By Nancy Peckenham
Voters in the City of Newburgh are being asked this election day, Tuesday, November 8, to make decisions that could have a long-standing impact on the city. Not only are they being asked to elect a new Mayor to take over from current Mayor Nicholas Valentine, who choose not to run after eight years in office, they are also being asked to vote on revisions to the city charter’s that would change the structure of the city’s electoral system.
Bello vs Kennedy
The Mayor’s race pits two women against each other. One, Christine Bello, the Republican Party candidate, is a sitting member of City Council, where she earned a reputation for speaking up for the individual taxpayer and against unnecessary cuts to basic services like police and sanitation. Her opponent, Judy Kennedy, has lived in Newburgh for four and a half years and she argues that her fresh perspective and managerial experience is what the city needs to energize change in how the city does business.
Judy Kennedy.
Judy Kennedy
Kennedy, 66, moved to Newburgh after raising a family, then getting a business and computer degree that led her to become a manager for Hewlett-Packard. She first stepped into the public spotlight in Newburgh in early 2011 when she organized, then delivered, a petition with 1,000 signatures to officials in Albany asking for state intervention in the city’s ongoing fiscal problems. That movement propelled her into a leadership position among residents distraught about tax increases and the handling of city finances. Her message of thinking outside the box to transform the city helped her win the Democratic primary in September against challenger Omari Shakur. Kennedy says she will push for jobs, a city-wide clean-up and a more aggressive outreach to partners in the county and state-wide. Kennedy is also a candidate of the Working Families Party.
Christine Bello.
Christine Bello
Councilwoman Bello tells her own story of hard work and business acumen that led her to build a successful business on Broadway. Bello, 57, was born and raised in the city of Newburgh. She became a homeowner at age 23, earned a degree as a dental hygenist, then opened ChrisDian Florist in 1979. A member of the city’s Republican committee, Bello was elected to the city council on her second attempt in 2007. Bellow says that quality-of-life issues, including an armed robbery at her store, propelled her to run for office. As a council member, her first concern is the taxpayer and she is a frequent critic of spending limited city resources for programs that don’t help the taxpayers directly. Bello is also committed to fighting crime and she says that if elected mayor she will build the majority support she needs to put a lot of her ideas for improving the city to work. Bello is also a candidate of the Conservative and Independence parties.
Omari Shakur
Omari Shakur
Shakur says that although he is not on the ballot, he is still in the race, asking voters to vote for him as a write-in candidate. Visit his website here.
Click here to read about the City Charter Changes that will be on the ballot on Tuesday, November 8.
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