Late-breaking news that numerous Kingston common council incumbents had decided against seeking re-election fomented a short-lived rebellion in the ranks of the Kingston Democratic Party on January 21, just hours before a nominating convention. The voting public had not been notified of the vacancies ahead of the convention, and some committee members left in the dark pushed to delay the proceedings for two weeks.
Gas was lit. Tempers flared. Language turned ugly.
In an internal party communication, Ward 9 chair Lynn Johnson said that committee members from several wards had not met with their own candidates. Ward 7 chair Laura Nordstrom labeled the process undemocratic.
“This eleventh-hour attempt to postpone this convention because people didn’t do their jobs or did not prepare in a timely manner is frankly pathetic,” Ward 4 chair Brian Cafferty retorted. “Christ, it’s no wonder Donald Trump got re-elected.”
In both Ward 4 and Ward 7, committee members had fewer than 72 hours’ notice to let the news soak in about which incumbents weren’t running, and then put the call out to identify, vet and recommend replacement candidates.
Dissenting members of the committee fumed as Jeanne Edwards of Ward 4 and Rennie Scott-Childress of Ward 3 declared for the first time in public that they were not seeking re-election. Edwards had been insisting she would run up to the moment she announced otherwise. Scott-Childress’ announcement was old news to those who mingle in party circles.
Immediately after their announcements, previously unannounced candidates who had been selected to replace Scott-Childress and Edwards were produced in short order. Former alder Hayes Clement was nominated to run in Ward 3 by Scott-Childress. Introduced as a political naïf, Ben Falk, an Edwards’ neighbor, was nominated to run in Ward 4.
Attempts to delay the votes in these wards were rebuffed.
Community organizer Chelsea Villalba attempted to nominate herself to represent the party in Ward 1, a seat currently occupied by first-term incumbent Sara Pasti. Despite support from some committee members, her self-election was dismissed as a violation of committee bylaws. She said she intended to primary Pasti regardless.
In Ward 8, veteran alder Steve Schabot also bowed out, employing his singular gift for oratory. “Before I start talking, I want to say something,” he said. He used his goodbye speech to nominate Ruth Katz, a veteran of numerous non-profits and a Peace Corps alum, to take his place.
In response, committee member Brigid Kelly nominated Tanya Garment, well known at municipal meetings for her activism on equitable housing, transportation, and environmental sustainability issues. After a committee vote, Katz came out with the party nomination. Garment intends to compete for the seat at the June primary.
Seeking to identify the most qualified or inspired candidates in their ward ahead of a nominating convention, anywhere from four to eight Democratic committee members embedded in each ward are required by the bylaws to identify and vet potential candidates and put them forward for the consideration of the entire committee at the convention.
News that Ward 7 alder Drew Andrews would be bowing out didn’t reach Laura Nordstrom, the chair of that ward, until a few days before the convention. Scrambling to put together a list of replacement candidates, Nordstrom came to the convention expecting to delay the vote in her ward. She was blindsided by fellow committee member Elisa Tinti’s recommendation of former Ward 7 alder Pat O’Reilly to fill the post. Kwame Wiafe Akenten seconded that nomination.
“I heard a whisper on Saturday that Amee and Elisa had decided to reach out to Pat,” Nordstrom said. “But no one contacted me. At all.”
Amee Peterson, now treasurer for the Ulster County Democratic Committee, is employed by the City of Kingston as an administrative clerk. Tinti is the Kingston city clerk and Akenten is deputy clerk.
Nordstrom immediately rejected Tinti’s plan to offer up O’Reilly. With the help of other committee members, she succeeded in delaying the choice of the Ward 7 Democratic candidate until the February 16 county convention at the city hall.
Ulster County legislator Abe Uchitelle, a committee member for Ward 4, admitted he hadn’t met the candidate put forth to represent his ward ahead of the convention, but he expressed faith in his fellow ward members.
“It is hard to find people to run for these things,” Uchitelle explained. “It’s a thankless job, and it can be exhausting. I’m not frustrated at the process as it unfolded in my ward.”
Uchitelle said he found nothing nefarious in the late-inning decision by incumbent Edwards to bow out.
“To be honest with you, incumbency is a powerful elixir,” said Uchitelle. “[An elected’s] natural inclination is going to be to stay in the seat. What you often see is incumbents saying that they’re going to run for re-election, and then it’s the approaching deadline that leads incumbents to decide they can’t do that. And once you’ve made that decision, it’s like a ghost has left your body. I look forward to one day that ghost leaving my body.”
Incumbent alders Michael Tierney in Ward 1, Sarah Pasti in Ward 2, Teryl Mickens in Ward 5, Bob Dennison in Ward 6, and Michele Hirsch in Ward 9 received their party’s nomination.
Nordstrom has announced she is soliciting candidates for Ward 7.
“If you’re interested in running for city council, reach out so that we can let you know what it entails and how we can support you and what it means to have the endorsement,” she said. “We’d love to vet a number of people who are interested in serving the City of Kingston.” E-mails from parties interested should be sent to Lauran.conklin@gmail.com.
In his acceptance speech, alder Tierney quoted haiku master Matsuo Bashō. “Wake butterflies,” he recited. “The hour is late and we have miles to go together.”
Join the family! 
