PLATTSBURGH — As he prepares to leave office, City of Plattsburgh Mayor Chris Rosenquest says he can reflect fondly on the work he has done over the past four years.
“I feel good,” Rosenquest said.
“It’s been a long four years but a productive four years … Given four more, obviously more work is available, but deciding to make a transition to a different direction, I’m happy about it.”
Rosenquest, a Democrat, was elected mayor in 2020 when he defeated Republican Scott Beebie. Rosenquest had defeated incumbent Mayor Colin Read in a Democratic primary in June of 2020 to set up the bout with Beebie.
A FULL-TIME JOB
Prior to becoming mayor, Rosenquest was a Clinton County legislator representing the city in Area 9.
He also ran for mayor in 2013 in a three-way race that was won by Jim Calnon. Earlier this year, however, Rosenquest chose not to seek re-election.
Wendell Hughes, also a Democrat, was then elected in November and will take office Jan. 1.
Now, with just days left in his tenure, Rosenquest is looking forward to being a regular city resident again.
“The mayor seat’s a full-time job. You really do have to be available 24/7. You get calls, texts, emails all hours of the night for emergencies, and you got to respond to those things,” he said.
“So it’ll be nice to not be so obligated all of the time. For me and my family, we have a family business (Chapter One: Coffee & Tea), so I’ll go back into the family business and start working that. It’ll probably be a little bit less stressful, a little bit less demanding and have a lot more time to myself for my family.”
‘THERE WAS A LOT OF SCRAMBLE’
As stressful as the job was at times, though, Rosenquest still found it rewarding.
“Coming in we had dissolved two departments, so there was a lot of scramble, a lot of reorganization for that. The budget was a mess, for lack of a better term. I do acknowledge, and have to acknowledge, as I have in the past, that the decisions that were made before me by the previous mayor, they did help improve the city’s finances, but it still left a lot to manage afterwards,” he said.
“There was a lot of cleanup, a lot of readjustments … we put a lot of structure in place, a lot of positive things in place from just the budgetary perspective, a lot of changes in departmental operations … trying to rebuild recreation and the purpose and goals of that office.
“But we’re still missing a significant chunk for engineering and the type of skill set that’s needed for these kinds of infrastructure projects, for these quality of life projects that we’ve been developing over the last four years, so there’s still a lot to clean up and a lot to do.”
REFLECTING ON ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Regardless of what still needs to be done, he said he’s happy with all they’ve been able to accomplish in his tenure.
The Parks Renewal project, the revitalization of all five of the city’s parks, as well as many infrastructure upgrades like the Bike Friendly Plattsburgh Plan, the Margaret Street construction project and rehaul of the city’s zoning code are some accomplishments Rosenquest was especially proud to have completed or jumpstarted.
Leaving City Hall with a reduced debt service and two-time upgrade to its Moody’s bond credit rating are also achievements he touted.
There is still more work to be done, of course, but he said the city is 100% better off now than before he got in office.
“There’s still problems to solve, and that’s just the nature of government. There’s just the nature of this ongoing business that there’s going to be problems to solve, regardless of who’s in office and you’re going to hand off problems that you’ve been trying to solve for the last four years, to the next person,” he said.
“But I think overall, given the resources that I came in, having the resources of the city, the city is in much better shape than it was, and hopefully it continues that way.
“I’m happy with how I’m leaving it.”
CHALLENGES AND CONTROVERSIES
Rosenquest’s tenure was not without controversy, however.
Most notably in Rosenquest’s tenure, he and members of the council sparred over several city issues including the late 2022 decision to demolish the Crete Memorial Civic Center and the failed hotel development agreement in September of 2023, which could have brought a hotel to the city’s harborside.
Rosenquest said the political disagreements were the most surprising aspect of the job to him.
“And not being able to get certain projects done or certain initiatives done because of a political pushback or a political standpoint,” he said.
“You do your best to focus on what the city needs and the goals of the city and the residents and taxpayers and the businesses in the city, and you focus on that. For better or worse, you get projects done, or you don’t, and you just move on.
“Certainly, there’s things that could have gone better. I would have hoped that they had gone better, certain things that just got completely out of my hands.”
At the conclusion of his last Common Council meeting Dec. 19, Rosenquest did not receive much of a farewell from his council beyond Ward 4 Councilor Jennifer Tallon thanking him for representing the city well. He did not give a goodbye either.
‘I DON’T WANT THE FANFARE’
Rosenquest said that’s how he wanted it.
“I don’t need to (say anything). The people who are close to me, the people who are in the community that know me, I’ve said my thanks … I don’t need the fanfare, I don’t want the fanfare.”
And for those wondering, Rosenquest said he’s done with political office.
“I think I’m done. I think I’ll focus on something else. I’m pretty good at business, I’m pretty good at consulting. I’ll focus a lot on that. I’m at that point in life, family and friends are really critically important to me and I’ll refocus on that and spend my time doing that,” he said.
“I’m excited for what’s next in my personal life and my family. I have very little regrets about the last four years. I’m very proud of being able to serve my community in this way.”