Kingston mayor Steven Noble vetoed the Common Council’s recent unanimous resolution in support of maintaining rent control amidst a housing emergency, saying it “fall[s] short of the requirements for declaring an ETPA-related housing emergency for all housing classes” and warning that, “as passed, the resolution invites legal challenges.”
Noble framed the veto as a tenant-protection move, writing, “Factual accuracy is essential,” given the “serious and far-reaching consequences for tenants in Kingston and across New York State.” Still, he emphasized, “I strongly support continuing Kingston’s Housing Emergency for properties with more than 22 units,” because “the Office of Housing Initiative’s vacancy study and testimony make clear that a housing emergency still exists for larger buildings.”
The veto follows the council’s unanimous vote to extend the city’s housing emergency declaration tied to the state’s Emergency Tenant Protection Act, a step that determines which apartments can be covered by rent stabilization. Noble contended that the council’s resolution “misconstrues aspects of the 2025 vacancy study and contains several factual errors.” He singled out “a misstatement about the study calculating a citywide vacancy rate” and “a misunderstanding of the role of the consultant hired by the Office of Housing Initiatives.” He also criticized the resolution for claiming “vacancy survey responses were intentionally inaccurate”, demanding to see hard evidence of so-called “warehousing”, where large rental complexes are alleged to have artificially inflated vacancy rates by leaving apartments empty.
“If the Council believes that warehousing occurred, the resolution must contain sufficient facts to support that determination,” he wrote, adding that “these and other serious concerns…were communicated to the Common Council… but remained in the approved legislation.”
He promised a fight if needed—“Just as we did in 2022, the City stands ready to vigorously defend the rights of tenants”—while urging a rewrite: “I believe the Common Council must swiftly correct the errors in this resolution and include a full and serious consideration of the resolution submitted by the Office of Housing Initiatives,” which he said provided “well-documented findings and a path forward that would still include a large number of Kingston tenants.”
According to reporting by Daily Freeman, Ward 9 councilperson Michele Hirsch has already signaled the council’s intent to use its unanimous stance on the issue to override the veto.
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