Alderwoman Michele Hirsch is serving her third term on the Kingston Common Council. Michele currently chairs the Council’s Laws and Rules Committee. She serves on the Community Development and Housing Committee, is a member of the Kingston Housing Task Force and serves as the Council Liaison to the Kingston Water Department and Fire Department.

Through her work in Human Services, Michele understands that housing impacts the lives of every City of Kingston resident and that the safest communities are those with the most resources. Michele is proud of the work that the Common Council and the City of Kingston have accomplished during the COVID pandemic, and efforts to help the city address the housing crisis. This includes the declaration of a housing emergency, which allowed the city to opt into New York State’s Rent Stabilization statute. Just recently, Michele co-sponsored Good Cause Eviction legislation, which was recently passed and signed into law by Mayor Noble.

Michele has also supported various city-wide initiatives that help address food insecurity, the environment, open space, historic preservation, and a pilot mobile mental health program in conjunction with the Kingston Fire Department.

In addition to Michele’s work on the Council, she serves as Co-Chair for the Local Progress NY Chapter, along with other local elected officials throughout New York. This group advances racial and economic justice causes for local governments across the state.

Michele Hirsch is running for a fourth term on the Kingston Common Council. Michele is the mother of two graduates of Kingston High School, is a credentialed NYS Office of Mental Health Family Peer Advocate, and founder of Ulster County Children’s Advocacy Network (UCCAN), which provides school advocacy services to families in Ulster County.