Departing Port Jervis Mayor Kelly Decker Proud of Urban Makeover

Outgoing Port Jervis Mayor Kelly Decker delivers his farewell speech at city hall in Port Jervis, N.Y., on Dec. 11, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

Port Jervis looks very different today than it did 10 years ago when Kelly Decker was first elected mayor, a visual legacy that he said he was immensely proud of.

During the Decker administration, new public works projects lifted the city’s image block by block, which, along with new boutique downtown businesses and top-line recreational activities, have drawn more people to visit and settle down in Port Jervis.

“Everything is visual,” Mr. Decker told The Epoch Times. “When people come into a community, they want to see what this place has to offer. If it looks rundown, they are not staying.

“You have to spruce it up; you have to make it look nice,” he said.

At the top of his public works chart is the new Neversink River Bridge, also known as the Frank Bell Memorial Bridge, which refreshed the city gateway near the Interstate Highway 84 exit.

The bridge project, which had dragged on for almost a decade when Mr. Decker came into office, was finally completed in 2019, along with the widening of Main Street.

Another public works highlight for Mr. Decker is the Josef Kucher Memorial Promenade at the meeting point of Jersey Avenue and Front Street, which gave a major facelift to the downtown.

New sidewalks, streetlights, and wayfinding signs also contributed to an enhanced urban image.

Downtown Port Jervis, N.Y., on Aug. 17, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

‘We Are on the Right Path’

These projects were primarily funded by federal and state grants, which, over the past years, joined forces with private investments and volunteer contributions in spurring an urban revival.

Mr. Decker said he took the initiative to sell the charm of his city to potential private investors, who later opened a downtown brewery, invested in a bike store, or decided to build a new hotel.

“It is sitting down, introducing yourself, selling your city, and being open to ideas,” he said. “Once you hear those ideas, then you have to get to the realistic part of making it happen.”

He cited the example of the city selling a crumbling downtown structure at a nominal price to the owners of the popular downtown brewery Fox N Hare to aid the private investment.

Meanwhile, an army of volunteers with the Outdoor Club of Port Jervis has been quietly brushing up the city’s recreational offering by building a pump track, a disc golf course, and watershed trails.

Plus, the budding renaissance in this former railroad city by the Delaware River will soon be multiplied by an infusion of a $10 million state downtown revitalization grant.

“We are on the right path,” Mr. Decker said. “All these are drawing people into this community to see the improvements we have made, and some have purchased homes here.”

A biker rides on the pump track in Port Jervis, N.Y., on March 16, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

That led to another improvement under his helm, which was almost doubling the homeownership rate in the city from 20 percent a decade ago to around 40 percent today, he said.

Regret

While Mr. Decker aimed for 70 percent, he expressed some regret for not achieving that target.

He had wanted to set up a homebuyer program in the city to get foreclosure properties into the hands of future homeowners. However, competing ideas among council members blocked the progress.

“The mayor doesn’t make the decision, and the mayor has to abide by what the council votes on,” he said. “But even if I don’t get my way, I can still articulate my idea, and maybe down the road, another council member might say, ‘Hey, let’s pick up on that idea.’”

He also wished he had more time to reach out to council members to build consensus, but juggling the multiple duties of a teacher, mayor, and father made it very difficult.

Parting Words

During his farewell speech at his last city council meeting on Dec. 11, Mr. Decker thanked the council members and city employees he had worked with, volunteers and investors who believed in the city’s potential, and family members who supported his public service.

Port Jervis Mayor Kelly Decker presents the Riverside Park improvement project at the Downtown Revitalization Initiative local planning committee meeting at Port Jervis High School in Port Jervis, N.Y., on Aug. 31, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

“My sons—James, Mackenzie, Conner, and Jack—you have not seen a day of your lives without your father in public service. While I tried to always make every event and special occasion that went on in your life, I didn’t make them all, and for that, I am sorry,” he said.

“And my wife, Jill … you let me be who I wanted to be and to do what I wanted to do while you raise four fantastic boys, all while working full-time and juggling around my crazy schedule. You certainly played a major role in our city’s success over the past 10 years,” he added.

Mr. Decker, a Democrat, served as a police officer and on the city council before being elected mayor.

He wished the Republican mayor-elect Dominic Cicalese and the new council members all the best.