City police commission has new appointee
The co-founder of MyKingstonKids has been appointed as the newest member of the city Board of Police Commissioners, according to Mayor Steve Noble.
Shaniqua Bowden will serve a four-year term through May 31, 2024, Noble said in the weekly newsletter he issued Friday. She has lived in Kingston for nearly 10 years and co-founded MyKingstonKids with her husband, Frank Waters.
Bowden studied communications and interdisciplinary studies at Empire State College and is the former chief executive officer of Essential Request, a personal assistant service.
“I am very honored and pleased with my new appointment as a member of the police commission,” Bowden said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to being an instrument of the community in such a way that will support and uphold the trajectory of Kingston we are each creating together.”
Bowden is a mother of two and involved in the community in many capacities, including through her work as the leader of cultural engagement for the Kingston Land Trust, according to Noble’s newsletter. She also hosts the weekly “Nubian Cafe” show Radio Kings
ton, about issues affecting women and people of color. Bowden also helped found Black History Month Kingston and is a member of the Hudson Valley Current board.
“Her work promotes openness through dialogue and self-awareness to demonstrate the action and change we each want to see,” Noble said in his newsletter.
Bowden being named to the Board of Police Commissioners follows the appointment earlier this year of Minya DeJohnette. She is an acupuncturist who originally is from the area and lives in Kingston.
DeJohnette’s term also runs through May 31, 2024.
The five-member board also includes Brad Jordan and the Rev. Kendra Van-Houten. The mayor serves as chairman.