Mayor Steve Noble will officially kick off his bid for another four-year term with a birthday fundraiser at Uptown Kingston’s Santa Fe restaurant on Monday.

Noble said Friday that the event was intended to end speculation about his future plans and get a head start on the 2023 election cycle.

“I wanted to let people know what my plans were, so they’re not left wondering ‘what’s he doing, what other job is he looking at?'" said Noble. “So that people know my intention is to stay here, if they will have me.”

Noble, who will turn 40 on Monday, is a Kingston native. A Kingston High School graduate, he holds a degree in environmental studies from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a master of public administration degree from Marist College.

Prior to running for office, he was employed as an environmental educator in the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, where he worked alongside his wife, Julie Noble. (She is now the city’s environmental education and sustainability coordinator.)

In 2015, he was tapped by Kingston Democrats to take on first-term incumbent Shayne Gallo in a primary for the party line. He would go on to win that primary and a general election against then-Sixth Ward Alderman Ron Polacco. In 2019, he won a second term achieving a majority in a three-way race against Republican candidate and former Gallo confidential secretary Ellen DiFalco and third-party candidate Vince Rua.

In office, Noble has focused on housing, the environment and expanding the use of grant funding for infrastructure projects that the city would otherwise be unable to afford without tax increases. In his first year in office, Noble established grants management as a standalone office charged with greatly expanding and administering the city’s portfolio of state, federal and nonprofit grants. In 2017, the city received the largest single grant of Noble’s tenure, $10 million through the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The grant helped fund the proposed Kingstonian mixed-use project, improvements to Dietz Stadium and other projects in Uptown Kingston.

In 2018, Noble formed the Department of Housing Initiatives and helped launch the Kingston City Land Bank as part of a strategy of encouraging the development of affordable housing and rehabilitating properties held by the city for back taxes and selling them at below market rates. Noble also pushed for an amendment to the city’s zoning code to mandate 10 percent of all units in new medium and large-sized multifamily residential projects be designated as affordable housing.

But Noble also drew fire from some housing advocates and others for his strong support for the Kingstonian, a private-sector development project of mostly market-rate apartments, a boutique hotel and commercial space incorporating $3 million in public funds from the DRI grant and a $28 million, 25-year payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement.

In 2020, Noble responded to surge in gun violence in the city, paired with a nationwide call for police reform, by pivoting the Kingston Police Department to a community policing model that emphasizes building trust with residents of neighborhoods most impacted by crime with foot patrols and other activities. Noble has also supported KPD Chief Egidio Tinti’s push to add a network of license plate readers and surveillance cameras to aid investigations, and the hiring three new police officers to support community policing programs.

At the urging of police reform advocates, Noble also supported the creation of a new mobile mental health team to provide an alternative to law enforcement response in cases that do not involve a threat to public safety or serious criminal activity.

Noble’s tenure has also coincided with steady increases in sales tax revenue based on Kingston’s expanding tourist sector. The relatively flush times, paired with aggressive pursuit of grant opportunities, has enabled the city to expand some services and fund infrastructure projects while leaving the tax levy at 2016 levels. Noble has also endorsed City Comptroller John Tuey’s plan to use the city’s robust cash reserves to pay for items like police cars and heavy equipment instead of through borrowing. The expansion of those cash reserves has led to criticism from opponents that the city was overestimating expenses and underestimating revenue in order to generate what amounts to a discretionary spending account outside the city budget.

On Friday, Noble said he’s seeking another term in part to see through to completion several initiatives begun during his administration. Among the priorities will be the implementation of projects funded and services funded through the city’s award of $17 million in pandemic relief funds and an entirely new zoning code currently in development.

“I think Kingston is at a time of change,” said Noble, “and the leadership skill set and experience I have has prepared me to manage those changes.”