Judy Kennedy plans to launch her campaign for mayor of Newburgh this Sunday.
By Nancy Peckenham
Another person is throwing her hat into the race for mayor of the city of Newburgh. Democrat Judy Kennedy plans to kick off her campaign on Sunday, April 17th with a public gathering at The Wherehouse where she will talk about how she believes she has the skills and experience needed to turn the city around.
The 66-year-old former computer systems manager for Hewlett Packard and mother of four sons says that she has a unique set of skills that the city needs. She also believes that she can rally enough people who have energy and a sense of local pride to help reverse the city’s decline.
Kennedy found a lot of support in the community when she organized the Take Action Coalition to protest last year’s 71 percent property tax hike. She spearheaded a drive that gathered 1,263 signatures on a petition calling on the city government to provide tax relief and more citizen involvement in city finances.
Although she has only lived in Newburgh for five years, Kennedy has seen government money spent on projects, like the courthouse, that she says depleted its reserve and led to the huge tax increase. “It’s amazing how many projects have gone down the drain and the money just evaporated,” she said during an interview in her Grand Street home.
Kennedy’s campaign will focus on cleaning up the city streets and reducing crime block-by-block, steps she believes are necessary to attract businesses and jobs. She would also work to make government more accountable to residents.
“We have begun to accept that we live in a dump and that it’s hopeless,” she said. “We have to stand up and say ‘no’.”
Kennedy, who now runs a practice as a life coach, plans to seek the endorsement of the local Democratic committee to be its candidate in the November election. To date, only one other person has declared interest in the mayor’s job. Republican city councilwoman Christine Bello announced last week that she is a candidate. Two-term mayor Nicholas Valentine said he is still undecided about whether to run again.
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