Kingston voters made a statement about tax breaks for developers in a city school board election.

Incumbents James Shaughnessy, Robin Jacobowitz and Herb Lamb ended up easily holding off challengers Michele Milgrim and Matthew Branford.

The incumbents were attacked in interviews and on social media by developers and other politicians. The incumbents voted against a tax break of $25 million for the Kingstonian — a mixed-use project in uptown — over 25 years.

Three other school board members, who were not up for re-election this year, also voted against the tax break, which would withhold up to $18 million from the school district levy over 25 years.

The Ulster County Industrial Development Agency’s board then changed language in agency policy stating that approval from the school board was not necessary for the tax break to be awarded.

After the policy change, the IDA board voted up the tax break.

After the vote on Dec. 2, Kingstonian developers Joe Bonura Jr. and Brad Jordan lashed out in a blog post at the six board members who voted against the tax break and hinted that some board members would be challenged by candidates who would support the tax break.

“Ultimately, the public will have the opportunity to weigh in on this in May,” they wrote December 3.

Weigh in, they did.

Jacobowitz led the field with 2,182 votes, Shaughnessy finished second with 1,901 votes and Lamb finished third with 1,729 votes.

Milgrim received 1,113 votes and Branford finished last with 986.

The challengers received endorsements from Kingston Mayor Steve Noble and Ulster County Legislature Chairman David Donaldson, both of whom have been trying to push through the tax break for the $52 million project.

Several voters told Spectrum News their main reason for voting was to prevent the school district’s tax dollars from going toward development projects. A handful said they had never voted in a school board election before Tuesday.