PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – While November is still months away, the political intrigue is heating up in Plattsburgh. Outgoing Mayor Chris Rosenquest is floating a plan to run for the Common Council seat occupied by his most vocal critic.
A Common Council shakeup is brewing in Plattsburgh after Democratic Mayor Rosenquest, who recently said he would not seek re-election, said he isn’t ruling out a run for Elizabeth Gibbs’ Ward 3 seat.
Gibbs and the mayor have tangled frequently in the past over everything from a proposed waterfront hotel to the demolition of the Crete Center. Two years she claimed he was aggressive and raised his voice in an effort to bully the council.
“I am weighing those options. I’ve got a month and a half to really make a decision on that side of it,” Rosenquest said. “I have not ruled out a council seat.”
Gibbs, a fellow Democrat, says she is seeking re-election and doesn’t understand how the mayor would have a better work-life balance if he decided to challenge her for the seat. “Nearly everybody on the council right now is a full-time employee and they have this job,” she said. “I find it strange and I find his statements to be disingenuous. But it does not change my mind and it does not change my resolve to run for the position. I’m in it until the end.”
Rosenquest has not formally announced a run for the Ward 3 seat. He also says he wouldn’t rule out a legislative seat. He previously served in the Clinton County Legislature before winning the mayor’s seat in 2020.
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