Two educators seek Ward 7 council seat
The Nov. 7 election pits a Kingston High School teacher against the head of the Center for Creative Education.
KINGSTON, N.Y. » A Kingston school district teacher and the director of an educational center in the city are facing off in the Nov. 7 election for the Seventh Ward seat on the Common Council.
Patrick O’Reilly has secured both the Republican and Democratic lines on the ballot, as well as the Conservative and Independence lines. Bryant “Drew” Andrews will be on the Working Families Party line.
Andrews had the support of the city Democratic Committee but lost to O’Reilly, a write-in candidate, in a party primary.
The winner of the general election will succeed Democratic Alderwoman Maryann Mills, who chose not to seek re-election, and will serve a two-year term starting Jan. 1, 2018.
Bryant ‘Drew’ Andrews
Andrews, 48, is a Brooklyn native who has lived in Kingston for 19 years. He resides at 19 Van Gaasbeck St.
He is executive director of Center for Creative Education and creator of the Kingston fitness program Dance Xross Fitness. He is also founder and director of the Energy Dance Company.
Andrews is an enrolled Democrat who has never held elected office.
If he wins the Seventh Ward seat, Andrews said, he will work “to provide access and communication to the community regarding available resources.”
“Communication and accessibility is key,” he said on an election form.
Andrews also said the city should start a youth advisory council and that he would, as an alderman, “support seniors, veterans through programming, educational collaborations, accessible transportation and affordable housing.”
Andrews said he supports economic development in all sectors and ensuring “the safety of Kingston residents by working closely with law enforcement.”
Andrews earned an associate’s degree in human services from Metropolitan College of New York in 2010. He also holds a medical assistant diploma from Mandle College for Allied Health.
He additionally attended Stanford University’s executive program for social entrepreneurship, and received a certificate from that program this year; and he earned a certificate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Andrews is a divorced father of three grown children and a 5-year-old child.
Patrick O’Reilly
O’Reilly, 52, is a lifelong Kingston resident. He lives at 322 Clinton Ave.
He graduated from Kingston High School in 1984 and now teaches at the school.
O’Reilly earned a bachelor of science degree in education from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1990 and a master’s degree in special education from SUNY New Paltz in 1996.
He is not enrolled in a political party.
O’Reilly said that, if elected, he will push to enforce “neighborhood speed limits.”
He also want to address
“unattended properties” and deal with city infrastructure, he said, and will out the Alms House on his list of priorities.
The city this past summer denied the requested rezoning that was necessary for affordable housing agency RUPCO to convert the former Alms House, which is in the Sixth Ward, into apartments.
“Addressing these will be among my top priorities as they are the direct needs and concerns of my neighbors,” O’Reilly said.
O’Reilly is a member of Sons of American Legion Post 150 in Kingston and
an auxiliary member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1386 in Kingston.
He is married to Lynda O’Reilly.