In February, Plattsburgh Mayor Chris Rosenquest surprised the community with his announcement that he would not run for a second four-year term. His successor, fellow Democrat Wendell Hughes, will be sworn in on January 1st. As Rosenquest’s time in office nears its conclusion, he tells WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley he feels great about his time leading the city:
Reflecting back on the last four years, I have to say that I’m just really happy with being able to serve my community, being able to highlight opportunities and changes; exact change, create opportunities for our community for growth and improvement; improve quality of life, improve infrastructure, parks improvements, water, water, sewer, road improvement, events, things like this. So it's, it's, you know, I look back and I'm extremely happy with how things have gone. You know, just like anything else, if somebody is, if somebody is really willing to do the work there's also an opportunity to look back to see, like, how things could have gone better. And so, you know, overall, though, you know, coming into office I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, knew exactly the problems that we were faced as a community, and just try to do my best to make improvements and to fix those things and to do better. Again, leaving the city better off. Hopefully, that's what I'm doing. I feel like that's what we've done. And yeah, it's been, it's been nice. It's been nice to serve the community this way.
Mayor Rosenquest, I noticed at the last Common Council meeting that you have now attended as mayor...
Yeah.
...That you did not give a farewell speech. A lot of past mayors have done that. Why didn't you do that?
I don't think. Um. I felt like that would have been more about needing to sell, like, boost myself in a way, in a weird sort of way. I don't feel like I needed to do that. I'm not going anywhere. And you know, as much as I've you know is all the work that we've done over the last four years that work will continue. I didn't feel the need to get on some soapbox or get on some like farewell stump and say, you know, say my goodbyes. But you know, I'll do it through this medium, and I'll do it, you know, in the community as I thank individual people. You know and I think if anything, thanking, and that might sound weird, but thanking and acknowledging the council for the work that they've done over the last four years, despite the conflict or despite the disputes or the differences, we've been able to still do a lot of significant, important work that's going to impact the community for the next three or four decades. And so, you know, without that being lost on anybody, that still holds true for me in my heart, and but I didn't, I didn't really feel the need to, you know, get up and say, Oh, thank you everybody. I appreciate the support. There'll be time for that. But, yeah, there'll be time for that.
Mayor, you just mentioned the Common Council and the fact that there's been good and bad relationships between you and the council over the past four years. Overall, what's your assessment of the council? What have you accomplished with them and what would you have liked to accomplish that you didn't?
Yeah, yeah. Look, you know when it comes to the missed opportunities, that's, you know, whether, whether it's accomplished with the council or not, the city is in great shape. It's poised for growth. And you know, the unfortunate part is, as as we progress through this administration, there was a lot of opposition to these improvements because I supported them or I introduced them or, you know, these, these, these, the parks projects that are critical to our community, critical to our kids, critical to the quality of life, health and health and recreation, that because I'm promoting it, there's a lot of opposition to it, rather than it being a good idea for everybody, opportunities for council to contribute to those improvements in the way that the council can and should be contributing to those improvements in those changes. You know, I think that's the that has been the biggest, the thing that I've noticed that's challenging is opposing me is one thing. Opposing my policies are one thing, but opposing projects that are grant funded, that improve the community at large, that do nothing but good for us and then opposing those things is just really no logical sense to it. But again, like we'll we'll see how the next mayor does. There's still projects that are in queue and funded and projects that were going to continue to be funded for the next two years and projects that we're waiting on funding that we've gone for grants. And you know, we, the city's been very successful in our grant writing endeavors over the last four years. I think we've pulled in about $7 million or so in grant funding for projects. That doesn't include all of the water infrastructure projects, and funding for those projects that we've received through grants. And so you know especially when you find opportunities and projects that get funded and then you have a council that will oppose those or vote them down there's reckoning to happen. It's not, you're not hurting me. I'm not. By the way, I'm not taking it personal. This is your choice. At this point, I put it on the floor. It’s your choice to make the decision one way or the other. If you oppose it, it's not personal to me. You're only hurting the city. You're hurting the city taxpayer. You’re hurting the city’s reputation. When a state agency comes and says, hey, here's tens of thousands of dollars to make an improvement to your community, and then the council says, Yeah, but we're not going to do that. Well, there's consequences to that, one way or the other. There's going to need to be reckoning so. But you know, if anything that that might have been a little frustrating. But, you know, I don't hold grudges. I try not to hold grudges. It's just like one of these things where, you know, you get told no and you move on to the next thing, because there's more things to move on to. So.
Despite some of those frustrations, what do you think were some of the biggest accomplishments that you as mayor and the city were able to do over the past four years.
Yeah, look, Margaret Street is the big one. Parks improvement. Major, major opportunity for improving green space and parks in the city of Plattsburgh. We've got about 22 parks and green spaces and trails within our five and a half square miles. That's significant for us. When the city abolished the rec department there was no real, clear opportunity for how to fill some of that gap. So partnerships that we've created, like with the YMCA and other agencies throughout the city of Plattsburgh and the region, to provide and improve recreation opportunities for our kids that's been important. The Complete Streets opportunity and road improvements, road safety, the bike friendly Plattsburgh plan, the comprehensive master plan that really shapes how the city is going to grow in the next 30 years, the zoning code change, which is pending. Again, these are opportunities that we've been able to, my office and the council have been able to, for the most part, come to an agreement on and understand how to promote and improve those pieces you know, even the emergency changes. You know, the Lake Country Village emergency replacement was also, again, a good partnership with the council that was much needed. That was an opportunity because, you know, years and years and years of deferred maintenance and ignoring the problem just came to a head and couldn't ignore it anymore. Improvements to City Hall. You know, we had a roof that hadn't been repaired in 50 - 60, years, leaking water into the building, ruining files, ruining offices, ruining rooms that really just needed to be handled, needed to be managed. And so again, you look at some of these projects that the council maybe had a little bit of concern over, but we still were able to see our way through and get those projects done, and the other projects that are continuing on, and we'll continue on over the next several years that we've been able to start with funding and design and, you know, really, just like handing off to the next mayor and having that be just an automatic opportunity for wins for his administration, and then anything new that he's proposing or putting forward. And hopefully, you know, we'll see a better city in the next, another next four years.
Well, obviously, all of those projects cost money. How well do you think you have left the city financially for continuing those projects and as you mentioned, any projects that mayor-elect Wendell Hughes might want to create or start or ponder?
Yeah, look, we had two Moody upgrades in my administration. That's significant, something to be proud of. With the last one, we were able to shave off right around $230 to our annual debt service. That's again, more money that's being saved. That's also considered right now surplus to the budget and it needs to be distributed in one way or another. Another $100,000 was shaved off of payroll during this budget process. So that's $300,000 of surplus that the council can play with going into this budget going into next year. I was able to reduce the tax rate every single year I've been here, which, again, you know, there's a balance. You know, you do increase the levy to maintain the services. But even this year, we were able to deliver a balanced budget, no increase to the levy with a tax rate decrease. The city is in excellent financial health. We've got six and a half million dollars in the bank as a rainy day fund and to our general fund balance. We you know, again, with the delivery of this budget and the Moody's rating, another $200,000 in surplus. And you know, my, my advocacy to the council is, as they start to finalize their budget, to deliver their budget, carve some of that money off and let Mr. Hughes have, you know, project money for himself. I had money that I had a little bit of money that I could start projects here and there with at the same time cleaning up some issues that that were urgent. But having the opportunity, or giving the opportunity to Mr. Hughes to have some of his monies to start projects is really critical for his stamp on the city and what his administration wants to do next.
Mayor Rosenquest, looking at some of the issues that came up during your term. Looking back at the Crete Civic Center, a lot of people felt it was a wrong thing to do. As you look back at what happened and the debate over that what are your thoughts now as you look back at tearing down the civic center?
It was 100% the right thing to do. 100% the right thing to get rid of that building. 100% the right thing to take that dying, quote-unquote asset off of city books and divert that money to other opportunities like parks improvement, like the partnership with the YMCA. That that building was in gross disrepair. And again, you have these municipal buildings that, you know, you defer the maintenance time and time and time again and then you wonder why we have holes in the roof and failing infrastructure. You know, it's the same thing I said to other folks. You know, you and I if we stop paying our bills, we can't then brag about how big our bank account is. We can't brag about how much money we have in the bank. At some point that, you know, something's going to have to be reconciled here. And it's no different from what we've been doing in the city of buildings that haven't been repaired. You know, we haven't had a bathroom at the beach for how long, right? And so here I am, like having to tear another building down on the beach because it's an eyesore and it should have been torn down, you know, a decade ago, and not having bathrooms so then having to create opportunity and projects to install new bathrooms at the beach, things like this. And so, you know, in terms of the Crete Center and other, you know, controversial decisions that were made. They were made with all the information in mind. They were made with the future in mind and the Crete Center and tearing the Crete Center down was the right decision. Now, what happens next. You know, look, my goal with the beach was to show that it could be used as an event space. It could be used as a large, large gathering space. And we saw that with Mayor's Cup. We saw that with other community organizations and the Strand hosting events out there. We saw it with the eclipse. And so really, continuing to press on that vision of using the beach as an event space is critical to the future that facility and something, something does have to be done for the future of that facility.
Before, long before you were elected mayor, the city received $10 million in DRI funding. The Durkee Street redevelopment has yet to occur. Why wasn't the Durkee Street DRI redevelopment able to move forward during your tenure?
Yeah, so you know, we were tied up in litigation from the previous litigants and you know this community group that seems to feel like they have Plattsburgh's best interests in mind. And I'll oppose that. I don't agree with that but, you know, whatever. So that got tied up. And at the end of the day we were in, working with the developer and working with New York state, it felt that a different project is in order and the developer still at the table trying to figure out what that looks like and New York state’s still at the table with the opportunity for funding that project. They're still interested. And so, you know, because we're in this space of the zoning code change, the developer felt it best to postpone or pause, or put a pause on the development opportunity until the zoning code change happens. That will provide them an easier mechanism and an easier pathway to developing the project that they want to develop. But it's still of interest. All of the other projects that are associated with the DRI were completed, finalized, paid out and really this is the last piece of that component so the last piece of that DRI project. But that also goes to the need for more accommodations downtown. Whether it be hotel opportunities, which, you know, we had two hotels that came to the city and the council decided to oppose those, which is again, unfortunate, but you know, that's the decision that's made. And we still, you know, we're still hoping that somebody will still continue to be interested in developing downtown or developing a hotel downtown. We need it. And, you know, you just keep pressing, pressing on these interesting projects, and hopefully that one of them sticks.
We do have a nice parking lot downtown though.
Oh, don't we? We have a couple nice parking lots that people really just love, love to use. But you know, it's not the best use, right? And I know we're joking, but it's not the best use and there's better opportunity to use this empty space for more productive reasons.
Mayor, the police department has been an issue for quite a while. What do you expect to happen with the police department and the search for a permanent police chief as the city moves forward?
Yeah, look, the hope is, is that the same process happens. You know, there's there, if there's internal candidates and they are interested in the job, they can apply through the job the same way as everybody else should. You know, unless somebody really stands out as an outstanding candidate and there's a session that has been happening or succession that's been planning through that process to put that person in into a leadership role, unless that has been happening, I don't necessarily feel like it's automatic that an internal candidate should just be slotted. I think that the right candidate should be slotted. The right candidate should be hired. And sometimes that means looking outward, looking external. So whether the new mayor wants to do that, I will let you know that's not an easy process. That's not a two-week process, a month process. It's a two-month process to go through that. And so understanding that, that's significant. That process should have happened when we had a vacancy. We would have had a permanent chief by this time had the council not opposed the opportunity to put leadership in one of the most important departments that we have. It'll be another few months before we see a chief of police in that department.
It's also very constrained, though, by civil service rules, correct?
in a way, yes, mostly, in the sense that where we hire from, you know, they have to be a New York State, at least, having gone through New York State Police, some police force within New York State. A pretty big constraint. And having, you know, finding that talent within the state has been a challenge, but not impossible. There's, there's tons of people out here who want the opportunity to lead a department like ours, more community focused. Opportunities for advancement within the department is still, still is there as well. And so hopefully, you know, we get the right chief in the right spot, and council decides to just keep their hands out of it.
Mayor Rosenquest, one of the last things that you did as mayor this month was to form a charter commission and the one of their main things will be to review the charter and see if they will recommend changing the form of government. You promote moving to a city manager/council form of government. Do you think the city will ever move to that?
I don't know. I hope that the taxpayers and the residents understand the impact of the two different forms of government, the pros and cons of both different forms of government and then make a logical, sound and an educated decision on it. From my background, having managed this business, having managed other businesses, it's something that is needed. The skill sets needed, the background, the education is needed. You need somebody that has extensive management, business, finance, negotiations experience, supervisory manager experience, to run the $67 million organization with 12 departments, 230-plus employees for different bargaining units. It's significant and to have, and again this is why I said this before anybody announced, it's not about any particular candidates. It’s not any particular individual. It's certainly a professional concern that I have, a professional concern other members of the community have that understand the nuances of running this organization or an organization like this, that it really does need a skill set to be able to do this effectively and to do it consistently. And that's what's missing with this current form of government where the chief executive officer is elected and they can come with a myriad of backgrounds, you know, and hopefully you do get somebody that has some of that skill, but you don't often, and that inconsistency is challenging where it comes to maintaining projects and maintaining departmental goals and initiatives,
Mayor, you announced officially during Thursday’s City Council meeting, Common Council meeting, that Ward 2 Counselor Jacob Avery had resigned. Do you plan to appoint a new councilor or call a special election before you leave office at the end of the month or do you plan to leave that decision to Mayor-elect Wendell Hughes?
I'll leave it to Wendell at this point. You know, look, wasting my time, wasting anybody's time that is interested in that temporary appointment is not worth it to be honest. And obviously, the council's on their own track. I'm not going to push anything. I'm not interested in pushing anything. I'll leave it to Wendell to make that special appointment and leading into the next general election for a special election. And, yeah, I just wish him luck. And I wish the council luck operating short-handed for the time being. But yeah, no, I'm not going to. Again, it goes back to installing a potential lieutenant that's going to get terminated or the funding is going to get cut. Just not worth it. And it's not worth putting that person up to be embarrassed by this council.
Early this year when you announced that you would not run for another term as mayor, you said that you were doing it to spend more time with your family. Will you stay involved politically in the city in any case?
I don't. I don't see myself running for office again. I don't see myself serving political office. I enjoyed when I did it. But I'll focus on my family and I'll focus on my business. There's opportunity that I see coming out of this, coming out of the mayor’s seat for the community that may be quasi-political, but more focused on business and in boosting and bolstering the business community and for the business community to have a voice in City Hall, which we just don't, and making sure that that happens. And if anything, the city needs a more progressive voice. They need a more progressive party. They need more progressive ideas. And a driving force behind that whether it be a new progressive political party or more progressive candidates running for office. Something like that. But this whole, straight up, this whole nonsense about having the opportunity that we have here in the city of Plattsburgh and wasting it at almost every single turn it's got to stop. Most of us who came home or now live here newly understand that there's plenty of opportunity here for everybody. And to not take advantage of that or to continue to ignore that, is been challenging and frustrating. But again after this I'm going to focus on my family, focus on my business, focus on my artwork, which these things I haven't been able to do in earnest in the last four years. And I'm looking forward to having some more reflective time away and come back with a with a new phase.
Well, Mayor, you said that you have enjoyed and you've had some good times as mayor for the last four years. But I'm curious if you ever regretted running for and being mayor, especially as you look at some of the conflicts you've had to deal with.
No. No regrets, no regret. I have very little regrets in life. You know, most of it is, you know, I don't take a lot of it personal. There might be, you know, people might not like me, but there's tons of people that don't like me. There's tons of people that love me. It doesn't matter. Not to me and it's not personal. There's a handful of people whose opinions I really care about. Those are the people who guide my life and help me shape my life and my understanding of where I need to be and what I need to be doing. I do not regret running for mayor. I do not regret serving. This has been a life changing, a life shaping opportunity for me. I came home for this. I came home with the intention of running for office. And here I am wrapping up my four years in office in service to my community and of service in a capacity that I really did not expect as a young kid growing up in the city of Plattsburgh. I didn't say to myself, I'm going to be the mayor someday. I just it was never in my mind, right? But again, the opportunity that I've been provided is humbling. It's very much appreciated, very much appreciated, and if anything I just have to say thank you for all of the opportunity that this community has provided me and my family to make a difference.
How excited are you about your next adventures? And I understand one of them is taking on the Camino de Santiago, which is a 500-mile pilgrimage hike.
It is a pilgrimage. It's a 500-mile walk, hike between southern France to the coast of Spain. I leave on the 28th. I return February, sometime beginning of February. And yeah the irony is like I decided not to run to spend more time with my family and here I am going to be gone for a month. The irony is not lost on me. I understand that's part of it. But, you know, every single year I do a silent meditation, a six day silent meditation. I spend six days at the monastery, about 10 hours a day, meditating on the cushion, meditating. And I told Tracy, I said, Tracy, what do you think about me doing a residency at the at the monastery for three months? She's like, absolutely not. There's no way. And I was like, okay, that's fair. So I'll do this. I'll do this walk. And it really is an opportunity for me to reflect and appreciate my life as a whole and the opportunity this last four years have been. And yeah, I'll walk it out. I’ll walk out the frustrations. I'll walk out the angst. And I've really just set the tone for my future.
Outgoing Mayor Chris Rosenquest will be succeeded by Democrat Wendell Hughes.
