PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – Voters in Plattsburgh are gearing up to choose who will be the city’s next mayor. County Legislator Wendell Hughes, a Democrat, is taking on two-time former Republican Mayor Donald Kasprzak.
Housing, public safety, and development are some of the key priorities on the minds of the candidates running to become Plattsburgh’s next mayor.
On housing, both say they would support some type of development in the Durkee Street Parking Lot as long as there is support from residents downtown. They also agree on developing middle-income homes on property near Rugar Street.
Both candidates also say they would provide more information to councilors ahead of meetings and offer more transparency on pivotal city decisions.
“This council will not have the excuse that they do not have information or I am trying to push things through without their support. And if they still do not want to work with me, then that means they didn’t want to work with the last three mayors. Now, that’s what the public has to figure out,” Kasprzak said.
“We have to have more transparency. I mean, transparency has been missing a lot in the city these last few years, and we have had some good decisions that have been shot down because I believe there hasn’t been enough community discussion,” Hughes said.
Both candidates say they would like to pick the next police chief. “Do the background checks, see who is interested, who applies — and that takes quite a long time to go through that process. So, you know, in another five weeks, we will have another new mayor and then that mayor transitions by January first. I think they should have started the process,” Kasprzak said.
“The police chief is huge, that is a huge. I mean, that is a huge decision that is coming and I would love to be able to make that decision,” Hughes said.
When it comes to recreation, Hughes says the city should look for partnerships with other municipalities or businesses to replace the recreation department. “Right now, Clinton Community College is moving to Plattsburgh State. There is a beautiful rec facility up there at Clinton Community maybe we can utilize,” he said.
Kasprzak says the city should bring back the recreation department on its own. “We have a group of good solid people that are doing the work for us with also the assistance of public works folks, but it is not a good solid system and it doesn’t really address what the folks out there, what the people want — a good solid recreational program,” he said.
Kasprzak says he’s the best for the job because of his prior experience in office. “It’s very difficult — and I think something people should consider when they vote — me having the experience all that time and been there in difficult times financially as mayor and as a councilor,” he said.
Hughes says he’s been doing the work with the county. “I have been a county legislator now for almost five years. I mean, it is not like I do not have experience. I mean, the experience matters. There is good experience and there is bad experience as well, right. I mean, moving forward, we try to look at all of our good experiences and I think in the last five years, I think have been good experience,” he said
Early voting starts in Plattsburgh on October 26 and Election Day is on Tuesday, November 5th.