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SPEND The term Hot topic Champion Tiger so far The future TIME Antonio of volunteer Delgado on his fi refi ghting KHS’ Donte Groppuso WISELY fi rst months in with is OCIAA boys Congress Almanac varsity golf champ Weekly POLITICS > 3 COMMUNITY > 10 SPORTS > 14 THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019 VOLUME 14; ISSUE 21 ULSTER PUBLISHING, INC. WWW.HUDSONVALLEYONE.COM KINGSTON TIMES ONE DOLLAR FIFTY CENTS CITY GOVERNMENT How public is art? City’s panel plan hears both criticism and support at City Hall hearing BY JESSE J. SMITH n the face of some skepticism, city officials unveiled a draft version of a new policy to regulate public art, including murals and other installa- tions on private property, at a public I PHYLLIS McCABE hearing at City Hall on Tuesday, May 21. While city officials say the intent Adrielle Farr explains the proposed policy. of the policy is to aid and promote the city’s booming arts scene, many speakers government involvement would inevitably is in draft form and subject to change other guidelines for all “art in public.” The expressed concerns ranging from doubt stifle creativity and lead to censorship. following public comment — lays out an policy defines public art as art placed on about the need for such a policy to fear that The policy — which, city officials stress, approval process, application fees and (continued on page 6) UPTOWN CITY GOVERNMENT ELECTION 2019 Declaration day Early voting Planning board could decide June 3 on scale of impasse Kingstonian environmental review BY JESSE J. SMITH Dem, GOP election he city planning board could decide as early as commissioners can’t Monday, June 3 just how agree on New Paltz Textensive an environmen- tal review will be for a major proposed residential, retail and parking site BY JESSE J. SMITH complex in Uptown Kingston. The board will hold a special meeting n impasse between Ulster at City Hall at 6 p.m. that evening to solicit County’s Democratic and public input on the vetting process for Republican election com- the proposed Kingstonian project. The missioners could jeopardize meeting is last scheduled open public A thousands of dollars in state hearing before the board is set to decide funding set aside for early voting in this how to proceed with the Kingstonian’s November’s elections. environmental review. The dispute between Democratic “I can’t predict it, quite frankly,” said Commissioner Ashley Dittus and her Re- City Planner Suzanne Cahill when asked publican counterpart, Tom Turco, involves whether the board would issue a positive PHOTO PROVIDED the location of early voting centers, where, or negative declaration of environmental An artist’s rendering of the Kingstonian proposal. for the first time in New York, ballots may significance for the project at the meeting. be cast in the nine days leading up to the “It depends on the comment that comes be set aside for the public. On the Fair $6.8 million in state grants. Nov. 5 general election. from the general public. It will be up to Street side, a brick warehouse owned by Supporters of the project say that it Early voting was part of a package of the board to make a decision.” project co-developer Brad Jordan would would expand the city’s tax base, create election reforms passed earlier this year The proposed Kingstonian project be converted into a 32-room boutique jobs and fill in a “missing tooth” in the after Democrats took control of the state would occupy two sites on either side of hotel. The proposal also calls for 8,000 streetscape left by the 2008 demolition Senate. The law directs county election Fair Street Extension in Uptown Kingston. square feet of retail space, an open-air of a city parking garage at the site. (continued on page 8) One site, on the corner of North Front plaza and a pedestrian bridge linking the But the proposal has faced opposition and Wall streets would hold 129 units site to Kingston Plaza. The project headed from those who believe the Kingstonian’s of market rate housing and a 420-space up by Jordan and Poughkeepsie-based JM high-end apartments and boutique hotel indoor parking structure. The plan states Development Group is funded with $46 rooms will speed up the pace of gentrifi- that 250 of those parking spots would million in private investment and another (continued on page 12) 2 THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019 KINGSTON TIMES KINGSTON TIMES THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019 POLITICS 3 providers network available to Americans over age 65. “Given how much I campaigned on a public option, and how dedicated I was to achieving legislation for that purpose, I am most proud of this act,” Delgado said. As his re-election campaign is already gearing up for 2020, Delgado still has a lot that he hopes to ac- complish. I asked him specifically what he would like to achieve. In his response, he focused on providing more funding for different educational programs like universal pre-k and trade school, as well as fighting climate change in an effective manner. “The key throughout is inequality,” Delgado said. “Whether it is income inequality, inequality in education, or in health care. There is too much of it going on across the country.” ne issue we talked about at length was student loan debt. Delgado believes that student Odebt has become a serious problem for many recent college graduates. “We must prioritize education. When I was growing up, a Pell grant covered about 70 percent of a four-year education. Now, they only cover 30 percent.” He also believes that student loan interest should not accrue during the student’s active enrollment pe- riod. He believes that interest should not start until a borrower is an active member in the workforce. Addi- DION OGUST tionally, forgiving debt is a way to help over-burdened Antonio Delgado. loan recipients. Delgado also spoke of the importance of staying connected to the district, noting that he’s already done a dozen town hall meetings and has opened The term so far three offices, with plans for two more. “The people that I represent are the ones I owe my allegiance to. I am an extension of the community. From my vantage Antonio Delgado talks about point, every priority goes back to the district, they go back here … It is important to actually stay grounded,” BY BEN JOHANSEN his early days in Congress Delgado said, and added “You can do that best by connecting with people and really listening to what arlier this month, I spoke with An- not just left and right, but right and wrong. Then, we is going on. I am not here to be a show horse. I am tonio Delgado about his time so far in will elevate the conversations to the issues with the here to be a workhorse.” emphasis on bringing people together.” Congress and the current issues facing this (Editor’s note: Ben Johansen is a senior at Onteora High We then talked about two particularly tough topics: district. This was not my first meeting with School pursuing a mentorship in political journalism the possible impeachment of President Trump and E him — last October, I was given a dual task in the school’s Community Mentor Program.) for my high school newspaper: conduct my first inter- the actions of Attorney General William Barr. “I am view and write my first newspaper article. Although I certainly of the mindset that the case is not closed,” was a bit nervous during both interviews, Delgado’s Delgado said. “We must continue to work. We must calm demeanor allowed for smooth and interesting continue to focus on how we can secure our electoral conversations. infrastructure.” We started off discussing the upcoming 2020 pres- As for Barr, “If he continues to act in the manner in idential election and the vast number of Democratic which he has, he is no longer fit to hold that position,” candidates. Delgado pulled from his own personal Delgado said. experience in his 2018 primaries, when he beat out six I asked Delgado what he believes the biggest sur- other candidates for the party’s line. “I do think that prises have been so far in Congress. “Personally, the ultimately, I was better for it, and it allowed me to get realities of having to manage being away from the a sense of who I am in the heat of the competition,” family,” he said. “Trying to understand how to do that Delgado said. “I see a lot of value in the fact that there in a way that has the right balance.” is so much excitement and such a plethora of ideas He also mentioned as a challenge how surprisingly from the party.” slow getting things done in Washington can be in this When asked about specific issues he would like the time of partisan gridlock and divisiveness. 2020 candidates to focus on, he shifted the conversa- We then talked about the things he has done so far tion toward the process. He said that we must engage in Congress of which he is most proud. “My biggest bill in civil conversation and stop with the name calling that I have introduced to date is Medicare X Choice and personal attacks. Act.” The bill, if it becomes law, would allow Americans “I would encourage any candidate to first and of all ages to buy into a government-backed “public foremost ground the conversation in morality and in option” health insurance plan, using the same Medicare found he was carrying rubber gloves, comply with reporting requirements.

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