KINGSTON >> The race for the Common Council seat in the city’s First Ward is a three-way contest.
Democrat Lynn Eckert, Republican Sean Pascoe and Independence Party candidate Laurie Ann Morris – all political newcomers – will face off in the Nov. 3 election.
The winner will succeed Democratic Alderman Matt Dunn, who opted not to seek re-election in the ward, which is in Uptown Kingston.
Eckert beat Morris, 119-47, in the Sept. 10 Democratic primary in Ward 1, but Morris was able to stay in the race because of her Independence Party backing.
Lynn Eckert
Eckert, 45, lives at 36 Johnston Ave. She is a political science professor at Marist College in Poughkeepsie.
Eckert earned a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College in 1992 and a doctorate from The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in 2001.
Her partner is Amy Eckert, a writer, and they have three children, Raymond, Lucy and Ella.
Besides the Democratic nomination, Eckert has the endorsement of the Working Families Party.
“As a community, we need to think about how we’re going to position the city of Kingston to flourish in the 21st century,” Eckert said. “Kingston is a vibrant city with great people, a distinctive history and enormous potential for economic growth.”
If elected to the Common Council, Eckert said, she plans to promote policies that “attract new innovative companies, creative individuals and entrepreneurs to Kingston.”
“We should seek to attract companies with environmentally sustainable business practices because those businesses promote the most stable long-term economic growth for the community,” she added.
Laurie Ann Morris
Morris, 53, has been an Ulster County resident for almost all of her life and lives at 49 Lafayette Ave. She is a manager of compliance in the Consumer Affairs Department at United Healthcare in the town of Ulster.
She attended the College of St. Rose and SUNY New Paltz and is divorced with two children, Alexandra and Zachary Ebelheiser.
Morris is chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Ulster County and is active with the Kingston Kiwanis Club, the Ulster Hose Company 5 Ladies’ Auxiliary and the Ulster County Italian-American Foundation.
She has said she has attended Common Council meetings since the beginning of this year to “get an understanding of the challenges and issues the city is facing.”
“Based on these observations, infrastructure is a priority,” Morris said. “Kingston is a beautiful old city. However, what’s underneath is old and in need of repair. We need to have a solid foundation to build and beautify upon.”
Morris said the city also needs new businesses and jobs that “will keep our neighbors and young people in the community, investing back into the community.”
Sean Pascoe
Pascoe, 48, lives at 90 Fairview Ave. He is employed by the Kingston Cigar Shop.
Pascoe graduated from Kingston High School in 1986 and earned an associate’s degree in paralegal studies from the Academy of Business in Phoenix in 1998.
He is a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Pascoe will appear on the Republican, Conservative and Reform party lines in the November election. He is one of only three Republicans running for a Common Council seat in the city’s nine wards. The others are in Wards 6 and 9.
Pascoe said the most important issues facing the city are rooted in taxes.
“Simply put, [I will] support measures that will raise the tax base so we can improve Kingston’s quality of life without raising the tax burden on our citizens,” he said.