Ward 1 alderman faces challenge in re-election bid
First-term Alderman Jeffrey Ventura Morell is being challenged by Ursula Inghem in the city’s Ward 1 election.
The winner will serve a two-year term on the Common Council starting Jan. 1, 2020.
Ventura Morell, 38, is a Democrat running on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines. Inghem, 70, is a Republican running on the Republican and Independence Party lines.
Ventura Morell is an art historian and gallery manager for De Vera Gallery. He holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from CUNY Hunter College and has lived in Ulster County for five years.
Ventura Morell’s husband, Lyndel Urbano, is the director of public policy for Amida Care.
If re-elected, Ventura Morell said, he will continue to advocate for improvements to the city’s infrastructure and work on protections for homeowners and tenants. He said there are several exciting infrastructure projects coming to Ward 1, including the repaving of Hurley Avenue and improvements to Dietz Stadium and the Andretta Pool.
Regarding tenant protections, Ventura Morell said he has “received dozens of calls” in the last few months “from renters who are concerned about their rents going up and not being able to stay in this community.”
Also, he said, senior citizens who are homeowners are concerned about the lack of middle-income housing when they decide to downsize.
“These are all conversations we need to continue having,” the alderman said, noting that the state recently enacted a law allowing qualifying municipalities to opt into the revised Emergency Tenant Protection Act.
Inghem is a retired paralegal who has served on the
Kingston Library board since 2009. She received her paralegal certificate from Marist College in 1995 and has lived in Ulster County for 49 years.
Inghem is the widow of Gordon Inghem.
“The current focus is the
Midtown area, but sidewalks and safe walking are citywide issues,” Inghem said of her priorities. “I would try to keep the bigger picture in focus while dealing with prioritizing
the need for service.”
Voters can cast their ballots at one of the county’s eight early voting sites between Oct. 26 and Nov. 3, or at their polling place on Nov. 5.