and helping business owners act on them.
• Focus on new opportunities already taking root, including:
-Film and TV production: This is already a multi-million dollar industry in the Hudson Valley, with ambitious plans by local production companies already set up in Kerhonkson and other communities. Kingston is an ideal location for sound-stage work and location shooting because of the variety of scenery, an expanding talent base of creative professionals already living in the area and a small but burgeoning digital production industry already in place.
-Work-at-home professionals
-Tourism that focuses on Kingston’s growing arts community and rich heritage of historic sites.
• We need to leverage our area’s strengths to make Kingston an urban showcase for solar-energy investment and the Hudson Valley local food movement.
• Cut red tape and expedite good projects that bring value and jobs to the City
• Identify and aggressively pursue the developers we want for the Uptown parking garage site and other key redevelopment opportunities
• Jump-start a Business Improvement District for the Broadway corridor, and investigate the possibilities of additional BIDs in areas such as Uptown.
• Create a citywide rail-trail network and other amenities to really put us on the map for tourists
• Expand the fight for jobs by creating an Economic Development Council of local business and labor leaders
• Increase coordination between city and county development efforts, and direct KLDC loan-fund investments toward high-impact projects, including facade improvements
• Make the Mayor’s office the “first responder” to any commercial investor – large or small – looking at Kingston
These are the important, basic steps that must be taken in order for economic growth to take hold in Kingston. As Mayor, economic development will be a priority, and these are the starting points for Kingston’s future.
The party was in full swing at the Kingston Library this afternoon as we celebrated the completion of this weeks Clean Up Squad. The kids did an amazing job and were supported by a wonderful group of individuals. Hayes, with Alderwoman Shirley Whitlock spearheaded the project in conjunction with Megan Weiss, who’s tireless efforts made this week such a success. Hannaford, Sav-On Party Supplies, and the Kingston Library were also major factors in the success of the work. All week Megan and the teams of kids were working on projects around the city, including cleaning up and repainting Van Buren Park, which had been overrun with trash and graffiti.
Not just a work program for the children, the week included spending time in workshops and focus groups discussing the reasoning behind what they were doing. Megan and the interns leading the program made a well-rounded effort to instill values in the participants.
For more information, please visit the following websites:
Kingston Cares
Hey everyone, it’s that time again. That’s right, Lawn Signs! They’ll be available at the end of the week for supporters who would like to come pick them up, or just leave us your information and one will find it’s way to you! Remember, they won’t be going up until first thing Saturday morning due to a City of Kingston ordinance.
Signs will be available for pickup this Friday, and we’ll even be holding special hours in the evening to make sure everyone can get theirs! Our Headquarters will be open until 9 PM! We will also be available Saturday and Sunday, and then back to our regular schedule for the following week.
Thank you all so much for your time and efforts in helping us break the chain of Politics as Usual.
Filed under Campaign
A very special Thanks to Merle Borenstein, Gregg Barbarino, and the amazing staff at Armadillo. Head on down there for the best Mexican food in town! The event was amazing, and a huge turnout was the cherry on top of a very successful few months on the campaign trail. Thanks to everyone who made the event such a success, and that is to say, thanks everyone!
Clean Up Squad lets kids do good while earning back-to-school basics
Young people in Kingston will have a chance to improve their community while also earning money for back-to-school needs next month, thanks to the efforts of two city lawmakers and the group Kingston Cares.
The Clean Up Squad project will enroll as many as 25 Kingston youth, ages 8 to 14, for a weeklong series of clean-up efforts, several of them focused on Midtown neighborhoods, in exchange for a $50 stipend to be spent on back-to-school clothing or supplies from Kingston retailers.
The program, scheduled for the week of Aug. 15, will be supervised by Kingston Cares, a community coalition sponsored by Family of Woodstock, Inc., but also led by a group of local teen-agers acting as mentors.
The project was developed by Alderman Hayes Clement, who represents Ward 9 on the Kingston Common Council, and Ward 4 Alderwoman Shirley Whitlock, both of whom are sponsoring the effort, which they hope to expand in future summers.
“This is about actually doing something hands-on to motivate young people and show them a better path,” said Whitlock. “Because at the end of the day, we have no future as a community if we don’t provide our future generation with the right example and the opportunity to be the positive, constructive leaders that I know they can be.”
Clement said he considers the project an example of the “positive reinforcement” that needs to play a part in any strategy to combat juvenile delinquency in Kingston.
“Fighting juvenile delinquency requires stricter law enforcement, absolutely, but it also demands that we recognize kids who are doing the right thing and give them a real platform to influence the behavior of their younger peers,” Clement said. “Clean Up Squad is a small step toward that, but this entire fight, in so many ways, is all about small steps – lots of them – from both the public and the private sectors.”
Megan Weiss, Director of Kingston Cares said, “Kingston Cares is thrilled to help organize this effort as it fits in perfectly with our mission to prevent substance use among youth in the City of Kingston. Through this initiative, we will be able to connect youth with positive activities and engage them in community issues, enhancing their attachment to their neighborhood and increasing pride within Kingston”
The name Clean Up Squad was coined by the project’s senior mentors, a group of four Kingston teen-agers leading the development of the project’s objectives and clean-up activities.
The local teen mentors include Ramel Fitzgerald, Robert Fitzgerald, Micah Smalls and Randy Hindes. In preparation for this community service week, the teen mentors have created a song about the importance of cleaning and investing in the Kingston community.
Project organizers have identified a number of community service efforts to take place Aug. 15-19, including a rail trail cleanup and work at the Van Buren Street Park. More projects are being identified and a total of four to five projects will be completed during the week. Other youth groups, including the Boys & Girls Club of Kingston, Dig Kids and Healthy Kingston for Kids, have been invited to take part in the program.
Clean Up Squad participants who take part in at least three of the projects will receive a $50 allowance toward the purchase of back-to-school supplies or clothing.
Organizers hope to steer the spending to local Kingston merchants by encouraging them to offer special discounts to Clean Up Squad participants, Clement said.
The program will be open to 25 participants, ages 8-14, on a first-come first-served basis. Parents of participants will be required to sign release-from-liability waivers and are encouraged to participate with their children in one or more events.
Funding for the program has been provided by individual donors.
To learn more about the program or to sign up, parents should contact Megan Weiss, program coordinator for Kingston Cares, at 845-331-1110 or kingstoncares@familyofwoodstockinc.org.
 | Irena Chalmers on Tonight’s Results |
 | Mark on Primary Day Is Upon Us! |
 | Bill Berardi on Putting Midtown Back On T… |
 | Maryann Hannigan on Putting Midtown Back On T… |
 | tim halpin on Thoughts on Economic Developme… |
