Elizabeth Whitehouse

Have you been to Israel? I have, and it is the one country out of 90 I have been to that I will not go back to. I am not an anti-Semite; I am anti-Israeli. Remember that Arabs are also Semites. The Jews who settled in land stolen from Palestine are quite likely not even Semites. They tend to be eastern Europeans with absolutely no claim to the so-called Holy Land.

We differ as to who is the bully.

That is obvious.

I do not see Hamas as terrorists. I see them as freedom fighters. Israel is nasty.

You disappoint me. I thought you were better than that.

Maybe. Maybe not. Is it alright for Israel to commit atrocities on innocent Palestinians? Does one stand up to a bully or just quietly submit?

Yes. I am telling you that it is wrong for Israel to even contemplate flattening Gaza.

OK maybe this one wasn't, but they intend to flatten Gaza.

I don't think that I have posted any nonsense

do you have a better solution?

That is right.

What nonsense?

When I say that Elmira is keeping quiet, I mean that their website makes absolutely no mention of code issues. I live in Corning.

No one gets free services. The home owner is charged - fairly exorbitantly - for services provided by the city.

Yeah, right. I don't believe for a minute that Israel had nothing to do with attacking the hospital.

Absolutely. The property owner should be held responsible. But property owners are often absent and/or unwilling to put money into the upkeep of their properties. They should be fined for violations. That said, maintaining properties is not rewarding the landlord; it is enhancing the neighborhood, which is good for everyone.

If Elmira has such a law, it is keeping very quiet about it.

Tell that to landlords.

I may have said this before, but I'll say it again. Code enforcement sucks. The City needs to add a budget line to help homeowners keep their homes up to code - at least as far as safety is concerned. Over the past few years, I have climbed many unsafe steps and knocked on many doors that need help. I know of several businesses that wanted to set up shop in Corning but the Code Enforcement Officer thought otherwise.

This has happened several times in Corning (where I live). The State codes are very restrictive and, unfortunately, our Code Enforcement Officers apply the rules without discretion. That is, 100% adherence to the book and no room for exceptions.

How does one formulate a specific plan without access to all resources? Something which the incumbent has, but not the candidate. It all comes down to the budget.

Exactly.

Just curious: do you live in the city of Elmira, and, if so, are you planning to vote?

I see no problem with the campaign. We have had direct contact with about 2/3rds of voters (mostly excluding Republicans who tend to vote party line regardless). In the next two weeks, postcards will go out to the rest, including nearly 1000 registered Dems who have not voted in the past 3 elections. Voters - or rather those that can't be bothered to vote - absolutely are the problem.

I don't dispute your point. The flood has been blamed for all the city's woes. Quite certainly, the Mall, and the aggregation of big box stores nearby, have had serious consequences for Elmira. The geography of the city is also a problem. It is not easy to get to the city center. Revitalization means restoring life. It should not mean gentrification. Please note that this is me talking, not a spokesperson for Jim, although his ideas are similar. To re-invigorate downtown Elmira, one needs to make it easily accessible (public transport and parking) plus good reasons for coming downtown rather than going to the Mall. A department store would be great, but everyone agrees that you are never going to get an established one to set up shop. But it is possible to establish a consortium of very small businesses that trade in the various departments: a shoe store, a kid's clothing store, household goods, garden stuff, furniture, plus, plus, plus. All locally owned and operated.