BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG --  Councilor Nichole Kennedy, a Democrat, says she has learned a lot in her first term on council and hopes to bring that experience to the table if she’s re-elected.

She is competing with seven other candidates for three available council seats.

As the only woman on council and a mother, Kennedy says she brings a unique perspective to the table.

“It’s not better or worse, I think it’s just different,” she said. “I’m a mom and I’m bringing kids to events. I think about how things impact not just me but them and for parents in general,” she said.

Kennedy says her time in office has made her more comfortable in sharing her opinions.

“I listen to people. I wait for the right time to offer my opinions in a respectful manner after I’ve developed my thoughts,” she said.

She said the city’s facing a variety of big issues that are tough to tackle, especially with the divide on council.

“I think any given day right now it feels like the city’s on fire. Whether it’s sales tax, violating union contracts, or city manager spewing hate on Facebook, there is never a day where the city is normal,” she said. “We have our mayor suing the city and the citizens suing the mayor,” she said.

One of the biggest divisions among the council split is recent cuts to the fire department and potential cuts to the city police department as well as the dissolution of the recreation department.

Kennedy said she’s never wavered in her support for those departments.

“I feel like I’ve been vocal about fire, police and recreation, because as a parent these are three of the most important services we offer,” she said. “We need to keep our children safe and we need to make sure they have positive activities to participate in.”

Despite the division within the council, Kennedy says she believes there could be some common ground. She said most members of council agree that the city needs more recreation options for children.

“I think we all agree that youth are important,” she said.

Unfortunately, Kennedy says serving on a divided council is frustrating. We have councilors and the mayor name-calling like we are in kindergarten. She said it often feels like bullying that occurs at schools.

“I understand that emotions run high and they love to say we don’t do anything, but I won’t be involved in a process that spews hate,” she said.