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OUR ALDERMEN
City of Kingston, NY
What does an alderman do on our behalf in the city of Kingston? With little to go on, we felt it essential to create a comprehensive definition that was lacking in the current charter. Our aldermen are elected into office by the constituents of their respective wards to respresent their needs and neighborhoods at city hall. Also included here is an updated definition of both the alderman-at-large and the common council.
For there to be any fundamental changes here at home it is important for citizens to fully comprehend the roll and enormous responsibilities of these elected officials.
Special thanks to Adlerman Tom Hoffay, Bill Reynolds and Mike Madsen for their assistance here.
What is an Alderman?
The term Alderman comes from the old English for ‘Elder Man’. It is thought of as a council of village elders, to resolve the disputes of and to guide their community. In the city of Kingston, this ‘Council of Elders’ went through a couple of hundred years of changing definitions and jurisdictions. The council evolved through war, charters, changes in government, crisis, census developments and management fads into what we now know today. Each Alderman is elected into office by the constituents of their Ward. FIND your alderman
Because the role of an alderman are filled by both men and women, should the term 'alderman' be updated to reflect it?
Click Here to take survey
What do our City of Kingston Alderman do?
See defintion of Alderman in the CHARTER
An Alderman is a member of the municipal legislative body elected into office by the constituents of their respected Wards every two years. There are nine (9) Wards and nine (9) Alderman in the city of Kingston. Currently, the Alderman’s role is to represent their constituents collective wishes to City Hall and to vote accordingly. They strive to protect and enforce current laws as well as sit on the Common Council, the city’s most powerful seat (see Common Council definition on this site). All Alderman are required to chair or sit on Committees (Financial and Economic Committee, Laws and Rules Committee, Public Safety/General Government/Cable Committee, Community Development Committee). Currently in the city of Kingston, their position is paid $8,000 annually. Majority and Minority leaders earn $8,500 annually. FIND your alderman
What is The Alderman-At-Large?
See defintion of Alderman-at-large in the CHARTER
The Alderman-At-Large is elected into office and works closely with our elected Mayor, but is still part of the legislative branch (the Common Council). The Alderman-At-Large (also known as Council President) job manages the legislative process, appoints members to committees, funnels legislative proposals known as “communications” to those committees, calls for special meetings when necessary, ushers legal issues through council and act as a conduit to the Mayor. The Alderman-At-Large has the power to stop a resolution or remove an Alderman from the Common Council Chamber. The AAL also serves as active Mayor when the Mayor is out of town or incapacitated. In the most dramatic of cases if the Mayor were to step down for any reason the AAL would fill his/her seat. The AAL serves a four year term and earns $10,000 annually. EMAIL: Alderman-at-large James Noble
What are the responsibilities of The Common Council?
See defintion of The Common Council in the CHARTER
The Kingston Common Council (made up of all nine Alderman) currently plays three different roles in the city of Kingston. The first (1), an inherited geographical/management responsibility. They are the ‘go-to’ person for any of those who live and work in their respective Ward and Ward issues. The second (2), a historical charter specified legislature for city government – it is the lawmaking body of City Government - and the third (3) - it is charged with approving an annual city budget and with approving expenditures and accepting revenues. They are a new fiscally empowered body of the people’s interests in counter balance to the executive role (the Mayor). Recently, The City Comptroller under the new charter is appointed by the Council. In addition to voting on the mayor’s proposed yearly budgets additionally, The Common Council is charged with the auditing of the city’s finances.
VISIT the Common Council section in the city of Kingston's website
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