Another candidate enters Ward 9 race
Bible teacher and motivational speaker Rev. Patrina M. Torres is the second Democrat to join the field.
KINGSTON, N.Y. >> A Bible teacher and motivational speaker announced Friday that she will seek a seat on the Common Council this November.
Rev. Patrina M. Torres, 49, who lives at 60 Staples St., is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for the Ninth Ward seat.
Family of Woodstock advocate Michele Hirsch also is seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat, which currently is held by Democrat Andrea Shaut.
Shaut has announced she will run for the aldermanat-large seat being vacated by Democrat James Noble.
Torres said in a press release that she is a Bible teacher, motivational speaker and licensed Christian counselor.
She is a native of Jersey City, N.J., and has lived in Kingston since October 2016.
Torres said she served as an associate pastor in Jersey City, assisting her parents, Bishop James Wright and the Rev. Margaret Wright.
Since 2004, she said, she has served women, children and families in need through her nonprofit faithbased organization, Crossroad Women and Family Services.
In an email Friday, Torres said her priorities include supporting measures to reduce the risk of child abuse and help survivors heal; creating alternatives to incarceration for young offenders; increasing awareness of behavioral health issues among young people; and promote health, fatherhood and family engagement.
Her campaign announcement said she has worked with at-risk youths and has been involved in efforts to break the cycle of poverty, violence and incarceration.
Torres is married to the Rev. Reyes Torres Jr., and she has three children from a previous marriage.