Elizabeth Whitehouse

And how does a candidate find out the concerns of the constituency before he gets out and talks to them? The structure of the debate did not allow for direct questioning of the other candidate. They seldom do, making them more like pop quizzes than debates.

I'm with you on that!

It's not clear what you were expecting. I agree with you that the answers were not riveting. Not from either man. Jitters played a large part in Jim's first-ever debate performance, and, yes, he was unprepared. How do you prepare for a debate when you have no idea what questions you will have to answer? The incumbent has a huge advantage as he can - and did - respond to many questions that "we are already doing that". Which may or may not be true. Jim is an excellent candidate with a vision to restore pride in the city and build community. For him, being mayor is a mission, not just a job.

Really? You think that people choose to be homeless? In a city where more than a third of people live in poverty.

Point taken. However, my house is all electric powered by my own solar panels. And my garden is a chemical-free carbon sink. I'm pretty sure that I am carbon negative. Incidentally, I did not write about my faith. I have none.

No. My remarks are unlikely to sway anyone who has been indoctrinated into a belief system. But, nevertheless, they are worth making. My purpose is to lay bare the myth of religion. Christianity, in particular has been incredibly destructive. And the world would be better off without “beliefs" of any kind. This world is so utterly amazing. Humans are not special. In fact, we are, not so slowly, destroying the planet. If that is god’s doing, I want nothing to do with it.

This is the kind of comment that has had me kicked off other sites. I have travelled to 90 countries and logged millions of miles. Not all of the travel was fun, but I can assure you that God had nothing to do with it. Because god does not exist.

No idea. And I am 75.

I am replying to Adam, who wrote: along with some previous concerns, i would like to know what, if any plans for attracting viable businesses to the area, or what ideas there are to bring back agriculture to the County...despite having a supposedly strong Ag bureau, farming has continuously declined in our are. there is a lot of land just sitting. My thoughts: Better than attracting new businesses to the area, there are many opportunities to start home-grown ones. Walking around the 13th District, I am shocked at how many buildings are empty and decaying. This applies to houses and defunct business locations. and the parking lots!!!! What if he City of Elmira took the $1,000,000 it is planning to spend on an irrigation system for the Mark Twain Golf Course, and established a distressed housing revolving loan program. The house I bought cost 52,000 and will need maybe 20,000 to get it into good shape. I think I will then sell it, and buy another foreclosed house, financed with the proceeds from this one. I am using local labor to do the work I can't do myself (that is most of it) and trying to find builders and handymen has shown up a great need for more people skilled in this area. A co-operative of all such tradespeople with a central point of contact would make it much easier for homeowners to get the help they need. And maybe more people would train to go into the business. As for agriculture, there is a lot of land sitting. Those parking lots I mentioned. They could be depaved and turned into small urban farms. This would have the great advantage of greening the city, both literally and figuratively. It would help absorb storm water, which would reduce pressure on the Elmira WWTP, which needs upgrades that could cost as much as 300 million. That is if it is rebuilt using current technology - and outside consultants and companies. There is, however, the possibility of treating water biologically through a constructed wetland. Farms outside the city may need to look at their business models, moving to more diverse crops and produce that can be marketed locally. There are a number of successful small farms in the area. To help with marketing, some entrepreneurs could utilize some of the many empty stores to set up a series of permanent farm markets selling what is seasonally available. Arguably, the higher quality of freshness and lack of chemicals would improve health and reduce pressure on the CCNF. There are so many possibilities.

Thank you for your much-researched reply. I would agree that there is too much crime in a number of cities. These reports do not indicate an INCREASE in crime, except, it seems for Rochester. The Sheriff there makes some good points about city-dwellers having less trust of the police and the need for some reforms. But his remarks about bail reform are misleading. It does not mean that repeat offenders or those accused of violent crimes are allowed to walk free. It means that someone accused (but still technically innocent) of a minor crime is jailed if they are not able to come up with enough cash to pay bail. (The original purpose of bail was to ensure that the accused showed up in court.) Not locking up innocent people is not, I repeat not, a pro-criminal policy.

"Take back" is one of the most meaningless expressions in politics. What are you taking back? Where has it been? What rise in crime? I have done quite some research and can find absolutely nothing addressing crime in upstate New York. What have I missed?