By Aleksandra Sidorova
Students became more in tune with Plattsburgh’s mayoral elections as they invited candidates Wendell Hughes and Don Kasprzak to the stage of Olive Ridley’s on Oct. 9.
The monthly student-hosted game show Late Night for the Planet interviewed Kasprzak, Republican candidate who served as mayor of Plattsburgh from 2006 to 2014, and Democrat Hughes, a lifelong Plattsburgh resident. Platforming an election marked a drastic departure from typical Late Night for the Planet shows as student hosts Sasha Baker and McKenna Kaleta know them.
“I’m really glad that more people got to be informed on the candidates and their positions,” Baker said. “I also just enjoyed speaking to the politicians themselves. It was a really cool experience, getting to know them and go through the process of interviewing them. … It’s something I’ve never done before.”
The show included personal interviews with the candidates and games that encouraged audience participation.
Beyond questions of personal background, values and policies, Baker and Kaleta asked Kasprzak and Hughes about SUNY Plattsburgh students and the city’s sustainability.
MAKING STUDENTS STAY
Many improvements to the overall Plattsburgh community’s life would also benefit the lives of students, whether during studies or after graduation, Hughes and Kasprzak said.
Both talked about the value that SUNY Plattsburgh students bring to the city. Hughes said more housing options and job opportunities in particular may make students want to stay in Plattsburgh after they graduate.
“We want you to stay here, open up businesses, be part of our community and bring new, younger ideas to us — guys like me,” Kasprzak said. “You are important. … We want you here.”
Kasprzak also said he would hold landlords accountable for off-campus housing conditions.
“The housing by some out-of-state landlords is unbelievably awful for our students,” Kasprzak said. “One thing the city needs to do is put pressure on those folks … to make sure that those accommodations are fair and up-to-date.”
Hughes and Kasprzak both identified filling the position of city police chief as a priority. The search has been ongoing since Chief Peter Mitchell retired in September after 25 years of service. Kasprzak related safety to students.
Additionally, Hughes spoke about expanding the city’s recreation programs, focusing on arts as well as outdoor activities for all ages.
“Not every kid can kick a soccer ball, but they can paint a picture that I can’t, so I think arts have to be incorporated in that, too,” Hughes said.
Kasprzak took investing in recreation a step further, saying the department “needs rebuilding.” Both public safety and ample opportunities for recreation would help keep the city affordable, he said.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS
Late Night for the Planet’s usual audience is environmentally minded students, the students involved said. The night the show hosted the mayoral candidates, though, invited many more community members.
“I kind of was laughing at how involved the crowd was getting in the Q&As, even though it really had nothing to do with what we were talking about,” said Rachel LaMar, senior environmental studies major who helped host a game. “They just had their own questions, taking advantage of being in front of the candidates, for whatever reason. It was different, we’ve never had a show that was like that, ever.”
At the question-and-answer segments following the personal interviews with the candidates, city residents volunteered to ask their own questions.
One resident was concerned about how much taxpayer money the city was spending on paid parking machines downtown, alleging that paid parking also hurts businesses. Hughes promised he would consider whether the city’s spending on parking is worthwhile on day one in office, if elected.
Another issue Hughes said he would address within his first month in office was options for housing that did not involve giving developers tax breaks.
“I don’t like tax breaks for housing,” Hughes said. “Listen, nobody gave me a break last year.”
Faced with a similar question, Kasprzak said he is open to any new housing developments, noting a variety of funding programs the state and federal government offer municipalities such as Plattsburgh.
Late Night for the Planet’s next show is Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. The hosts will be discussing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS. PFAS are used widely in packaging, cookware and clothes, but they do not easily degrade in the environment, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
