Kingston City Hall on May 12, 2022 (Tania Barricklo/Daily Freeman)
KINGSTON, N.Y. — A Democratic candidate for mayor claimed Friday, May 19, that Mayor Steve Noble has not shown strong leadership during recent crimes, including one involving Kingston High School students.
The campaign of Frank Waters, who is facing off against Noble during a June 27 Democratic primary, faulted Noble for his leadership skills in a statement issued Friday.
Noble said that Waters is peddling in politics.
“This is just the kind of divisive politics that Kingston does not need right now,” Noble said in an email Friday. “What happened at the high school is an extremely serious situation and I am working with the police department and the school district to make sure that everyone has the resources they need.”
“It is clear by Mr. Waters’ statement that he does not understand community policing or even aware of all the work the City and KPD have been doing to improve public safety in our Community during his time here,” Noble added. “I have been front and center, working with the community, listening to the community and supporting and improving our police department.”
Noble said he has led the city through difficult times and has proven that “I can navigate these difficult issues and continue to create positive relationships between our police and the community.”
Waters referred to an attack at Kingston High School and a report of shots fired at Rondout Gardens, “These attacks illustrate a systemic and disturbing lack of leadership by the mayor regarding the public safety of the people in the City of Kingston,” the campaign statement said.
“The residents of our city need and deserve leadership that will put safety — not optics — first,” the campaign said.
The Waters statement said that the would-be mayor “has the ability and the communication skills to put several initiatives into place upon being elected.”
“The failure by Mayor Noble and KPD to update the public, his failure to address the issue and his negligence to assure our families they were safe are troubling,” the statement said.
Among other things, Waters campaign said that, if elected, he would designate “community liaison officers” to deal with the public on community issues and deploy a youth officer to work directly with youngsters.
“These officers will not be out there trying to get kids in trouble, waiting for a kid to trip up, but to fulfill a more brotherly or sisterly role, to get them help if needed, and to help them stay OUT of trouble,” the statement said.
The statement added that Waters would have “Monthly Citizen Assemblies” with the mayor, police, and “providers of all sorts” participating.
The statement said Waters would “work with the police chief to assess the department’s needs — not to police the community, but to help the community.”
“What do we need more of?” the statement reads. “Mental Health resources? Addiction services? Job skills and placement help? How can the department do more protecting and serving, rather than simply arriving when the chips are down?”
There should also be weekly communication among the school, the police, and the mayor’s office, according to the statement.
“Mayor Noble has played a very serious game, for political reasons, leaving the public out of these decisions, not sharing information that the public deserves to know,” the Waters statement said.
Noble said his administration has made great strides for youth.
“Kingston runs the Rondout Neighborhood Center Program for youth, funds the Lights On Kingston Program and works with our partners at Family of Woodstock, to operate a youth program at the City-owned Everette Hodge Community Center,” Noble said. “As Mayor, I have seen first hand that the Kingston Police Department is one of the best police agencies in the Hudson Valley. The members of the Police Department work hard each and every day to respond to our residents’ needs while also proactively working to keep our community safe.”
“We heard from our community that we wanted more community policing,” Noble added, “and so I and the Kingston Common Council added three additional officers so that we can restore our Bike Patrol, take part in ORACLE, walk the streets of Kingston and have the time to stop and play basketball with our kids in the neighborhood.”
Noble pointed out that there are also three full-time school resource officers who “communicate daily with the School District and the leadership of the Kingston Police Department, they work with the families of the students they engage with and work to provide them resources, guidance, and support. We have three police lieutenants, one on each shift who are the liaisons with the public and work to keep the public informed when critical incidents happen.”
The two candidates vying to garner the Democratic nod for mayor this November will sit down virtually with the Daily Freeman on Thursday, May 25, to discuss their candidacies.
Noble and Waters have confirmed that they will participate in a one-hour online debate on that day with the Freeman at 1 p.m.
The video will not be streamed live, but the Freeman is seeking readers’ questions to ask the candidates. The video will be posted on the Freeman’s website immediately after it concludes.
The two candidates will face off in a Democratic primary on June 27. Early voting will be held from Saturday, June 17, through Saturday, June 25.
Noble is seeking his third four-year term as the city’s chief executive. He first took office in January 2016. He has been endorsed by the Kingston Democratic Committee.
Waters, who is the executive director of MyKindstonKids, is a political newcomer. He is also a lead organizer for Black History Month Kingston and a board member of the Black heritage group Harambee.
Community members can submit questions to pkirby@freemanonline.com until Tuesday, May 23. Indicate “Mayoral Debate” in the subject line.
