“I don’t make rash judgments and go with the crowd,” said McDonough. “I want to make sure I know exactly what I’m saying yes to or what I’m saying no to and make my own judgments.”
A lot of change, says Carey
Bill Carey, who will run on the Democratic line in November, said he’s been flirting with the idea of running for office for a few years now. The 50-year-old Kingston native is the brother-in-law of Ulster County Legislator Peter Loughran. Two years ago, Carey said party leaders approached him about running for the seat and he declined. This time, he said he signed on in part because of the opportunity to work with a new mayor and at least five freshman aldermen.
“It seems like there’s a lot of change and energy in the city right now,” said Carey who lives on Hoffman Street and works in marketing at Anaconda Sports. “If I was just plugging in a slot and everything else was the same, I don’t think I would have found it as appealing.”
Like Johnson, Carey believes a key role for the Ward 5’s next alderman will be to bring residents together to work for their neighborhoods in a time of fiscal crisis.
“There are a lot of things you can do that don’t take money, just people power,” said Carey. “People want to help, but they don’t have the direction or the leadership.”
Carey also sees the redevelopment of the former King’s Inn on Broadway as an important step for Midtown, and the city. Carey said the area around the former welfare motel could become a beacon for nightlife and tourism, if the redevelopment is handled carefully and is well-thought-out.
“The King’s Inn is going to be the legacy of the next group of officials in Kingston, and it might be make-or-break,” said Carey. “Whatever goes there has to be a magnet, something that sucks people into Kingston.”
Janai is an exceptional candidate. Quite outstanding in her abilities and energy with a track record already in place, before she even serves as alderman. Ward 5 is in for a real treat. Man, if we had 8 other aldermen of that caliber, and an alderman at large to match, Kingston would absolutely soar: like any organization, government lives and dies by the quality of the people who serve. They get to serve when a city 1) has the talent 2) the citizens choose them 3) there is a loyal opposition and media that does not play mad dog.