Mayor-elect Steven Noble gets a hug from his wife
KINGSTON – Some have started calling the City of Kingston by its new nickname, Nobleville. That’s because the new mayor is related to the city council president, placing two separate branches of government into the hands of one family.
The younger unseated incumbent Mayor Shayne Gallo in the Democratic primary.
Republican opponent Ronald Polacco had several factors working against him.
Kingston is a Democratic town with a two-to-one enrollment advantage over the GOP. Furthermore, the city’s Republican Committee was less than enthusiastic about supporting Polacco’s campaign.
“We did really well tonight. I’m really excited about the turnout. I am excited that we were able to move forward and create a city we talked about during the campaign trail,” said the new mayor.
Technical glitches at the Ulster County Board of Elections prevented exact numbers being provided on election night, but the overall margin was roughly 3:2 in favor of Steven Noble, out of roughly 3,000 overall votes.
James Noble had no problem beating Independence Party opponent Jeanette Provenzano, a county legislator. Her campaign became muted after losing the Democratic primary, basically dropping out of sight along with Gallo.
“We weren’t sure how the turnout was going to go, but this was about where it’s been in the past,” the mayor-elect said. “The final tally was a little over 3,000 votes, on par with past elections. Running the city is a serious matter; every vote counts here in the city.”
The new administration inherits a proposed budget prepared by outgoing Mayor Gallo, which comes close to exceeding the tax cap, and contains severe personnel cuts – including Steven Noble’s current position in the Parks Department.
“I think there’s some areas that need to be looked at, like corporation counsel,” noted James Noble, the alderman-at-large. “It’s pretty much totally gutted. It was $140,000 for employees, $50,000 for consultants, now it’s $10,000. We can’t run government without attorneys for various issues within the city,” he said.
Incoming mayor Steve Noble said over the next month-and-a-half, the common council will have to “a really hard look at the budget, and do a good job at making sure to craft a budget that works for everybody.”
