KINGSTON – Steve Noble was officially sworn in Monday to his third four-year term as mayor, and following his oath of office, he offered a sobering assessment of Kingston during his state of the city address.
His new term starts as Kingston continues to recover from a pandemic that started early in his second term along with the economic and political fallout that has afflicted the nation and the region during the last four years.
“As we head into the 2024 national election cycle, we brace ourselves for ugly rhetoric and hate. While in other corners of the world, wars continue to rage with immeasurable suffering. The nation is under siege by the opioid epidemic –right here in Kingston. The housing crisis continues to weigh on our city with too many families and individuals struggling with housing insecurity,” he said. “And while we started to see some stabilization after two years of double-digit price increases for food, utilities and daily necessities, our city and families continue to feel the effects of inflation.”
The mayor said those are not challenges his office can fix alone, but rather take everyone – the common council, national leaders, all partners in non-profits, business, and our residents working together to tackle the issues to the best of everyone’s abilities.
Kingston has worked to manage the city’s housing crisis by adopting a plan for accessory dwelling units, so property owners can build and use them for close family members or tenants.
“We recently held a design competition to create permanent ready accessory dwelling units. Not only does this raise awareness of the legislation on the ADUs citywide, it also provides residents a free concept to use literally in their own backyards,” said Noble.
The mayor also praised the city’s efforts adopting green building measures to help ensure future sustainability.
“We’re leading sustainability actions statewide by implementing green infrastructure into all of…
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