The candidates running for Plattsburgh, New York mayor debated on Mountain Lake PBS Tuesday.
Mayor Chris Rosenquest is not running for a second four-year term.
Fellow Democrat Wendell Hughes represents Area 8 on the Clinton County Legislature, which includes the south end of the city.
“I've been out door to door and I've listened, trust me, I have listened,” Hughes said. “Public safety is a huge issue. Affordability, as always housing. There's infrastructure issues. I plan on bringing a very positive form of government to City Hall based on quality teamwork and on my 3 C’s: communication, collaboration and compromise.”
Republican Don Kasprzak served as mayor from 2004 to 2014 and prior to that sat on the Common Council. He noted that during each of his six campaigns for office he has gone door to door to listen to constituents regardless of party affiliation.
“I can tell you right now that assessments, tax and utility rates, absolutely our recreation issue, safety and emergency services are the top four,” Kasprzak said. “They also were very pleased, many of them, that I'm running. They feel that experience in office as a two-term counselor as well as a mayor for almost three full terms is very important.”
The first question posed to the candidates focused on their experience. Kasprzak’s campaign signs are emblazoned with the words “Experience Matters.” It has been a decade since he left office and he was asked how his past experience prepares him to lead in a new post-pandemic era.
“Ten years, fifteen years, whatever. The basic problem still exists,” asserted Kasprzak. “You want a community that is safe. You want a community that has upgrades in their infrastructure. You want a community that has recreation opportunities. You have to invest in these things whether it was 10 years ago or whether it's January 1st. So it may have been a few years, but I think we understand what we have to do.”
Hughes was then asked how he can address city issues without experience on the common council.
“One of the unique things about my area, I encompass a large portion of the city of Plattsburgh and I do deal with city issues from my constituents all the time,” noted Hughes. “So I am fluent with current issues. I mean, I understand the, I've been out there for the last, you know, I was duly elected in ‘20 and I've been out there. I listen to folks and I get them answers. There's a lot of different types of experience. My experience is today's experience I'll bring to the table and I will work to the end of the earth for you.”
The city’s provisional police chief retired this summer after serving in the position for less than a year and the outgoing mayor announced plans to form a search committee. Hughes said he would like to pick the new chief.
“We have a very good department, a young department,and you get the right leader I mean they can do some great things. And we need the right person to lead our department,” asserted Hughes. “I'd love to be the person to pick that.”
Moderator Thom Hallock turns to the Republican candidate, “Mr. Kasprzak?”
“I believe that our department right now is not being supported by this council. We need a strong new chief that has strong leadership capabilities and we need a strong mayor to back him back up. And that's what I will plan to do if I am reelected,” Kasprzak said.
There has been a tense relationship between the common council and the mayor recently. Hughes believes communication is key to building consensus.
“We have some counselors that actually FOIA request information and that's not acceptable,” stated Hughes. “And the mayor, the mayor has, I think it's been turned into a thing where they have no communication. And under my watch, it'll be different. We will work as a team.”
“Thank you,” said moderator Thom Hallock. “Mr. Kaspersak.”
“I think there has been a real issue the last two mayors of lack of communication, lack of transparency, lack of sharing information, and oftentimes from what I understand, there have been last minute additions to try to pass some things without really sharing the information. That was never a problem when I was mayor,” Kasprzak said.
Hughes noted that the two candidates aren’t that far apart on many issues.
“Unfortunately I mean how we deal with them may be different, but a lot of the issues are the same.”
The Plattsburgh Mayoral debate debuts on Mountain Lake PBS Friday at 8 p.m.
