Meet the Council:
Voting Members
Paul Stankus, Chair
Paul Stankus moved to Kingston in 2021. He is interested in making the streets of Kingston safe and welcoming to users of all modes of transportation. He has traveled widely and lived in cities of all sizes and hopes to help to make Kingston a blend of all of the best street design ideas that he has experienced. Paul knows that when the entire population of the city is comfortable using its streets, it will be a great step toward being a more equitable and safe place for all. He is impressed with the steps taken so far by the City and CSAC and hopes to be a part of the next great strides that the City will take in this area. Paul can be seen regularly walking and biking around Kingston.
Ella Ray Kondrat, Vice Chair
Ella Ray Kondrat is a safe streets and sustainable transportation enthusiast, when she's not playing music or working as a speech therapist. Working in the field of mobility management years ago opened her eyes to the gaping holes in our car-centric transportation system - holes which disabled, poor, elderly and young people - and everyone else! - regularly fall into. She writes a blog called "Sweeten the Streets" with the mission of supporting the local transport conversation, stopping car deaths, and improving mobility for all.
David Daw
David Daw, a 56-year resident of Kingston and Ulster County, is a dedicated advocate for accessibility. As an MDA ambassador and power wheelchair user living with muscular dystrophy, David brings a vital perspective to creating safe, inclusive streets for all Kingston residents—whether walking, cycling, using transit, or driving a wheelchair.
Brandon Istenes
Brandon Istenes is an economic researcher, avid bicyclist, and walking enthusiast. Kingston has been his home since 2022. He has lived in a lot of places around the world, and has mostly gotten around by bicycle or walking most of the time. He witnessed in all these places the profound relationship between walkability, community vitality, social equity, ecological sustainability, and safety for people of all ages, and is committed to advancing those public goods in Kingston, where he intends to stay for a good long time.
Ezra Lynn
Ezra Lynn is a Kingston resident of over 15 years with a passion for improving transit equity and implementing complete streets policy in their community. Ezra lives in midtown Kingston with their partner, both of whom rely solely on bicycling and public transit. Ezra grew up in a low-income household without a car and knows firsthand the undue burden that car-dependent and inequitable infrastructure and transit policy place on the most marginalized members of our community and our most vulnerable road users. Ezra's passion has been reinforced by their experience as a person with a physical disability, furthering their drive to ensure those in our community who can't, or simply don't wish to own or use a car are equally prioritized and respected in policy decisions, in our streets, and in our infrastructure.
Claudette Ford
Gustavo Saume
EJ Michel
Ryan Jennings
Non-voting Members
Robert Dennison III, PE, Common Council Liaison
Mr. Dennison, former New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Chief Engineer, leads VHB’s transportation planning and design engineering services in New York. Throughout his 35+ year career, Dennison has made a tremendous impact on shaping the future of transportation and infrastructure in New York. He has held positions of responsibility in Town, County and State governments and understands the internal operations of government. As Chief Engineer at NYSDOT, Dennison was responsible for New York State’s $1.6 billion annual capital construction program, bridge safety assurance of 17,000 publicly owned bridges, and management of the annual consultant program of $250 million.
Emily Flynn, Staff Support