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7 pointsThe voluntarily homeless could alleviate a lot of the problem if some of them were willing to do this: There are numerous programs (aside from temporary shelters) that provide housing, assist with job placement, offer mental health and substance abuse help, and assist in applying for public assistance services. The recipients of those services just need to be willing to follow rules and put at least some effort into behaving like a civilized human beings. I've known far too many people facing "hard times" (including myself). There is help. New York State is abundant with help. But it's not (and shouldn't be) unconditional help. Whether the "hard times" are partially due uncontrollable circumstances, or purely from poor choices.....making more poor choices will never improve the situation. Not accepting help because one refuses to agree to the "conditions" (basic human behavior, in a civilized environment) is a choice. Well, just off the top of my head....I don’t dump trash and noxious waste into the river every day as a lifestyle. Instead I reuse/recycle whatever possible, and properly dispose of other trash. And whenever I can, I also make an effort pick up trash that people with no respect toss on roads and other public places. OH...And when a horrific fire breaks out, I don't make wild false accusations about local government "burning" stuff.
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6 pointsnot much any County Legislator can do. you and as many neighbors you can muster, need to show up to meetings, with facts and numbers, and put those you all feel are in need of replacement on record for their positions. Once you have this, you can also choose candidates to replace them, and work hard at it, do not take one vote for granted. may not happen first election cycle, learn from it and plan for the following
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5 pointsCHEMUNG COUNTY - Local author Chris Sherwood is pleased to announce that his newest novel, In Times of Trouble: Crossroads, will be released on November 12, 2024. This latest book is the third and final in a post-apocalyptic trilogy. The story follows the people of Hammond’s Corners as they struggle to survive a cataclysmic event that leaves the United States without modern conveniences such as electricity and automobiles. And while it may be hard to imagine living in such circumstances, the stories take place in a fictional world many Chemung County residents may recognize. “When it came time to create this world, it seemed only natural to use a place I’m most familiar with,” Sherwood said. “Many locations throughout the book are inspired by actual places here in Chemung County. However, I did take some creative license, particularly when it came to distances and names. Even then, many of the towns are identified in the book by their historical names.” A fan of post-apocalyptic fiction himself, Chris says that ideas for the story came to him in 2016 while walking the family’s dog. “I was reading some great books at the time, stuff by William Forstchen and G. Michael Hopf, to name a couple. And while the dog and I were walking, I’d get to thinking, ‘What if that happened here?’ My imagination kicked in, and a story began to take shape. A couple of friends encouraged me to start writing them down, and the next thing I know, I’m creating this new world with a whole cast of characters. It was kinda crazy.” But it wasn’t until 2020 that he decided to publish it. “So COVID came along, and like many others, I had more spare time on my hands. So I dug it out and decided to put it out there for the world to see.” The book was met with positive reviews from readers. “To say I was nervous releasing it would be an understatement. But the feedback from readers was overwhelmingly positive. I received messages from people I hadn’t seen in years telling me they read and loved the book. It meant so much to me.” Spurred on by readers and the fact he’d already added a sneak preview that hinted at a sequel, Chris immediately began working on the follow-up, In Times of Trouble: Aftermath, which he released in 2022. “I’d kind of painted myself into a corner, so to speak,” he says, laughing. “I had added that little thing at the end, teasing a sequel, with no clue what would happen.” The second book ended in a way that could either be the final end or leave room for Sherwood to write more. “I pretended I wasn’t sure there’d be a third, but the truth was I knew there would be. I’d already imagined the ending of it; I just needed to come up with a story to get there.” Chris says he knew the third book could perhaps be more difficult and take longer to write, but there were times he wasn’t sure it would happen. “This one definitely fought me,” he says. “And I had already told myself this would be the last one. So I needed to come up with a story that left not only the reader satisfied but myself as well. So I was more than a little worried about whether it would work or not.” According to Chris, the beta-reader response let him know he had nothing to worry about. “The first one told me, ‘You did it!’ and then when the other two got back to me with similar responses, I thought, ’Holy ( expletive deleted), apparently I did!’” Sherwood says that once the new book is available, he plans to focus more on marketing and attracting new readers. That includes some promotional sales on all three titles that will be announced on his Facebook page and website. As for his next writing project? “Right now, I’m taking a little break to focus on getting these books into peoples’ hands. But I do have some ideas in a notebook, including some short stories, so we’ll see.” For more information or to order the In Times of Trouble trilogy, simply CLICK HERE
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5 pointsMy opinion: The emerging house hunting demographic is Gen Z. Millenials are pretty much established in the housing scene but they can be characterized by the following thoughts too. These generations are not really looking for that white picket fence, that ownership responsibility, the stay at a job for 30+ for the sake of loyalty and the retirement at the end where then they will travel and see the world. These generations are looking for someplace affordable to live in an area that calls to them on a different level. It isn't work/live/play as it was in my parents generation and mine to an extent. But it has become play/live/work. They are looking for areas where they can travel to and enjoy life now. They see the fleetingness of life and want to enjoy all there is to offer. They go to work to have money to spend on the fun. Yes, the needs but mainly they work for the weekend. If they find a location that they love to be at for the "play" then they might decide they want to live there and then find a job to go along with it. Rather than basing where they are going to live on the work they do, they base the work on where they decide to live based on loving to be there. With this in mind, affordable/market rate housing is what they are looking for as a "starter" home. These "kids" (anyone younger than me is a kid. I've gotten old lately) are also carrying with them some crazy college debt. My generation (I JUST make the Gen X generation category and I'm very happy for that) was one that was greatly pushed into college. That was the only way to go and you were throwing your life away if you didn't go (words spoken to me when I chose not to go to college after highschool but instead got married at 19 and started my family). The millenials to follow me and early into the Gen Z generations greatly continued that trend (thankfully the country is waking up to the great need of skilled trade workers). The credit worthiness and generational ties to the community that my fellow legislator aspires to have as a benchmark for how we do housing, simply does not speak to those entering the housing market search. They just want someplace they can lay their head that isn't going to cost them the opportunity to travel. They might not be able (nor want) to go to the bank and get that 30 year mortgage because they have the student loans coming along with them. 30 years ago....wait....that was 1994.....50 years ago, a 30 year mortgage was as much as these kids are carrying with them from college. They also are not looking for housing in the community they grew up in. The generational ties are not a driving force for them. I speak from the standpoint of having 2 children head off to college (they had very specific career goals that aligned with getting a college degree) and while I would love to think maybe my eldest will come back in the next couple years, she and her fiancee are looking at locations all over the country. They are looking for the place they WANT to live based on what it has to offer and then going to find the job. The ties of coming back home are not as strong as they use to be. Travel is easy. Keeping in touch with family is easy. There's no reason to simply come back to the ties because of nostalgia. We as a community have to rethink our approach. We have to build a community that draws people in and gives young adults and families things to DO. Once they find the area attractive, they then have to be able to find those affordable housing areas and fullfilling jobs. If we want our kids to stay/come back, we have to give them a solid reason. Building these affordable housing complexes is not a bad thing. (There are always going to be residents that don't want "X Y or Z in my back yard" no matter what is proposed.) Affordable housing does not mean crime ridden tenants or scum landlords. It can mean quality community members who are wanting to contribute to the area by being productive laborers and volunteers and board members and promoters. Its all about how WE present the community. If we provide the quality community to live in, we will attract the quality relocating neighbors.
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5 pointsCPR certification is just 1 part of being a certified lifeguard. Harris Hill and West Elmira are having issues finding certified lifeguards. It's actually a nationwide issue. They need to be able to know the difference between actual drowning which is quiet and oftentimes hard to see and a kid playing around. The insurance cost for a community pool using volunteers to watch swimmers versus certified lifeguards would be astronomical if they could even find coverage. I have fond memories of going to Brand Park and swimming as a child, but I wish they would hurry up and tear it down so I don't have to hear about it anymore.
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5 points
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5 pointsThey won't. They need civilization. They need access to stores' dumpsters, redeemable 5 cent cans, copper pipes they can cut up and sell, same as bikes. Even the most drugged-out individual needs food. Hiking a mile to the nearest housing development (in search of something to steal and pawn) is not high on their list. Wisner Park gazebo squatters should not yell at and/or threaten me if I walk too close to either structure. I should not fear for my life if I use the hiking path on the north side of Chemung River. I should also not be told that "if you don't like that the homeless live there, don't go there." And yet, we are encouraged to "show them respect/compassion," whatever that means.
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5 pointsThis topic began with thoughtful, reflective questions of how to get more black people involved in their community: It's unfortunate that, in two weeks’ time, it’s transformed into declarations that white privilege is so entrenched in the Twin Tiers (and presumably the entire country according to Rev Jim Wallis)....that black people are helpless in any attempt to elevate themselves. I’m hearing that you believe that white privilege is an immutable condition. That it’s the cause of all problems for all black people? And for someone not to judge others based on race, to not see color as a factor... is a “white trash answer”? It makes me curious why you’d try to brainstorm ideas to improve black communities (or even join an all-white church) looking for solutions, if the problem is insurmountably baked into everyone’s skin color (which none of us have the power to change). Let’s just rewind the whole conversation..... Unless the systemic racism you assert is the root cause of black struggles is somehow escalating over time (rather than being alleviated by the 14th Amendment, the Civil Rights Act, Affirmative Action etc), it doesn’t explain your observation how/why the sense of “community” among blacks has declined. If we want to revisit that discussion of comparing and contrasting various “communities” (past and present --because as I said before, white "communities" have suffered significant decline over the years as well) to identify helpful ideas, then I’ll be happy to weigh in. I really would like to talk about ways to revive lost sense of "community.....but I don't see how a white woman like me in the rural outskirts of the county simply "accepting" the idea that whites are bad will make much progress in getting black people in Elmira more engaged in their communities.
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5 pointsIn another topic recently ("Chemung County Asks For Public Input On Future Plans"), I posted some of my thoughts on the Medicaid mandate. Here's the gist of that: We frequently hear local officials lamenting that the NYS (constantly growing) unfunded Medicaid mandates are the costliest burden on the county budget (I believe over 55% of the County’s overall tax levy). The Legislature regularly passes resolutions “urging Albany” to reverse the economic damage these mandates create without more state funding. Obviously imploring Albany to stop the mandates just falls on deaf ears, so we need to find ways to reduce the impact of mandates at the county/local level. Plan for FQHC (one that’s run by effective management – which Arnot has proven not to be) would help alleviate the costs to taxpayers for Medicaid services. Hooray. However, instead of just focusing on ways to reduce the healthcare costs of Medicaid recipients.....it’s just way more logical to reduce the number of Medicaid recipients in the County.....by fostering solid "living wage" job opportunities (particularly at HS/GED education and/or entry levels). With that in mind, why do we allow taxpayers (through tax breaks, incentives, etc) to subsidize businesses that perpetuate the need for Medicaid and other assistance? Why do some elected officials continue to shower praise onto STEG/IDA and other ‘negotiating’ entities for securing deals that “create jobs”.....that are beneath subsistence level, instead of providing fulltime, living wages with health benefits that would bring residents off the Medicaid rolls? The retail/service jobs rarely offer fulltime. Even many employees at some of the “manufacturing” employers in industrial parks around HHDS/Big Flats (Demets Candy, CemeCon, etc) rely heavily on short-term employment and/or hiring through Addecco/Manpower temp agencies with no benefits. Unless it’s doctors, RNs or other positions requiring a degree.....most jobs that Arnot health has posted online at the HS/GED level (CNAs, Patient Asistants, etc) are at or below $16/hr. And if health benefits are offered, it’s often sort of pricey for the wages in question. At $16-17/hr, the majority with any dependents (or single individuals working less than full time) are eligible for Medicaid. So after we've thrown bundles of money at companies to "create jobs", the county still incurs the cost of healthcare for their workers. The economic development agencies like STEG and CCIDA need to be persuaded to recruit businesses that will offer wages/benefits above the Medicaid levels instead of subsistence level or below. Unfortunately, the boards of those agencies have members who are “business leaders” that may not want to face wage competition if they bring some higher paying industry to the area. For example: The CEO of Arnot Health is on the STEG Board of Directors. How would he retain the HS/GED employees currently working for them at $15.50/hr (and likely eligible for Medicaid) if STEG was able to bring a warehouse to the area that would pay $22/hr ?
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5 pointsThis right here. Now I can think of THREE candidates who are vocal and, judging by their social media posts, have a lot of ideas about how things should be done. So the obvious answer would be for at least one of those people to throw their hat in the ring. I'm gonna assume you meant they said "there never used to be." Which, of course, is a cop out used by municipalities across the county and beyond. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "Well the way we've always done it..." That's great, but that was 20-50 years ago. Times change, let's do something different, especially if the old ways aren't working. All the more reason to run for their positions.
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5 pointsWelcome back! This place doesn’t have as much 'action' as some FB groups...but for me, the absence of drama and negativity is well worth it! I'm wishing you all the best for vanquishing the malignancy. I know how those clumps disrupt every life they touch.
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5 pointsThis was the headline that got my attention: Source He sounds like a scorned lover. I have a solution. How about we stop funding BOTH!
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5 pointsThank you @Lawana Morse I truly hope that the IDA provide the transparency and accountability that we all expect and deserve. Including a past accounting of their use of taxpayer money to give the Legislature and the public a full context. Okay, we can all agree that the misguided decision to “invest” $1.25 million into the (then) “City of Elmira’s” hockey arena was made by county Legislators who have all since ‘left the building’. Even in 1999, that decision was not without controversy (I believe a 10-5 vote). However, a number of our current legislators were in office by the time the last "private" owner (current Aviation Director, Tom Freeman) occupied the Arena. All of the Legislators who have currently held four or more terms of office voted for a 25yr commitment (2014 – 2039) to provide $103,000/yr of Room Tax Revenue to the IDA for the Arena....as well as in 2016 when the IDA made the decision to “assume temporary ownership” of the Arena and the Legislature voted to also funnel $1 million in Casella funds to the IDA’s acquisition of the Arena. (That 25yr Room Tax commitment makes one wonder just how “temporary” the arrangement was intended to be. We’re 10 years [over $1 million] into it with another 15 years [1.5 million] to go.) And in the last 2 years... the $875k in ARP funds. I can’t be certain that other county tax money hasn’t been spent (it’s quite likely I’m unaware of some). But those I’ve noted amount to over $2.9 million paid to the IDA in last 7 years.....and another $1.5 million committed through 2039. Room tax (2014-2024) $103,000x 10yrs: $1.03 million Casella funds (June 2016): $1 million ARP funds: $875,000 Still promised, Room tax (2025-2039) $103,000x 15yrs: $1.545 million And then there is whatever Donner may or may not have deposited into that wonderful “capital” account that the latest (Nov 2021) IDA lease required. That agreement was made under the current IDA leadership – no passing the buck to “past actors” who mismanaged the situation. That provision “guaranteed” a minimum of $125k per year from Arena revenues (with promises that it would likely be at least twice that amount). How much had Donner put into that ‘kitty’ in the 20 months before the lease was terminated? And where is that money? If that amount is anything less that a quarter million dollars....can we have some explanation from Margeson/Roman why they abjectly failed to hold Donner to that agreement (and some justification on why/how we should trust them now?
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5 pointsHere is a publications regarding the background of the IDA. It is from May of 2006. Industrial Development Agencies in New York State: Background, Issues and Recommendations (ny.gov) The IDA is not a county entity. The IDA organization is a state creation. They have oversite from the OSC. Each IDA has a governing board and a director that is in charge of the day to day operations. "Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs) are public benefit corporations originally authorized by the Industrial Development Agency Act of 1969 and governed by the provisions of Article 18-A of the General Municipal Law. Since that time, 177 IDAs have been legislatively authorized and 115 remain active today." (At time of publication of above document) The county gives organizational funding to the IDA each year just as funding is given to CCE, STC, Soil and Water, etc. (You can see this information on the budget overview portion of the 2024 county budget.) IDAs receive funding from the state. They also can issue bonds, hold a lease, and "typically maintain their operations by charging various fees to the businesses that participate in their projects". I am unsure if the IDAs are able to go after grant funding themselves also but they do work with other organizations that can obtain project grants. I fully admit that I am still learning and gathering information on the IDA organizations across the state and how they have actually helped the communities. Anyone that has resources and articles that give the facts of the IDAs across the state, please feel free to email me links.
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5 points
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4 pointsid kick in if it gets this guy to give it a rest damn
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4 pointsPeople that get food stamps and cash assistance should get a financial incentive after kid 2 to get their tubes tied.
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4 pointsI remember in school when I used to talk about Mr Rogers fighting for our rights to educate ourselves and it seems like we've lost that ability to do so but we've gotten lazy news isn't reporting news anymore they're just reporting opinions.
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4 pointsI’m not familiar with exactly which news stories you’re referring to. But from the county meetings I've followed....there are two proposals for an FQHC. The Chautauqua group for which the Legislature approved ARP funding for in 2022. The Blue Women’s Center building on Walnut was (is?) owned by Dr Surosky.....who said last year that he intended to donate that property to the Chautauqua group after that was approved by the Legislature. At this week’s Legislative meeting, the Chautauqua representative indicated the Walnut St site has been in operation for a few months....and needs some renovations to meet some state/federal requirements to proceed with full FQHC certification. They are still waiting for Moss to send the money that the Legislature authorized and placed in the budget so they can do the renovations and finalize the FQHC grants from the feds. And then there’s a separate more recent FQHC effort that was pitched a month or two ago....by Cayuga/Arnot. The old St Joe’s was mentioned as a likely site should that project go forward. As yet, that has not been put to any resolution for County funding. And quite frankly.....I don't think there's any legitimate reason for tax money to support this second proposed project. We supported the first one and are still waiting for the Exec to pull his head out of his ass and proceed. AOMC has proven again and again to be a complete failure, and grubbing for tax money to screw up more services is simply insulting.
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4 points
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4 pointsIf they don't like what is or is not offered they can always go back where they came from and deal with that.
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4 pointsOr maybe don't just blindly vote blue or red and do some research on the candidates and vote for the person best for the job regardless what party they are.
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4 points
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4 pointsThey could choose to abide by basic rules of safety and security (prohibiting drugs/weapons) and accept services from one of facilities and programs available.
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4 pointsAre today's kids even interested in swimming? If you have AC and video games at home, why would you go to a pool? I had an inground swimming pool and couldn't get my kids interested in swimming in it after they were 9 or 10..We filled it in and I am learning about gardening.
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4 pointsYou might notice a few subtle changes as I'm sprucing the place up a little. In addition to changing the background pic, I also changed the names of a couple forums to give them a little more color. One borrowed from iElmira and another borrowed from the early days of this site. With help from @AndyI'm also sprucing up the way the site url shows up when shared on social media. I'm just waiting for the internet to catch up with the change.
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4 pointsBy definition, “picking a side” means the other side is an adversary. That seems completely contradictory to the idea of “peace and stability”.
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4 pointsThis is looking north on Huck Finn road, itself north of Horsie. On the left you have the Pennsylvania Railroad, currently the Catharine Valley Trail, in the middle you have the prism of the Chemung Canal, and on the right in the brush is the Elmira and Seneca Lake Railway. https://www.facebook.com/schuylerhistory/photos/a.206553156054798/4522750174435053/?paipv=0&eav=AfYjX9khz_S0yb5gI2Yd-i0HZl-8fl6U07PLT4KaYqeI0k9Omy_vymt4rsYzBR3Zxvs&_rdr
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4 pointsWhen people are advertising something new that they hope to do every year and advertise it as the "First Annual" that drives me crazy. Since annual mean yearly and it has never happened before you cannot have a first annual anything. The proper word to use is inaugural. That is my biggest if many pet peeves
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4 pointsEvery fair has a carnival, but carnivals do not have fairs The difference between a fair and a carnival is what happens away from the grandstands and midways. What I mean by that is years ago a fair was where the community got together and had fun and took a break from their day to day duties. Did you know they judge almost everything at a fair. Even if you are not a farmer, you can enter things to be judged in the Chemung County Fair . Do you like to paint? Well they have a judging for oil & acrylics and separate one for water colors Maybe you just like to draw, got a class for that. You like to take pictures? They have a black & white and a color class you can enter. None of that interests you what about Ceramics, woodcraft, macrame, crocheting, embroidery or hand knitting? Guess what, we have classes for all those. You like to make quilts or other type of clothing? We got you covered! Cakes, Pies, cookies, breads? Guess what? All can be entered! For these categories in addition to the sample submitted to the display building a separate plated sample needs to be dropped off at the AG building with my name written on it for a separate judging. 😉😉 Maybe you have a fantastic garden, why not enter some of your flowers, fruits and or vegetables? Come on, we want to see you tomatoes and cucumbers!! You have no garden, but you have a house full or maybe just 1 really cool plant! They judge them also. These things are just a few of the many things they judge in addition to the cows, pigs, rabbits, chicken, guinea pigs and jackalopes! Well, maybe not jackalopes! It is easy to enter also. First thing you have to do is pay a $15 fee to join the AG Society. Then you pay the entrance fee. I know what you are saying it is probably expensive to have things entered, but if I win I will be rich. (Insert evil laugh while rubbing hands together) Well, no and definitely no! After you join the AG Society the fee to enter things that are not alive is between $.30 and $.70 with somethings up to a $1.00. The winner wins a different amount based on the category but for most it is between $2 and $5. So you will not be rich, but if you win you get a cool blue ribbon and bragging rights for a year. I mean who doesn't want to brag they have the best houseplant in the county for a year? You can enter as many categories as you want. A like to the exhibitor guide is below The first link is the animals and the other stuff starts at the 2nd link. I would love to see people I know enter and win the categories. If you need any help in entering for the first time or the 20th the first page has contact information for the superintendent of your category.
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4 pointsAs there is always intelligent conversations happening in this forum, I thought I would share this publication from the New York State Association of Counties. It is a bit dated (2019) but gives a nice basis of understanding of what the local goverments have to deal with when budget season arrives. We are a few months out from the 2025 County budget discussions yet good conversation and feedback is always appreciated. https://www.nysac.org/media/mipozilb/state-of-state-mandates-2019.pdf
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4 pointsI am willing to talk to anyone interested in running against him. I do not know if he is planning on running in 2026. I've heard conflicting information. I would love to see a page full of candidates for all seats at all levels. We passed the terms limits for Legislature and Executive and now we have to prove that quality candidates will step forward. One of the opposition arguments was no one steps up to run. I am talking with others to put together a candidate bootcamp type of program. Whatever level of government, we need to help candidates navigate running campaigns. BUT we also need recruitment at all levels. Finding those willing to run who may not have thought about it or who feel like they don't have what it takes.
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4 pointsNo, I wouldn’t. I am who God intended me to be. I applied for a job, was hired for that position, then I was told I couldn’t have that job because I was the wrong color. I was a white woman and the organization had to hire a black woman. I can truthfully say I was disappointed but I didn’t get angry. I had already learned that life isn’t always fair no matter who you are. Another time, the President of the company I was with at that time once told me he didn’t want to hire me because I was fat and fat people were lazy but the Vice President saw something in me. People of color aren’t the only ones to experience discrimination because there will always be someone who has biases no matter who you are. What matters is how you handle those situations and yourself. You can’t let someone else’s ignorance be the deciding factor in how you live your life, you keep trying.
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4 pointsAll good question! Of course, it's also a challenge for any residency for the 'unhoused' to balance residents' freedom/independence against basic rules of safety and conduct. Many choose to remain unhoused rather than be subjected to policies that prohibit drugs/weapons, etc. (And no one can be forced to accept services for drug treatment or mental health). Also, the fact that New York State own the property. Local communities have no authority to decide the fate of closed prisons....and NYS takes years and years to approve any use for them. Bayview (prime Manhattan real estate off Chelsea Pier) has sat empty since 2012. Warren Buffet's family foundation couldn't get approval to invest $50M to use it to offer services for formerly incarcerated women. In our own backyard, Monterey Shock facility has languished to the elements since it closed in 2014.....with NYS declining all kinds of proposals over the years to purchase it for anything from rehab facility to tourism.
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4 pointsGreat idea, housing-wise, but would you do to keep these folks busy/entertained/occupied? How would you get them to/from work, assuming they'd be interested in becoming productive members of our community? Would you work with C-Tran on designing a special route to the former correctional facility, so that its new residents can get to/from work on time? Who would pay for such route, if that was to happened? The campus is far from any main drag and/or any commercial activities. The homeless aren't wealthy enough to afford their own transportation. Would YOU like to live in a concrete block with very little sunlight? Methinks not.
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4 pointsThat must be damm good chicken to make people come up from GA to rob the place!!
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4 pointsHow long has it stood there, unoccupied? Every structure needs periodic maintenance; has the owner done anything? Note that the listing contains only one image. The price went down from $275K to $195K, which is disconcerting. I'm afraid to think what condition is the theatre in.
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4 pointsOne of the few aspects of social media (and the internet in general) that I believe is appropriate for the government to address......is holding adult subscribers accountable for activity that they allow children to engage in. No child is allowed to enter into a contract with a cell service or ISP. It’s the parents who own every device and agree to TOS for the services those devices transmit over. They are answerable for all content generated or stored therein. If those adults provided children access to any 'tangible' adult product (alcohol, etc), they would be held accountable. Starting over a decade ago with the first camera phones. If whoever owned that phone faced child pornography charges when a kid shared naughty pics via “sexting”.....parents would have found a way to stop it from happening really fast. Either by closer monitoring, or taking the device away. If a parent hands their 10yr old the keys to their car.....they are legally liable for any consequences that result. The same applies to children who bully or threaten other kids. If adults who “own” the device/service being used for those purposes are subject to prosecution, they will take action to prevent their kids from doing it.
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4 pointsThat's for sure. Wasn't "private" ownership supposed to be well run and better than government running things? It should be since our govt can't get out of its own way. No reason to ask for funds from taxpayers. New management would be the first thing to look at.
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4 pointsIt looks great. Will make an even better open air restroom for the bridge dwellers
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4 points
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4 pointsAnd I'll make this clear for the 1000th time: Anyone ( and we both know who you are, I see you lurking ) who wants to have a conversation about this or anything is more than welcome to sign up for an account and chime in. I do not make it a habit to block people ( two in more than 12 years and with good cause ) and all viewpoints are welcome. But this is not the echo chamber some are accustomed to, so if you make a statement, you better be prepared to back it up with fact. I doubt a single one will take me up on that though.
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4 pointsJust when you think you've witness peak stupidity around here, something like this comes along. You have got to be shitting me. The wrong people are being chased out. That goes for the entire city.
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4 pointsHe didn't call for any (corporeal) bloodbath, he's simply predicting an (economic) bloodbath if the current administration continues its path. And he's not necessarily wrong about that. But it's not his supporters who are spreading the inflammatory out-of-context phrase....the problem is those who are against him that are hoping to foment fear and counting on the idea that voters who "don’t understand context" will believe he is calling for a "bloodbath" if he doesn't win.
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4 pointsConsidering that Granicus has not provided adequate support for their Streaming platform, it does not give me a lot of confidence in their PEAK agenda software that the Exec purchased. I'm further amazed that a few people commented on Strange's post that the County should consider hiring outside IT services to get the Streaming issues resolved. For the $26k/year subscription that we are paying them, Granicus should be able to work with our County IT Department. And if we need "outside experts" because the County IT Department isn't proficient enough to handle it, the Legislature should be considering whether the 15 FTE employees with a payroll of over $800k/year plus benefits are a good investment.
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4 pointsYes. It's frustrating watching from the outside and frustrating seeing it more in depth from the inside - especially when you're damned if you do - damned if you don't. I saw on another forum someone playing the party blame game "This wouldn't be happening if partyX was in control". All I can say to that is a big ole' "B-S". This isn't a party issue. It's a personality issue. An issue of forgetting - or never even caring - why you are elected in the first place. There is blame on both sides and nothing is going to change unless the desire for complete control is abandoned.
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4 pointsI would love to hear some feedback from more in the community regarding the resolution we passed through committee last night that supports an end-to-end audit of the NYS voter rolls. I have heard a few voices for and a few against and all are very passionate in their stance. I voted it through the committee and am most likely going to vote it through on the floor for a few reasons: I see this resolution as a show of support to those in the community who feel like something is off with our voter rolls in the state. I honestly don't think that resolutions from the counties and towns do much to sway the state floor. During Covid, one of the biggest frustrations for me was feeling like concerns were simply swept under the rug. I remember conversations with school officials that I left feeling like I wasn't taken seriously and that I was given a pat on the head and told to run along rather than having my concerns actually addressed. Those interactions made me think there was some stuff going on that shouldn't be. If there's nothing to hide, will it really hurt to put the concerns and fears to bed? I don't see how asking for confirmation that all is well feeds into the "misinformation." I appreciate all the work our county BOE does (there are things they go above and beyond to do that are not required to help ensure our county rolls are accurate), but as I saw while out campaigning, there is cleanup needed. I like to think I am an honest person with integrity and that I don't have a scammer's imagination, BUT I can think of at least 4 different ways how I could commit election fraud. I can't even begin to imagine all the ways someone with bad intent and lots of resources could do so.
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4 points“We reached out to all 15 legislators for a comment on how they voted. In an email, Chairman Mark Margeson, who voted in favor of the raises, said “I currently have no comment.” Source How absolutely insulting to the taxpayers ( you know, those of us who aren’t able to give ourselves raises ) to tell us we need to cough up more money, then take more for yourself. This scenario seems familiar to me… “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples….Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink the milk and eat those apples.” And then to just say, “No comment?” C’mon Mark, you can do better than that. At least explain your rationale for taking money out of our wallets and putting it in your own. Granted, it won’t make it alright, but it’s less a slap in the face than “no comment” and carrying on, business as usual. A huge THANK YOU to Bill, Lawana, and the others who tried to do the right thing for the people they represent. I hope Moss vetoes this pay raise.
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4 pointsExactly..... If they want to demand the steadily increasing rents, they'd need to bring back the benefits that they removed over the last several decades that had made that square footage "gold" in the first place. From the time the Arnot Mall was built until somewhere in the mid-late ‘90s, it operated with the basic recipe/formula that made other malls across America thrive (and justifying the higher rent costs to their tenants). Free Events like pageants, art shows, parades, etc drawing consumers into the facility. Non-Competition clauses in their leases that promised tenants that they wouldn’t have to fight over customers for identical goods and services right down the hall.....while providing consumers with a Wide Variety of shops & services. Anchor Stores comprised of large, popular, national retailers with traffic from a consistent customer base. Then we saw some of the “ingredients” in that recipe being skimped on (or completely omitted) in order for the Mall Management to squeeze more profits...... Instead of hosting free events, they began charging vendors to participate (like the Farmer’s Market Chris mentioned). Eventually, they just offered up corridors full time to any fly-by-night junk dealer who wanted a booth. There was also no longer any attempt to protect older tenants from competition. Any new booth or storefront can come along and sell the same stuff as the next guy. And with the rent being too damn high.....a lot of those new tenants don’t invest in any remodeling or refacing of the old business. They just throw tarps up as walls and use temporary banners for signage. Whereas people used to show up for themed free events, no one goes to the Mall for the enjoyment of browsing a dozen cheap booths and trashy stores full of the same Chinese junk they can get at Dollar General. So...less traffic. And less traffic means more of the businesses leave– so raise the rent of course! Because going back to the business model that was successful would just be crazy.
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4 pointsFor most things in my own life, I absolutely prefer a practical approach of reusing and repurposing. But million+ square foot commercial properties aren’t like old sinks that can be painted a new color and used for some completely different function, like a kitschy planter. It’s one thing to add non-structural walls to a relatively small building and create office space and/or studio apartments, etc. However, the larger the property that was built to accommodate a specific enterprise, the more impractical it is to “revamp” to another use. Yes, third world countries (that do not have the means to start over) are often forced to try things like turning abandoned factories into hospitals. But those “repurposed” facilities are not by choice. They are substandard and far inferior to their practical and functional counterparts that were built to serve as hospitals. Example: Over its 25 years of dormancy......it was painfully clear that the A&P Plant as it stood, would never have been practically suited for anything other than what it was built for. No amount of retrofitting and redecorating could have ever turned it into some other use that would be modern, operational, and profitable.....like a Walmart, a hotel, a medical center, a truck plaza, or an apartment complex, etc. Period. And the Mall, as it stands, will never be practicably suited for any of those uses either.