Mayor Steve Noble (photo by Phyllis McCabe)
Mayor Steve Noble will present his third annual address to the Common Council next week as Kingston’s political class gears up for citywide elections in November. Noble is expected to deliver the speech on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Common Council chambers at City Hall.
The annual address traditionally serves as an opportunity for the Mayor to tout successes of the past year and lay out priorities for the next. Noble is likely to touch on 2019’s zero-growth budget, a pending merger between Ulster County Area Transit and Citibus and last month’s passage of a municipal ID law sought by immigration rights advocates. Noble can also point to millions in new grant funding and the expected redevelopment of a city-owned parking lot Uptown into a mixed-use residential and commercial hub dubbed “The Kingstonian.”
Noble’s speech comes at the start of a year that will see elections for all 10 Common Council seats and the mayor’s office. Democrats currently hold every elected office in the city after Common Council elections in 2016 saw the body’s sole remaining Republican ousted. Asked about his own re-election plans, Noble said, “I love this job, I love the work we’re doing and I think we have a lot of work left to do. I will announce my plans shortly.”