Hoffay has also pushed aggressively for innovations in the city’s business sector. He was the driving force behind the funneling of $50,000 in entitlement money to the Business Alliance of Kingston to hire a Main Street Manager to better coordinate the efforts of the city’s business community. He also supports the creation of a Business Improvement District for the Broadway corridor and another for the Uptown business district centered around the Pike Plan canopy.
As head of the Common Council’s audit committee, Hoffay helped revamp cash collection procedures to help the city better track money collected from parking meters and recreation fees, and helped implement a new system where the committee reviews vouchers from all city departments.
Hoffay has also pushed for big federally funded projects in Uptown Kingston including a new bus terminal, extensive redesign of the intersection of Col. Chandler Drive and Albany Avenue and a scheme to alter traffic flow on the notoriously hard-to-navigate streets of the Stockade District.
Planning pushback
But Hoffay’s urban planning efforts have not been without controversy. Early in his tenure, he was blasted for replacing a traffic light at the intersection of Wall and North Front streets with a stop sign, a fiasco which led to snarled traffic and confusion before it the decision was reversed. He’s also been an eager backer of the $1.8 million Pike Plan restoration, which has been in the works since 2006. But he earned the ire of some owners of buildings abutting the 1970’s era canopy who would rather see it torn down and feel that the restoration was forced through over their objections.
Those controversies and others, including the Hoffay-backed proposal to include a roundabout in the Col. Chandler-Albany Avenue redesign, have provided Allen with a rationale for taking on the energetic and politically savvy incumbent.
“He is very active, no one ever said he wasn’t,” said Allen, who manages Boitson’s restaurant beneath the Pike Plan canopy and was recruited for the race in part by opponents of the restoration project. “But there are always two different sides of every issue and his agenda isn’t necessarily the same as the residents and business owners of the Second Ward.”
Allen is a Kingston native whose previous political experience consisted of serving as president of Kingston High School’s Class of 2003. After graduating from Fordham University with a degree in communications, he spent time in New York City working for a public relations firm before the 2008 recession left him unemployed. Since returning to the city, he has worked in Kingston’s tourism office, which he said gave him some insight into the often wasteful ways of city government, and as manager of a popular Uptown eatery which brought him into the community of Kingston’s struggling small business owners.
The Pike Plan restoration, which Hoffay has defended as an infusion of federal tax dollars into the city’s economy and a potential gateway to further government largesse, left Allen feeling that the Second Ward alderman — and city government in general — was aloof from residents’ and businesses’ needs. He sees a similar disconnect in the political process in general, where, he said, elected officials make important decisions without actively seeking input from anyone beyond a small circle of insiders and council meeting regulars.
Hoffay showed up at the Roundabout proposal. the ONLY city official to do so. He was totally right on the “fiasco” and we want another fiasco at the entrance to the Plaza. Totally right on the Pike Plan and there was no call except for lack of involvment that that uptown merchants were “surprised”… they have a business group! Did the entire business group not know?
The Main Street Manager needed Tom’s attention… he got the money, ($50K, but at the cost of NOT having work done on a Comprehensive plan) but didn’t follow through and the result is no visible progress, no progress on a BID such that the BID proposal was very poorly done and not suitable for presentation for public consideration.
Then too, he moved quickly on the social media work for Kingston, got it done, and seems to be one of the most modern of Kingston’s alderman with regard to a Communications Policy. I don’t know that Seth will do as well, or if his views for the city of Kingston are widely known or communicated.
Hoffay is likely considered a good ol boy, but boy he’s done a good job.
My name is Seth Allen and I am running for Ward 2 Alderman. I have lived in Uptown my whole life and I currently live and work right on North Front street. I am new to the political game in Kingston, but I have a lot to offer!
In terms of the new Albany Avenue and Broadway “Roundabout,” I am against the idea. In a time of fiscal crisis for the City, I do not think it is a responsible use of our resources. If you want to look at the track record of other recent construction projects, it will inevitably go over budget and will be behind schedule. We as City residents cannot afford this. Our leaders should be focusing on our deteriorating sewer system, roads, public safety and infrastructure improvements, not an unnecessary traffic circle. The current traffic circle is hazardous, disorienting to visitors and avoided by many residents of the City.
In terms of the Business Improvement Districts (BID). There is an overwhelming majority of business owners against the one proposed for Broadway and my opponent supports it. He also wishes to create a BID Uptown. There is already an involuntary and some say illegal special taxing district Uptown that is opposed by 90% of the property owners. I am against the idea of expanding this district or any additional involuntary assessments. We have County and City tourism offices and a Main Street Manager that are working to market and promote our neighborhoods, businesses and events. I think we could work together and achieve the same goals that some might think could be achieved by a BID. Making property and business owners pay even more special assessments for these types of marketing efforts would be redundant. I am happy to contribute my expertise for this cause. In fact, I used to work for the City of Kingston tourism office.
Lastly, I majored in communication and media marketing in college and can vastly improve the social media presence of the City government. I commend my opponent for getting the ball rolling, but there is still a lot more that could be done like instant updates via Twitter about construction or parking issues and a comprehensive Facebook page. I believe that meetings could be done via the internet to make it easier for people to be involved who might not physically be able to get to City Hall. Polls about new resolutions could even be taken online to measure public sentiment. This is just the beginning of my ideas for social media.
There have been articles written which have outlined more of my platform and they are posted on my blog. If anyone would like any additional information about me and my campaign, feel free to message me or visit my website-www.sethallenforuptown.com or my Facebook fan page. The election is November 8th and all of your votes count! Thank you for your time.