NO LEFT TURN.
The 2013 Albany City
elections are underway.
The leftists who have taken
control of the Albany City
Schools now seek to gain
control of city government
in 2013.
All those who call Albany
home, have a stake in being
informed participants in the
2013 city elections.
As a longtime city resident
who has participated in city
local and state politics, as
well as neighborhood issues
for the past 40 years, I intend
to continue doing so in 2013.
To begin with, here are a few
thoughts.
1. Mayor Jennings has served
Albany for 20 years. He should
seek re-election in 2013 because
he is the person best qualified
to be Mayor at this critical time
in the history of the City of Albany.
2. The Common Council should
remain at 15 members. Keeping
the existing ward system offers
the best option for ordinary citizens
to participate in the electoral process.
Reducing the number of Council
seats would increase the role of
special interests in governing the
city.
3. Do not privatize the State Office
Campus. The SOC should remain
and be improved a the local hub
for state workers and agencies.
Having fewer state workers in
downtown would decrease traffic
congestion and parking problems
in downtown, and reduce commuter
traffic through city residential
neighborhoods.
Rebuild blighted neighborhoods
rather than spreading blight to the
SOC and adjacent residential
neighborhoods of the 12, 13, 14
15th wards.
4. Resist any efforts to privatize
Albany Municipal Golf Course.
The golf course is a multiple use
public facility which provides
walking and winter recreational
activities including skiing and
sledding, as well as scenic open
spaces and magnificent views of
the Catskills and Helderberg
Mountains.
The golf course is also home
for the popular Hartman Road
Community Garden site.
People and their canine pals may
enjoy the outdoors here.
However, irresponsible dog owners
threaten to ruin this privilege for
all, by not picking up after their
dogs.
5. Buckingham Pond Park needs
work, including shoreline stabilization
removal of dead trees and vines,
woodland management including
planting of replacement trees and
resurfacing the pathways with coarse
crushed bluestone. (Not powdered
which compacts and becomes
slippery when wet because it does
not drain).
6. Support the 765 KV hydropower
line from Quebec to NYC, provided
Albany can tap into this power to
reduce electricity costs for home
heating, businesses and expansion
of traditional manufacturing.
7. Rescind sanctuary status of the
city for illegal aliens, which was enacted
in 2007 by the Common Council.
8. Build a refinery at the Port of Albany
to refine oil shipped from the Dakota
Montana oil fields via rail. Expand this
to include oil shipped via pipeline and
or rail, from Alberta, .
9. Support drilling for natural gas in
New York. This will provide clean
energy and lead to economic rebirth
and jobs for Upstate New York in
21st Century, which will equal
or exceed the impact of the building
of the Erie Canal in the early 1800's.
10. Consolidate the city school district
with the city government, with the
mayor and common council accountable
for management and performance of
city schools, one property tax roll to
fund both , return to K-8 neighborhood
schools, and more local control over
the curriculums, including special
education.
UPDATE 12/4/12
Times Union reports that a new high school
proposal is being planned:
Retain Albany High at it's present location
which is near the Center Station of the APD
making it more accessible to the police
presence required when school lets out.
The present high school was built in 1974.
Rehab the existing building as needed.
Returning to a system of K-8 neighborhood
schools will eliminate the need for middle
schools.
Consolidate the city school district with
city government. Abolish the elected
school board.. Abolish the superintendent
position and trim the top heavy school
administration. Hire more teachers and
give them a greater role in managing the
schools as well as setting curriculums.
Students who, by 8th grade show that
they do not value learning, are not
academically inclined, and/or behave
in ways that disrupt the learning
environment , for students who value
education and want to learn, should
not be admitted to high school where
the focus is on academics.
They should be channeled into
training programs that will prepare
them to be gainfully employed
good citizens. Boot camp programs
for those that are discipline cases.
The drop out rate is about 50 percent.
No new high school campus is required.
Keep it where it is.
To propose an expensive new high school
building and claim that it " will change the
educational outcomes for thousands of students"
is absurd and an affront to the intelligence of
the homeowner and business property tax-
payers who would be saddled with a huge
property tax increase to pay for this proposed
boondoggle!
This shows how insensitive leftists are to
the present day economic realities and
the huge tax increases and more joblessness
coming our way after January 1, 2013 and
beyond.
Property taxpayers just say NO! to this
dumb proposal.
11. End the annual assault with road
salt that local and state governmentsas well as shopping centers dump
on the local environment. This "white
death" destroys our roads, bridges
buildings and our vehicles. Kills
street trees. Pollutes the air we
breathe and increases health problems.
Environmentalists... forget about
climate change. You can't control that
but you can do something about the
more immediate problem of road
salt..."The White Death".
12. Emergency/Disaster Preparedness.
Anticipate and prepare to survive
whatever may come our way today
tomorrow and in the year ahead.
Government can't save us. We must
save Albany, our government and
ourselves.
These are a few ideas for starters.
Stay tuned.
Joe Sullivan
No comments:
Post a Comment