If elected, what would be your top two priorities?
I hesitate to pigeonhole myself with a narrow view like that, going in. I prefer to go to the legislature with a goal of representing District 17’s point of view at the county level, not bringing the county’s point of view to District 17.
My top priority would be to create a forum for hearing the opinions and concerns and needs of my constituents in District 17 and take their voice back to the legislature. I prefer to be proactive for my district rather than reactive to the county.
District 19
Two local candidates are contending for the District 19 Ulster County Legislature seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Robert S. Parete, representing all of Rosendale and part of Marbletown. Kevin Hines is a retired corrections officer and the current president of the Bloomington Fire Company. Manna Jo Greene is a retired critical care nurse, currently director of Environmental Action for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and a member of the Rosendale Town Board.
Kevin Hines (R, C, I)
Why did you decide to run for the County Legislature at this time?
I was asked to run for this office. I wasn’t sure about doing this, because I have never run for public office; but I figured, instead of complaining about issues, I should get off my butt and do something about it.
What do you see as the top two challenges facing your district?
1. Working with the legislators to try and keep or bring in business to Rosendale and Marbletown and the rest of Ulster County. Our young people cannot find good jobs in the area that would support a family or a future for them in Ulster County. Small business is great to support a local area, but what is needed are bigger businesses to support the area that provide good pay and a future for the young people to stay here and prosper. That is one reason why I support the Williams Lake Project and I would support the casino issue: jobs and tax money for the local schools, local towns and the county.
2. The casino issue is an important situation. This area needs the jobs and tax money, but if the issue does pass and Ulster County gets a casino, the county and local government must work to ensure that the good things a casino brings are used correctly and the bad things a casino also brings doesn’t happen. The good things they do: tax money, jobs and hope to a local community; the bad things they bring: check-cashing businesses, pawnshops, porn shops, drugs, crime. There are areas of the country that have casinos and the areas are well-kept and prosper. The county legislature and the local and state government have to plan ahead and look five years or even ten years ahead, see what we want this area to look like and work to get to that point, so the people of that area and Ulster County have a quality of life that families would want to stay in the area, small local businesses will prosper and tourists would want to visit for many years.
If elected, what would be your top two priorities?
1. As the county budget is tight and the county executive and the legislature try to keep under the two-percent tax cap, I would make sure that the County Sheriff’s Office keeps the road patrol where it belongs: on the road protecting the people. Rosendale is lucky to have a very good police department, but they are not on duty 24 hours a day and Marbletown doesn’t have a town police department at all. So the sheriff’s patrol is very important to this area.
2. There are many issues facing this area and Ulster County, but I feel an important issue is to report to the people of Marbletown and Rosendale at Town Board meetings, talk with local government leaders and when I’m able to, go to local party meetings and get their feedback directly, face-to-face, and let them know what is being discussed at legislature meetings. Which is why I feel strongly when I say I would represent all the people of District 19. I don’t care what party you belong to; I feel that is what the Founding Fathers had in mind: one person elected to represent the people. It’s not my way or no way; it’s what’s best for the people of this district.
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