Troy Valentine, 54, is a Kingston native who works in construction and concert security. Valentine is also an avid outdoorsman and amateur musician. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kingston Wire: How did you or your family come to Kingston?

Troy Valentine: I was born here, at Kingston Hospital. My grandmother has a couple properties up here and my grandfather had a business in Sleightsburg, he did radiators. They also owned a home on Tenbrouck Avenue in Kingston, that’s where I was born and raised. I went to Catholic school here in Kingston — St. Peter’s, St. Mary’s. I remember Sister Mary Joseph, she was the head principal. I remember Monsignor Brennan, he was the head priest. I was actually an altar boy for a quick minute. My roots are here, a lot of cousins, family. My mom was born in raised in Brooklyn, but she didn’t want to raise her three boys in the city. So, my grandmother said, why don’t you come up here? When my oldest brother was two she moved up here.

KW: What do you like about Kingston?

TV: I’m a big outdoorsman, so I love how close we are to the Rondout and the Ashokan Reservoir. I love the foliage here. You could take Route 28 in the fall and see the most beautiful scenery that this country has to offer. It’s amazing, it’s breathtaking, it never gets old. I have some close friends here — some are gone, passed away and some are locked up, but Kingston’s just become a part of me whether it’s good or bad. I tend to think right now it’s bad. It needs to change.

KW: What would you like to change about Kingston?

TV: Not just the politics. I see Kingston’s future and I’d like to see it as growing, but I see it stagnant. I see quick ideas that I don’t see lasting. I think the crime has gotten worse and the corruption on the [police] force, that’s another thing I’d like to address. If you’re going to wear that badge and uniform, be fair about it. Treat everybody the same. If you’re a dick, you’re a dick — treat them like a dick, but don’t judge them by the color of their skin. I see in Kingston police just not being fair. Not all the officers are like that — I have cops I play softball with who are good guys with good families but there’s some bad officers out here too.

KW: How has the pandemic changed Kingston?

TV: People don’t do things they used to do on a regular basis. They kind of limited it if they do it at all. I see the same buildings and stuff, but the refurbishing of Kingston has been a positive development. I think it’s looking better. Uptown Kingston, they kind of cater to the city people a little too much. The bike lane, I was against it but I guess it’s alright. Sometimes I want to get on a bike and ride. I don’t want to walk on Broadway and look like one of these crackheads so I get on my bike and take the rail trail. It’s grown on me. [The new Broadway roundabout] I didn’t like that at first either. I thought it was fine the way it was. I thought it was horrible idea, now I think it’s a great idea. I didn’t see the vision of whoever thought of it. I thought, what f--king idiot thought this was a good idea? But I was wrong. Now I think it’s a really positive thing.