Inaugurated into his third term as mayor of the City of Kingston during a city-hall ceremony on January 1, calling Kingston “the rising star of the region,” Steve Noble delivered a neat and idiosyncratic speech organized around the central rhetorical motif of “rising up.”
He spoke of raising hope and raising expectations.
“It’s not my moment,” said Noble, “it’s the moment we rise together.”
Hope and fear. Love and hate. Those are the brightest colors on the palette from which candidates for office can paint. The election behind him, Noble began his ninth year as mayor with expressions of hope and reconciliation. He encouraged those gathered in the room to rise up from their seats and shake hands with their neighbors.
“Civil discourse is the bedrock of our democracy,” said Noble. “We have the opportunity and responsibility to arrive at the solutions that are born from amplifying diverse perspectives, engaging in spirited dialogue, and carefully listening. I look forward to working with you collaboratively to serve the city we all love.”
Noble spoke of the rising waters which are the result of climate change. He noted that his office of grants management pulled in a $22-million federal grant in 2023, (named the RAISE grant, Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) in 2023, which Noble says will help the city plan for a future with “greater resiliency, safer streets for all users, and increased waterfront access.”
He ended his 20-minute listing of accomplishments with a homily about participation.
“If I have said anything today that stays with you,” said Noble, “I hope it’s this. This is your city hall. This is your common council. I am your mayor. Our job is to work together to make Kingston a safe, stable, and thriving city.”
Housing as a human right
Of more immediate concern than even the rising tides, the mayor pointed out the rising rents.
“Housing has been one of the most pressing issues during my time as mayor,” said Noble. “In 2020, I founded the Office of Housing Initiatives, and since then we have implemented various programs to assist our residents, homeowners, renters and landlords alike.”
The mayor promulgated a right-to-counsel policy in November which partners the city with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide free legal counsel to income-eligible Kingston residents regarding housing issues. The Affordable Housing Fund incentivizes the building of housing units to rent at no higher than 60 percent of the Area Median Income, seeded with a million dollars in ARPA money. The Emergency Tenant Protection Act implemented after a vacancy study performed by the city brought limited rent regulation to the city.
Noble said these programs kept residents in their homes and created safe, comfortable places to live.
Echoing governor Kathy Hochul’s inauguration speech last year, Noble declared housing a basic human right. Like the governor, he sees the creation of additional housing as a way to provide for it.
The mayor hopes the city’s new zoning code will at least partly serve to loosen restrictions governing where and at what density new housing and rental units can be created. “Today, I am announcing my administration’s goal for the City of Kingston to approve 1000 new units of housing in the next five years.”
Rules to regulate short-term rentals (STRs) are now also in effect, alongside a permissive policy aimed at those homeowners not interested in renting out STRs but instead in the creation of long-term rental accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in their back yards, garages and basements.
“From instituting a citywide form-based zoning code to developing a comprehensive package of legal, policy, and direct service initiatives, we are doing cutting edge work and leading the way on several initiatives, to address our City’s housing needs.” Noble cited the help of RUPCO, the Kingston City Land Bank, Family of Woodstock, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, Youth Build, Gateway of the Hudson Valley in implementing his housing agenda.
Honorable mentions
One thing that is not rising in the city is the crime rate, which as of December was continuing to decrease, he said.
Other honorable mentions were:
“We created the Kingston municipal ID program. We have issued nearly 2000 IDs to date.”
“Next year, we will see the historic Wurts Street Bridge fully restored.”
“The 2020 open-space plan isn’t just a document. It’s a promise to plant 1000 trees.”
“We launched a composting program that has been so successful, we hope to be able to implement a second phase at your curb!”
“Since 2016 we’ve purchased 13 plug-in vehicles for our fleet and installed nine electric vehicle charging stations across Kingston for greater access to renewable energy. Next year, we’ll add two more.”
“We are converting city hall and the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center into carbon-neutral buildings.”
“In eight years, we have received over $110 million in grant funding!”
“We will hopefully adopt the community preservation plan in 2024, which will set up a fund to financially help us protect our precious open spaces and natural resources.”
“We have installed solar at three municipal sites, and in 2024 we will complete four more.”
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