Letters

Parking plan harmful to city of Kingston

Dear Editor: If you like living in this part of the Hudson Valley, it’s time to clearly tell the mayor of Kingston and its aldermen that their new parking plans don’t make sense.

Kingston is the economic engine that will drive our community’s prosperity or plod our way to economic disaster. Prosperity depends on a welcoming business environment, charming neighborhoods and reasonable real estate taxes. That won’t happen if parking feeds drive business away and make working, living and renting in Kingston unattractive.

It’s highly unlikely any actual profit will end up in the city’s coffers after expenses. Administering a plan to provide fee reduction for employees and renters will be a nightmare.

The city’s batting average at maintaining and administering is not good. Remember the Uptown parking garage? It wasn’t maintained and had to be torn down.

The city can’t charge parking fees and expect to compete with free parking at the malls or the internet. Our quaint restaurants and business districts lose their charm when parking becomes a pain.

The key to success is to promote business and welcome people and new opportunities, not throw up roadblocks and then, in a couple of years, kick off another task force or five-year master plan to determine what is needed to improve Kingston’s business environment.

Tony Fiore Former Kingston resident (24 years)

Town of Ulster

Ulster County needs ‘no’ vote on health bill

Dear Editor: U.S. Rep. John Faso’s vote could have blocked the Affordable Care Act replacement from passing out of the House Budget Committee. The bill, decried by health insurers and medical professionals, threatens 120,000 Ulster County residents with the loss of health care coverage.

Rather than protect his constituents, Faso voted for this dangerous bill. The Republicans’ replacement punishes individuals who have chronic illnesses and rewards the wealthy at the expense of everyone else.

The bill also will make it more difficult, if not impossible, for self-employed and freelance Ulster County residents (like myself) to get health care.

The county is actively running social media campaigns to recruit downstate New Yorkers to work remotely in Ulster County. The New York City metro area has an estimated 4 million freelancers who can work from anywhere. Rather than target these individuals in hopes of increasing the workat-home economy in Ulster, the county needs to focus on a target audience of one: Rep. Faso.

Faso isn’t getting the message about what Ulster needs when it comes to health or the economy. If Ulster wants freelance, remote and self-employed professionals, the county and its elected representative need to protect independent workers and reject the Affordable Care Act replacement. Lindsey Danis

St. Remy