Endorsements

I am pleased to be representing the Democratic, Working Families and Independence Parties as their candidate for Alderman of Kingston’s great Second Ward!  A big thank you to the many people who helped with the petition process, those who carried my petitions and those who signed them.  This is a time consuming but very rewarding part of the political process and allows for many front porch and kitchen table conversations about our city’s future.

Welcome!

Welcome to the official website for the Tom Hoffay campaign. Thanks for dropping by!

I’m Tom Hoffay, Alderman for Ward 2 in Kingston, New York, and I’m running for re-election. Please consider joining my campaign and helping us move Kingston forward. I look forward to answering your questions, so post any you may have by clicking on the comments link below.

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Historic Restoration Tax Credit Program Approved

Kingston homeowners and developers will find it a little less expensive to do the restoration work they had in mind, under legislation signed on July 29th by Governor Paterson.  The new tax credit of 20 percent puts NYS more in line with what other states are doing to encourage historic preservation, economic development and affordable housing.  Adaptive reuse of historic business and factories makes this bill a real incentive for developers  to look at older upstate cities.  Kingston’s housing and building stock are an undervalued resource, already identified by the Kingston Digital Corridor folks as a lure to young urban professionals to relocate here.  Now there is an added economic incentive and one that works for long time residents as well.

The law, which takes effect on January 1, 2010 and had support from the Friends of Historic Kingston, long recognized as stewarts of Kingston’s heritage.  The tax credit is another tool for historic preservation and for economic development.

New York State Historic Preservation Office :: Historic Preservation Tax Credit Programs

Following is a statement from Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League, who participated in the signing ceremony at 1:00 p.m. today.

“We have every reason to believe that the New York State Rehabilitation Tax Credit will prove one of the most effective economic and community development programs in the state. We are enormously grateful to Assemblymember Hoyt and Senator Valesky for shepherding this important Smart Growth initiative through their respective houses and to the leadership of the Senate and the Assembly for their vision in passing this legislation. We thank New York’s mayors, county executives and other municipal leaders who have shown unwavering support for this effort. Finally, we express our great admiration for Governor Paterson for signing these historic tax credits into law today.”

Kingston’s Great Second Ward

I sometimes get a condescending smile from my Common Council colleagues, when I refer to the “Great Second Ward”, as they all feel the same way about their areas of the city.  But, the history and geography of Kingston give a lot of support for the pride I feel in representing this very unique place and its residents.  The continuity and accomplishment of what began as the only Dutch settlement between New Amsterdam and Fort Orange makes it a truly unique place.  The present boundaries of the Second Ward include all of the first settlement, from a temporary farming community along the fields of the Esopus Creek, known as the lowlands, to the Stockade erected by Peter Stuyvesant during the clash between two very different civilizations.

Imagine for a moment, being able to walk along or even live on streets that were laid out over 350 years ago, past stone constructed homes dating back to that period.  There were merchants conducting business  right where the stores of uptown are located.  The congregation of the Old Dutch Church met in worship on the same piece of property, donated by Stuyvesant, that they do today.  Soldiers of the Revolutionary War are buried near the grave-site of their commander, New York State’s first Governor, George Clinton.  The first Academy of Kingston still stands on the oldest four corners of original stone houses in the country.  These are everyday sights to the residents of uptown and I think we take them much for granted.

The visitors who come to see the Senate House, Persen House, Ulster County Court House, Fred Johnston House Museum and Old Dutch Church marvel at what we take for granted.  They come from all over the world, including the Dutch Royal family and see the living relics of away of life we can only guess at.  They look at the burn marks in the Persen House from the burning of the Stockade during the war with the native American people and wonder how difficult life must have been for those inhabitants.  They hear the story of the burning of Kingston by British troops and see the key to the old church that was destroyed, but safely locked up, and wonder about the anger and fury that led to its destruction.

Government started here.  The first government of the village, the first for Ulster County and the first for New York State….they all have their roots in the Court House and Senate House.  This was the very first polling site in Ulster County.  First settlement, first church, first school, first government and burial site of the first governor, these are things that make me very humble representing the ward in city government.

No less than the buildings and the history, though, are the people who live in the ward.  Some are direct descendants of the early Dutch, many more are descendants of the waves of immigrants who followed them in the 19th century and found a new beginning along those same streets.  Quite a few are new residents, young singles and couples who chose to live in Kingston, because of its rich history and unique buildings.  They came with the same dream, a home, a job, family and friends.

This area of Kingston, including the streets that surround the lowlands where the very first settlers lived and worked the fields, is an incredibly rich and diverse slice of the Hudson River Valley, with a quality of life that makes it a special place to call home.   It truly is a great place!

Legislation:

During my 15 months on the Common Council, I have supported or sponsored the following legislation:

The Nuisance Abatement Law – 2008

This is a major piece of legislation on behalf of the neighborhoods of Kingston.   Providing a process which holds the landlord responsible for the action of tenants, the Nuisance Abatement Law has already been successful in addressing criminal behaviour in our neighborhoods.  Simply put, if you are going to be dealing drugs or creating nuisances in a neighborhood, the landlord cannot knowingly allow you to be a tenant on that property.  The Sheriff’s Office and Kingston Police Department have  resolved a number of citizen complaints resulting in the eviction of known criminals.

The 2009 Kingston Budget

Faced with spiraling department expenses, the Common Council was presented with a budget, which if adopted would have raised city residential taxes by eleven per cent.  Through an arduous series of meetings with department heads and a unified commitment to slash expenses while retaining jobs, the Council removed almost $500,ooo from the Mayor’s budget, the largest cut in the city’s history.  Transferring an additional $280,000 from contingency, replacing it with an almost equal amount of Police overtime accounts, the Council passed a budget with a four per cent increase.

Consolidation of voucher review and audit control – 2009

Simply put, one reason for spiraling department expenses was a lack of oversight by the Common Council.  The Council reviewed only those vouchers generated by City Hall departments.  Police, Fire and DPW vouchers were reviewed by advisory boards.  The Council adopted legislation requiring all vouchers be approved by either the newly formed Audit Committee or the Public Safety- General Government Committee.  In addition, both the City Comptroller and the Police Department now report to the Finance Committee on a monthly basis, providing a careful monitoring of projected expenses.  This new system will insure a more accurate picture of city finances on a month to month basis, replacing an end of the year review.

Main Street Manager Program – 2009

The business community in Kingston has been historically divided into three districts, each with its own business association.  Beginning with the formation of the Business Alliance of Kingston, the three districts came together to seek common solutions in areas of business promotion, attraction, tourism and clean up.  The goal of forming a Business Improvement District (s) as a way of directing services that the city could not supply and of businesses being more involved in decision making is one of BAK’s primary objectives.  As a first step, a Main St. Manager has been hired to coordinate the three districts, defining common approaches, goals and services.  Starting with summer youth interns cleaning in the three districts and a committee structure of volunteers to prepare for the BID process, these goals are already on their way to being met.   The city provided the first two years of funding for the program through the Community Development Block Grant.

Pike Plan Commission Governance Legislation – 2009

The Pike Plan in the Uptown-Stockade area of Kingston has provided a distinctive brand for businesses under the canopy.  Over 1 million dollars has been secured for the reconstruction of the canopies and streetscape, in a process that has stretched out for over six years.  With the awarding of bids for the reconstruction work  just a couple of months away, this project will have a major stimulus impact on our local economy, putting carpenters, electricians and painters to work uptown.  However, throughout this process, one complaint has been the lack of input from the building owners themselves, who ultimately bear the cost of the maintenance of the canopies once they are rebuild.  The Council passed legislation which provides for the direct election of building owner representatives to the Pike Commission, replacing Mayoral appointments.  The first election under the new legislation is scheduled for October of this year.

Green Jobs Pledge – 2009

In coordination with Sustainable Hudson Valley, I introduced legislation that would place Kingston at the forefront of communities in the Hudson Valley that are committed to energy conservation and the promotion of a green-economy.   Right now Kingston has a number of green initiatives almost all of them citizen based.  The Digital Corridor alliance of technical business owners and real estate brokers, the Victory Garden committee of the Kingston Land Trust, the Green Trail and bike trail movements and the Art Society of Kingston are very good indicators of the future direction of Kingston’s economy.  Major funding is available for green jobs through legislation passed by Congressman Maurice Hinchey and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill.  It is very important that Kingston take the next step and adopt a policy of promoting green jobs for our economy.  The legislation is currently being reviewed by the Conservation Advisory Committee and is expected to return to the Council in August.