Story & Photo by Carol Vogel
Deborah Kaufman was raised in Little Falls and has fond memories of the community she grew up in. For the past 15 years, she has been involved in initiatives that connect and give back to her hometown. Now, after careful consideration, she’s running for Mayor. “I’m excited! Little Falls is such a unique place, and having been all over the world and living in the south for most of my career, you don’t find little towns like this anymore that have this quality of life.”
Why have you decided to run for Mayor?
“Well, I have been thinking about it for a few years. When the Mayor’s first term was up, he was not going to run, and at that moment in time, I thought, ‘there’s really no one else stepping up.’” When the Mayor decided to continue on with another term, she tabled those ideas and kept pressing along with what she was doing.
With the 2023 election coming up, she began seriously thinking about running again. “I looked around, and I saw things that have been declining for a number of years. It goes way back, and nothing seems to have changed to any great extent.”
Her husband, Dave, urged her to speak with a female politician who could give her some perspective on running for office since Little Falls has never had a female Mayor before. Elise Stefanik was speaking at a September 11th Commemoration at the Fire Department in Herkimer, and she spoke with Deborah for a few moments after the ceremony. “She was such a delight and was so supportive. It made me realize that I can do this, and I should do this.”
What do you bring to the table?
Her background includes over 35 years in executive-level positions, with 22 of those years self-employed, running her own businesses. Heading up multiple private companies as well as a public company in domestic and international business climates gives her unique insight. “There are opportunities to grow revenue, and a business background gives you a different perspective,” she stated.
Her resume includes writing business plans and grants that help communities and start-up companies raise money. Her local work includes raising approximately $2 million for the Youth and Family Center capital campaign and the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant to the city. She is also the only NYS Registered Professional Fund Raiser within a 75-mile radius of Little Falls.
She enjoys a challenge. “Even though Little Falls is a very small city compared to others who had won the DRI Grant previously, and we had been told we ‘didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell’ of getting it…” she pushed ahead. “Game on!” Deborah laughs. “Dave and I wrote the downtown revitalization grant that was awarded for $10 million to the city, and I thought, I really want to be part of the solution.”
The grant was about reconnecting, rebuilding, and growing the city again. Working over 19 months, Deborah and Dave put together a successful grant proposal package. “Getting the DRI grant for the city will help, but we also know it is just a stepping stone. It would allow us to leverage that to go after additional grants and to really start moving forward on some of the things we need desperately.”
“I have a deep appreciation for what businesses do, and when I look at our small businesses downtown, I realize there is so much we could be doing to help support them, so they are more sustainable. Trying to open a business in this climate it’s really tough for people,” Deborah explains. “When you really start working with people, there are ways to collaborate and to share ideas and as a group to really achieve a whole lot more.”
What issues are most important to you?
“We have to strengthen the security and the safety of the community. It’s one of the top things people are concerned about,” Deborah says. “Financially, we need to assess our situation and be able to right the ship, so we are going forward in a sustainable way.” She says it’s important to uncover innovative ways to bring in more money to the city in order to continue to provide essential services (police, fire, ambulance, trash, roadways, etc.) without sacrificing others. “We need to be able to project out and build momentum from not only what we are doing today but move forward in a secure and sustainable way for the future.”
“When you don’t have jobs, it’s really hard for people to stay. Our unemployment is 7.5 %. We have a 31% poverty rate, so we have fewer people buying homes and paying taxes, and we lose population.” Her research also found “57% of the kids in our schools are getting the subsidized lunch program because of low income. Because of that poverty, 55% of those will not go to college.” Deborah mentions that Little Falls has a lot of good things going for it educationally, but we need to provide students with additional training opportunities and jobs here in the community. College is not the only path forward, and tradespeople are desperately needed in the area.
“We really have got to get busy. It requires a lot of effort. It requires a full-time Mayor, which I intend to be. It requires different thinking and collaborating, bringing people in that can help – both on the public side and on the private side.”
“I have the vision that we should be the beacon of hope for a lot of people, not only our own people. We’re the only city in Herkimer County. People should be looking to us to have an answer and to see what they can do with their community.”
Why Now?
“As time has gone on, I’ve realized that you can do just so much from the outside. And the time now, for me, is there’s more to be done. I can do more. It’s time, and I am going to do what I can.”
Deborah mentions the waterfront, the scenery, and the culture of Little Falls as a whole. “It’s charming! We have a hospital, a movie theater, a bakery, a butcher shop, a grocery store, great restaurants, and shops, and we have amazing city services. We really have a lot of things here to work with.” Her optimism and excitement are palpable. “The people are very welcoming – you don’t get that everywhere.”
“I am looking at Little Falls as a safe, prosperous, vibrant, and inclusive community. My perspective about why now? I feel like enough is enough. How long are we going to wait to fix this? The time is now. Let’s do it on our watch. Not just for today but so that the town has the vibrancy we grew up with long into the future.”
To learn more about Deborah Kaufman and her platform, please visit her website at: www.kaufmanformayor.com or meet with her at Bonita’s Sandwich Shop on March 6th and 20th from 1:30 pm until 4 pm each day or at Paca Gardens on March 24th from 2-5 pm.