Sara Pasti has served as Kingston's Ward 1 Alderwoman since August of 2023. She is a member of the Common Council’s Finance & Audit, Community Development & Housing, and Laws & Rules committees. Sara is also the Council Liaison to the Kingston Local Development Corporation and Planning Board and an Advisor to the Kingston Arts Commission.

Prior to her arrival to Kingston a few years ago, she lived in Beacon, NY, where she served as Co-Chair of the City’s Comprehensive Plan Committee before serving on the City Council for six years to ensure that the Plan’s recommendations were incorporated into the City’s Code. As a professional working in the arts and culture sector, Sara has helped to launch several non-profit organizations and major program initiatives. She assisted organizations through challenging periods of transition, including a major capital campaign and facility renovation.

From 2009-2019, she served as the Neil C. Trager Director of the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz. Sara is currently a project manager and arts organization consultant who specializes in start-up projects, strategic planning, and institutional and capital project fundraising.

Hayes Clement, who served as Alderman on the Council from 2009 until 2011, is a real-estate broker who serves on the Ulster County Housing Development Corporation, the public entity redeveloping the site of the former Ulster County Jail at Golden Hill as affordable housing for more than 160 families and senior citizens of various income levels. The project, the largest of its kind in the county and located in Ward 3, is a partnership between the county, the affordable-housing developer Pennrose and Family of Woodstock, the Hudson Valley’s largest non-profit social-service agency.

Clement previously served as a board member and board President of Family of Woodstock. Clement is also a member of the Kingston Local Development Corp., which has launched plans to convert unused Kingston Business Park acreage into 300 to 600 additional affordable housing units.

“Affordable housing is widely and rightly recognized as a critical need in Kingston, and as someone with actual hands-on experience in that area, with demonstrated results, I’m confident I can help take Kingston’s commitment to this ideal to new levels of achievement.”

Clement, a criminal-justice reporter for daily newspapers in North Carolina before moving to New York in the 1990s, will also focus as a Council member on developing a detailed plan and schedule for traffic-calming in Ward 3, improving communications between City Hall and residents, streamlining the process by which the Building Safety Department and other agencies interact with residents, and leveraging the remarkable track record of the city’s Office of Grants Management to help struggling non-profits in the city. As potentially the only working businessperson on the Council, Clement also emphasized his financial experience, a particularly critical expertise as the city faces leaner financial times with federal American Rescue Plan Act funding winding down.

Clement has also served as a board member on the county’s Housing Smart Communities Initiative, Ulster Habitat for Humanity, the Kingston Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission, the non-profit Friends of Historic Kingston, and the Woodstock Film Festival.

Contact:

(917) 568-5226

hayesclement@gmail.com

19 Irving Place

Facebook: HayesClementforWard3Alderman

Originally from Manhattan’s Gramercy Park district, Teryl migrated to Kingston, via Woodstock,  21 years ago. As a first term alderperson Teryl has represented constituent concerns centering on affordable housing, project labor agreements, the uptown Pike Plan and the issuance of a City of Kingston Gaza Ceasefire Resolution.

Teryl is currently the managing member of Exceedance, LLC a consulting firm that specializes in procuring federal and state historic preservation tax credits, historic district surveys and securing national register nominations. In addition, Teryl is a seasoned grant writer securing federal, state and private sources to fund projects ranging from affordable housing initiatives, municipal infrastructure projects, community development and the arts. Teryl’s commitment to civic service past and present include:

• Steering Committee member: Kingston Comprehensive Plan

• Kingston Landmarks Preservation Commissioner

• Ulster County Habitat for Humanity board member; Finance Committee

• Caring Hands Soup Kitchen and Pantry volunteer & grants writer

• Vice President, Kingston Midtown Business Association

• Board Member, Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance

• Board Member, TransArt

• Grants Panelist, Arts Mid-Hudson

Teryl is the mother of two. Her son is the founding partner of an international e-commerce design and engineering firm. Her daughter has earned her PhD in materials engineering. Teryl considers these two outstanding beings to be her best work.  Her life partner is an internationally acclaimed luthier who is one of the only African Americans working in the industry.

Mike and his wife, Cindy have resided at East Chester St. for 39 years and in that time have raised both a son and daughter in the community. Mike is the Business Representative for the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 825, which represents eight thousand hard working men and women throughout Ulster, Sullivan, Orange, Rockland counties and New Jersey. Mike serves as a Vice President to the Hudson Valley Building Trades and brings with him industrial knowledge of large- and small-scale construction projects with more than 36 years of economic development leadership experience.

Mike is the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency Chairperson, serving his fourth term on the board and is actively engaged in moving forward economic development initiatives to bring well-paying jobs and benefits along with housing opportunities to all residents.

Mike enjoys a good round of golf, spending time with his family and grandson, participates in many community organizations throughout the county and looks forward to serving all the people of Ward 7 and Kingston.

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.

Michael Tierney is a renter and worker in Uptown Kingston and is committed to public ownership, tenant protections and pedestrian safety.

As a vocal proponent of municipal socialism, Michael has in his first term in office drafted and passed the strongest possible version of Good Cause Eviction allowable under state law, amended the cities parking enforcement procedures to be more forgiving of working people while increasing afterhours enforcement of illegally parked cars, and changed the code so small businesses can more easily pursue outdoor dining.

Prior to taking office Michael served as a tenant representative to the Kingston Rent Guidelines Board, and advocated for the first in the nation negative rental adjustment passed in 2022. Michael Tierney is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz, is an employee of Ulster County and lives Uptown in a rent stabilized apartment with his dog Pigeon.

Since moving to Kingston in March 2021, Ben has been proud to call this vibrant, historic city home. He, his partner, and their two-year-old son have embraced Kingston’s welcoming spirit and the broader Hudson Valley, where they’ve lived since 2019.

Ben works in construction management, overseeing projects across the Hudson Valley and overseas. This role has allowed him to collaborate with diverse teams, navigate complex challenges, and deliver meaningful results. Before transitioning into construction, he spent 15 years as an arborist across the U.S., shaping his understanding of environmental stewardship, sustainability, and the balance between growth and preservation—values he carries into all his work.

His experiences have reinforced the importance of listening, problem-solving, and building consensus—skills essential for effective leadership. As Ward 4 Alderman, Ben will bring these qualities to address community needs while fostering collaboration and transparency.

Ben’s decision to run is rooted in a deep commitment to Kingston and a desire to contribute to its growth and success. He believes strong leadership begins with listening to residents and businesses, working together on practical solutions, and always keeping the community’s best interests at heart.

Bob and his wife, Lynn, moved to Kingston in 1987 and raised two sons in our community. Bob is a retired civil engineer with nearly 40 years working in the public sector. He served as the Regional Director of Transportation for the Hudson Valley Region of the NYS Department of Transportation for eight years. He retired from NYSDOT as Chief Engineer and Assistant Commissioner in 2011. Following his career at NYSDOT, Bob was a consulting engineer until 2023 when he decided to retire once more.

Bob has served as Chair of the City of Kingston’s Complete Streets Advisory Council. He also volunteered his time to serve on Kingston’s Public Works Commission and was a Board Member of the Kingston City Land Bank. Additionally, he served on the Kingston City Consolidated School District Board of Trustees briefly in the late 1990s.

In 2023, Bob was appointed by Mayor Noble to the Common Council to represent Ward 6, to fill out the remainder of the term of outgoing Council member Tony Davis. Bob was elected in his own right to the Council in November of that year. “I am looking forward to continuing to work for the Council. I am proud to be the Democratic nominee for Ward 6 this year and hope to receive the voter’s support this November,” Bob said.

Ruth has been a resident of Kingston's 8th Ward since 2017, first in the Rondout section and currently in Ponckhockie. Previously she engaged with Hudson Valley farm and food businesses to connect them to NYC markets. Experienced in non-profit leadership and management, she is innovative, inclusive, and collaborative with a track record of successful projects benefiting communities and family businesses, and fostering youth leadership.

She served as government relations liaison – meeting directly with U.S. Congressional staff to demand better programs for urban and rural areas and successfully obtained numerous 6-figure grants. Ruth also served in the U.S. Peace Corps, has a master's degree in international development, and has worked locally, regionally, nationally and internationally on community development programs.

In 2024 Ruth canvassed extensively for the Democrats' NYS Coordinated Campaign where she had the opportunity to speak with and listen to Kingstonians from all backgrounds and political persuasions. Encouraged by the level of civil dialogue, she is eager to serve our community, and bring her experience and track record to serve the people of the Eighth Ward.

Ruth believes we need to address harmful federal policies and executive orders that negatively impact us locally.  If elected, Ruth will work to deliver:

• Timely and effective constituent services; and

• Policies that improve our neighborhoods including affordable housing; pedestrian and cyclist safety; an improved climate for independent, family businesses; and projects that address climate change and flooding and improve environmental stewardship.

Ruth wanted to express her appreciation to Eighth Ward residents who shared their concerns and ideas while she was knocking on doors seeking their support. A sampling of their ideas includes getting a full-service grocery store for Ward 8; providing a year-round place where retired and other folks can gather; and launching a city-wide Get to Know Your Neighbor Day.