KINGSTON – Mayor Steven Noble has hired the City of Kingston’s first director of housing initiatives. Michael Gilliard will start on Monday, May 4.
The director or housing initiatives will guide the city’s housing efforts, research and draft policy and proposed legislation for the common council and work with local housing organizations. He will also serve as executive director of the Kingston City Land Bank.
The salary for the post is $65,000 and is supported by grant funding, the exact amount was not mentioned in a city statement.
The new position was established in the mayor’s efforts to tackle local housing issues s outlined in his January state of the city address including adopting the Emergency Tenant Protection Act and additional tenant safeguards, supporting anti-displacement efforts through participation with the state attorney general’s Learning Network program, and implementing regulations for short-term rentals.
Noble said given the unforeseen burdens from COVID-19, those efforts are more vital now than just a few months ago.
Gilliard, a Kingston resident, has over 15 years of experience developing housing and mixed-used projects along the Eastern Seaboard, including the Hudson Valley.
