Kingston Mayor Steve Noble announced on Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2027, closing out a run at City Hall that began in January 2016. Noble said the decision came after weighing his family's future, and that he still hasn't settled on what he'll do once he leaves office.
Noble framed the choice as a personal one rather than a political retreat, according to Daily Freeman, calling it “a deeply contemplated decision arrived upon with my family.” He added, “I have not yet made a decision on my next chapter,” leaving open what comes after three terms running New York's smallest city.
By the time his current term ends, Noble will have spent 12 years as mayor, a tenure the Daily Freeman notes is anchored by three separate election wins. He first won the office in November 2015, defeating Republican Ronald Polacco after edging then-Mayor Shayne Gallo in a Democratic primary. He secured a second term in November 2019 over challengers Vincent Rua and Ellen DiFalco, then won a third term in November 2023 against Scott Denny.
A Primary Fight on the Way to a Third Term
Noble's path to that third term wasn't uncontested. In the June 2023 Democratic primary, he beat community activist Frank Waters by a wide margin, taking 1,083 of the 1,686 votes cast — just over 65 percent — to Waters' 575, according to the Times Union. That win set up the general election matchup against Denny, a retired car salesman who ran on the Republican and Conservative lines.
In his announcement, Noble pointed to the breadth of issues the city tackled during his time in office, saying Kingston had continued working through matters ranging “from police reform to housing justice.” He described serving the city as an honor and a responsibility, the Daily Freeman reported, without detailing what prompted the timing of this week's announcement.
A Budget Fight Looms Even as Noble Steps Back
Noble's exit comes as Kingston works through a contentious 2027 budget proposal carrying a 6.9% property tax increase. The recommended budget totals $69,415,355, up from the adopted 2026 budget of $63,383,672, per Westfair Online. New revenue streams under consideration include an occupancy tax on hotels and motels and fines collected from school speed-zone camera violations.
The spending plan also sets aside money for three new dump trucks equipped with snow plows, two electric-vehicle patrol cars, an ambulance, and construction of a new Central Fire Station, the outlet reported. Noble has pointed to rising sales-tax collections as a sign of the city's growing revenue base, noting that Kingston collected $14 million in sales tax in 2020 and is now projecting about $22.8 million for 2027.
Those figures were part of the budget address Noble delivered at Kingston City Hall last month, a presentation that doubles as one of his final major policy moments before the city turns its attention to who will succeed him. For now, Kingston voters know only that the mayor who has led them since 2016 is preparing to step aside — and that he, too, is still figuring out what comes next.
