I am in favor of a Main Street Manager so long as the Federal Grant funds it for just these two years. I have been asked to repeat this since I posted it several weeks ago.
For too long, the City of Kingston has been divided into three geographical regions. I don't have to give great detail where and why. Concerned locals know what I mean.
A little background: Early into my tenure on the Council, we were faced with a parking dilemma. All three districts had different parking regulations which magnified this distinction further. I made it clear to my fellow Councilmen, that whatever parking regulations we approved had to be identical throughout the city.
Why? Because we are ONE city. Since the merger of the many towns that make Kingston, we have been in the same economic boat. Nothing is accomplished when three business districts are fighting over the same limited City, State and Federal funding.
Unfortunately, we suffered through the free [2 Hour - once per day] catastrophe and are currently regulated by the parking meters. Like em or hate em, they are identical throughout Kingston. Exemplifying the ONE city concept.
This is where the Main Street Manager comes in. If there were a single person, for all the business owners from the three commercial areas to work with, with the intent to increase the business friendly atmosphere of ALL of the City's commercial areas, then we will see more of an upswing in the general perception of our city.Don't misunderstand me, the existing business groups do a phenomenal job with the tools they've been given. But I see the city wide initiative as a more lucrative expense for their efforts.
I should disclose that I do represent a portion of the midtown district and have issues with the lack of attention from the High School down past Stewart's.You'll notice that this strip, with the original Locust Trees, has had side-walk issues as well as empty store-fronts. We had a neighborhood meeting on this just the other day.
I would also suggest the business community to hire someone of their own choosing. No influence from the city. My reason? The city has been in position to bolster the business community for 100 years...what good has it done?Sure, the Mayors words regarding the tax shift have merit. We did say that the tax shift would come in small doses at a later time. It will. It will be painful. Until then, this proposal for a city wide merchant leader should prove useful and I am in favor of providing temporary seed money to make it happen.
