Polacco and Noble shake hands before the debate
KINGSTON – The two candidates for mayor
of Kingston held their first debate at the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce
breakfast Tuesday, articulating their differences in policy towards building
the city’s future. Republican Ron Polacco is challenging Democrat
Steve Noble for the chance to manage the municipality for the next four
years.
“I know that I’m going to work really hard, and be able to
represent you to the best of my ability, and represent all of our interests,
by being a good listener and a strong advocate, and be able to create
a community that we all want to live in,” Noble said. He praised
the county’s economic development efforts, promising to closely
partner with a similar approach.
Polacco took a more conservative and critical approach, describing a city
at risk of decay. “My experience on the common council showed me,
that the only way that city officials saw fit to take care of the obligations
of the city was on the backs of the taxpayers. There was no outside the
box thought process on reigning in spending, controlling the budget, generating
revenue,” he said.
Noble advocated a 10-year plan to equalize the tax rates for residential
and commercial property, as proposed by Dr. Gerald Benjamin of SUNY New
Paltz. “It’s something that we all can plan and budget for,”
he noted. Noble questioned whether state assistance would be available.
“This is going to be a problem that we may have to solve on our
own,” he said. “We need to work with Albany,” Polacco
responded.
Polacco took a stand against a bicycle lane on Broadway, claiming it would
hinder parking for businesses. “You already have a difficult time
getting down Broadway, especially during rush hour. So how’s it
going to be when we take out two lanes of traffic, for these bike lanes,”
Polacco argued. “The Building a Better Broadway project is a critical
piece of re-inventing Midtown,” Noble countered. “This project
will completely re-synchronize and replace all of the lights along Broadway,”
he said.
Both candidates supported the referendum to change the city charter, allowing
Kingston’s mayor and common council to sign off on water resource
sales to outside entities. Widespread protests earlier this year opposed
a proposed private bottling plant. Under the current rules the water commission
has exclusive authority over the supply.
Outgoing Mayor Shayne Gallo’s 2016 budget proposal contains a 4.9
percent tax increase, which both candidates take umbrage over. “I
do not find it to be acceptable. We have the same status quo, the same
mindset, for twenty years – raise taxes,” Polacco said. “The
devil is always in the details,” agreed Noble. “This is a
very unique budget, drastically different from previous years, it should
be concerning to many of us,” Noble added. “We all want to
have good quality services, but we need to make sure we’re not taxed
out of our homes,” he said.
Regarding business development, Noble tipped his hat towards his defeated
primary opponent, the outgoing. “The prior administration did some
good things about getting the job done for Midtown, and supporting our
local businesses,” he said, adding he’s prepared to continue
that work.
“Everyone in this room can tell me something that’s wrong
with Kingston,” Polacco said. “We have to change that mindset
to everyone telling me something that’s wonderful about Kingston.
I strongly believe there’s nothing wrong with Kingston that can’t
be fixed with what’s right with Kingston.”
Polacco called for a kinder gentler parking enforcement process. “It
sends the wrong message, that when you come to Kingston, shop, go dining,
go to the bank, and you come out there’s a ticket on your car, because
you were five minutes late. We don’t want to have that kind of impact
on people; we want a carefree shopping atmosphere.”
Noble proposed a parking plan, managed by a parking authority. “What
works for Uptown may not work for Midtown, and what works for Midtown
may not work for Downtown,” he said, noting that a garage might
be too expensive for the city.
The next debate takes place Thursday October 22 at Temple Emanuel on Albany
Avenue, at 7 p.m.
