Ulster County Democrats celebrated the re-election of Kingston Mayor Steve Noble and a close victory in the race for District Attorney Tuesday night.
“Mayor Steve Noble. Come on up!”
Between towering brewing equipment at Keegan Ales in Kingston, the city’s two-term mayor celebrated his election to another four years. Steve Noble, a Democrat who was chosen by nearly a two-one-margin over challenger Scott Denny, says the Hudson Valley city is on the right path.
“We're moving the city forward with really amazing zoning. We're working on our housing issues. We're rebuilding our infrastructure. We are treating everyone with respect and dignity here in the City of Kingston. And we are a community that is on the right trajectory.”
Looking ahead to his third term, Noble said he’s ready to begin work on redeveloping the city’s waterfront, an effort that is being supported by a $22 million federal grant.
“We're really excited to get that project under way and $22 million, that's the largest grant we've ever received. And so that's an exciting project that I'm excited to be able to put my attention to,” said Noble.
Noble also offered some words for his opponent.
“You know, I know how hard it is to run for office and so anyone that's willing to throw their name in and be put out in the public spotlight I always give them a lot of credit,” said Noble.
Denny, a registered Democrat who ran against Noble with Republican endorsement, issued a lengthy statement, calling attention to the issues of crime, a lack of affordable housing, homelessness, and drug abuse. He also criticized Noble for a lack of transparency. With more than 5,000 ballots cast in a city with 24,000 residents, Denny lamented the low voter turnout. He said in part:
“Residents, are clearly very unhappy with where we are today, and appear to have given up.”
It was nearly two hours after Noble declared victory when Democratic Ulster County District Attorney candidate Manny Nneji took to the stage, after edging Republican hopeful Mike Kavanaugh by 195 votes in the county-wide contest.
“Cronyism is not supposed to have a place in the judicial process. What we see here today, what is happening today is an affirmation that such behavior does not belong in our judicial system,” said Nneji.
Kavanaugh says the race to replace one-term Democratic DA David Clegg is too close to call.
In an off-year election, Democrats had a strong showing in Ulster County. Running unopposed, Democratic County Executive Jen Metzger gave remarks that were echoed by down-ballot candidates later in the evening.
“We are going to be a model for showing the rest of the state, and I like to say the rest of the country, how we create a resilient, sustainable, thriving Ulster County that leaves no one behind, right? That’s our goal,” said Metzger.
