2005 Weekly Messages

01/06/05 - Troy Welcomes Back 21 Soldiers From Iraq
On a more humorous note, Tom came up to me after everyone had said there hello’s, and mentioned that he was going to replace me one day. I’d like to say, “Bring it on,” but I’m more inclined to say you would do a wonderful job. There is nothing that pleases me more than when I see a young man who loves the City of Troy as much as I do.

01/13/05 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This weekend we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Monday we will take a day of remembrance for the man who changed our country forever. Sometimes it does us well to pause and think about exactly who a human being was or is. Dr. King is a hero to many people, but decades down the road, his legendary heroic attributes will transform him into a folk-like champion of human rights. How fitting a tribute that will be to a man who dared to change the face of our country.

01/20/05 - Upper Hudson Rivers and Estuaries Center
The overall perception is that this project can bring a lot to the City of Troy. Through a join partnership with the City, New York State Department of State and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute the Rivers and Estuaries Satellite Center has the potential to provide public access to the Hudson River, public recreational opportunities along the river, and supply connectivity to other local resources on the Scolite property.

01/27/04 - Snow Emergency
I would like to take a minute to clear up any confusion about the last storm and the City not calling a snow emergency. I released a statement to the media asking that, if possible, people move their cars into the driveway or a parking garage to assist us in the cleanup. It is very difficult for people in Troy to have a snow emergency because of a lack of places to park. Voluntarily asking for people to move their cars worked well this time.

02/10/05 - FREE Skating At The Knickerbacker Ice Rink
We are once again opening up the Knickerbacker Ice Rink during Presidents Week for free skating. So many kids have the week off, it only makes sense to open it up for the entire City to use, FREE of charge.

02/16/05 - Letter From David Paul
I have a quick message this week, and that is to keep all the soldiers in Iraq and around the world, in your thoughts and prayers. This week I received a message from one of our firefighters in Iraq, and I wanted to share a little bit with you.

02/24/05 - Garnet Baltimore Honored For Black History Month
As February reluctantly comes to a close next week, I thought I would take a moment and recognize one of Troy’s lesser-recognized citizens from more than a century ago, and who was honored earlier this month by the City Council as part of Black History Month.

03/03/05 - Rezoning Of The Hoosick Street Corridor
The corridor is currently the second most heavily traveled road in the Capital District, and we have long underutilized it. It has the potential to be a great generator of tax revenue for years to come. As I said in my State of the City Address, whether it is hotels, shops, or medical offices, we will soon collect on what we have been sorely missing out on. People commuting to work on a daily basis, skiers heading to Vermont for a weekend, traffic from the Saratoga racing season, and leaf peepers in the fall- all of them drive right through our city.

03/17/05 - Book Signing By Maura Shaw
This past weekend, the City was host of a wonderful event at the Arts Center for a book signing by Maura Shaw, whose latest novel is getting great reviews.

03/24/05 - Earth Day Cleanup
It is time to start planning the annual Earth Day cleanup. During the past 15 months we have strived to improve the look and feel of the City of Troy. This year, Earth Day will be a day to capitalize on those improvements.

03/31/05 - Grants Awarded For Riverfront Development Project / Earth Day Cleanup
I’m pleased to announce that we have been awarded two grants from New York State to help in our Riverfront development. North Central received a grant for $50,000 and South Troy received an $86,750 award. That is great news all around.

04/07/05 - Spring Clean
This week’s column is a reminder that spring-cleaning begins next week, and once again we are looking for the cooperation of all residents to ensure it is a success.

04/14/05 - Vandalism Of Frear Park Golf Course
Last week someone committed an act of vandalism on the course with a vehicle, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. There is no excuse for such juvenile behavior, and there is an award for $750 leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible. Frear Park is a true gem in our City, and we would like it to be treated as such. Any information about the vandalism should be given to the Troy Police Department.

04/21/05 - Earth Day Celebration
Just a few things to keep in mind when you’re doing the annual spring cleanup. It’s a very infectious act, once one person in the neighborhood starts cleaning; suddenly others begin to join in. That helps us in our goal to clean up the City block-by-block, neighborhood-by-neighborhood.

05/05/05 - Great Places To Eat And Drink In Downtown Troy
It is a beautiful day for a walk in the City of Troy, which means it’s a beautiful day for me to let you know about all the great places to eat and drink in downtown. Some of these places you will know well, others are brand new and you may not have had a chance to visit them yet. Either way, there is a bevy of lunchtime culinary delights awaiting you in our historic downtown.

05/12/05 - Dan’s Hauling And Demolition Fire
It is a sad loss for the City, but hopes of saving the building disappeared a long time ago. Instead this has the potential to be an opportunity to build up. The owners of the business have already reopened business as of this writing, and they will tear down the structure in the coming days. The area is still zoned industrial after our recent rezoning, and it is my hope that they will build back up again on the site.

05/19/05 - Lansingburgh's Declaration Of Independence / Restuarants In Lansingburgh
If you’re looking for something interesting to do, I’ll be in Lansingburgh on Sunday, across from Mahoney’s Inn, reading the Lansingburgh Declaration of Independence, which turns an amazing 230 years old Sunday.

05/26/05 - Memorial Day Message
Memorial Day was originally established as a holiday for us to remember and honor those who have died while serving the United States. And while the Veteran’s groups out there certainly do their best on a yearly basis to promote all many causes, often people overlook the true meaning of Memorial Day.

06/02/05 - River Jam Event / Other Upcoming Events
This coming weekend we have an exciting event planned for Riverfront Park. It is the inaugural River Jam, organized by Bill LeRoux from Albanystage.com The show is some of the better jam bands from around the country and area coming together to benefit the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.

06/10/05 - Flag Day Parade
I’m sure everyone knows by now that the Flag Day Parade is the largest celebration of its kind in the United States and is billed by organizer as one of the most enduring event, and its tough to argue with that point. It’s amazing to see the tens of thousands of people lined up on the street for this parade each and every year.

06/16/05 - River Street Festival
It’s that time of year again in the City of Troy. For the second straight year we’re kicking off the summer in style as downtown plays host to the Second Annual River Street Festival.

06/23/05 - Filing Of 2004 Annual Report
Despite record increases in retirement and health care costs, as well as annual contractual raises that amounted to a jump in more than $3 million for the 2005 budget, we finished the 2004 calendar year with a modest unreserved fund balance of $989,324.

06/30/05 - Guardian Angels
By no means do I consider the City of Troy perfect when it comes to crime. However, we do not have the same problems other places are dealing with. In the last year, crime in the City of Troy is down 4.9 percent. Add that to the fact that crime was already lower than other major cities, and we are well ahead of the curve.

07/07/05 - 9th Annual Civil War Re-Enactment
For the first time in history the 9th Annual Civil War Re-enactment will take place in Prospect Park. With its rolling hills and unique landscaping, Prospect Park will be the perfect host for the historical re-enactment.

07/14/05 - Troy Declared A 'Preserve America Community'
Let me take a little while to talk about the latest designation for the City of Troy. Earlier this week we received a letter from the White House proclaiming Troy to be the latest municipality in the United States to be declared a Preserve America Community.

07/21/05 - Riverfront Park Revitalize Plan
Earlier this week we had the wonderful opportunity to present a new plan to the City Council that my administration believes will completely revitalize the area that is now Riverfront Park. The Engineering and Planning departments in the City have recently completed the plan, which has been in the works for around a year.

08/04/05 - 8th Annual Mayor’s Cup
For the second consecutive year the Frear Park Conservancy will be the beneficiary of proceeds raised from the Mayor’s Cup tournament. This group has done a wonderful job over the past few years in improving different areas of the park. Many of the new beautiful flowerbeds throughout the park are the result of the conservancy, as are many tree plantings, continued work on the water fountain, and the memorial tree and bench program.

08/11/05 - Benefit For Tsunami Victims
This week we have started planning a last minute concert in Riverfront Park on August 25th at 7 p.m. to benefit Tsunami Victims through the Friends of Sri Lanka Fund.

08/18/05 - Second Annual Running Of The Troy Stakes
This year we have the extra boost of being on the same day as the Alabama. Some would look at that as being overshadowed by one of the more famous races in the country, but the optimistic side of me tends to believe it is another way to spread the word about the good things happening in Troy.

08/25/05 - Changes To City Of Troy's Vehicle Fleet
Because of the continuing rise of prices, in the City of Troy we have begun to make changes to our vehicle fleet to become more efficient.

09/01/05 - RPI Inducts Garnet Baltimore Into It's Hall of Fame
During its Annual Alumni ceremony this year, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will induct Garnet Douglass Baltimore into its Hall of Fame on Friday, September 9th. The City of Troy is joining in the celebration of Garnet Douglass Baltimore’s life by ceremonially renaming a portion of 8th Street in honor of the first African American to earn a bachelor’s degree from RPI.

09/08/05 - New Orleans Tragedy
For the better part of 10 days all of our eyes have been transfixed on the Gulf Coast of the United States, particularly on the City of New Orleans as we watch our fellow citizens struggle in ways we have previously thought were impossible here.

09/22/05 - Hoosick Street Closure
If you could not guess the topic of this week’s column, you were either under a rock, or you do not live near Hoosick Street. For those that were asleep under the proverbial rock, it was quite a week for the busiest road in our City.

09/29/05 - Minor Tax Increase
On Thursday, I had the pleasure of unveiling my second budget as Mayor. As you may have heard, it included a minor tax increase of 1.48 percent, and a small water increase of 3 percent. All told, this will cost the average home in Troy about an additional $27 next year.

10/06/05 - Property Auction
This year the number of properties is not as high as in past years, mostly because more people paid their taxes. That said, we do have an extensive list of buildings and vacant lots that will offer people with the right intentions a tremendous opportunity. I stress the people with the right intentions aspect of the program because in the past the City of Troy has been taken advantage of when it comes to people gobbling up property at auctions.

10/13/05 - Benefit For The Victims Of Hurricane Katrina
It’s been six weeks since the hurricane first hit. This is the time where people stop thinking about the disaster and moving on with their lives, but there is still much work to be done, and the residents of the Gulf Coast, not just in New Orleans, but the entire region, need your help.

10/20/05 - Cut Consulting Services For The Corporation Counsel's Office
It’s one thing for people to come out and say they want to cut government, it’s another to do it without destroying the day-to-day job requirements we have. In the past two years we have cut more than a dozen jobs that has resulted in more than $500,000 being saved each year. We are willing to cut the size of government, it is what we believe in. But not when it will hurt the residents of Troy.

10/26/05 - Minorities and Jaywalking
A recent report in the Troy Record suggesting that certain tactics used by our Police Department are racially motivated. According to the newspaper, an inordinate number of minorities are being arrested for jaywalking and riding bicycles without lights in the City.

11/03/05 - Get Out And VOTE!
Both local papers had columns this morning discussing the need for people to vote, and while I disagree with some of their rather blatantly mistaken comparisons, one thing is certain. Each year we are given the opportunity to choose our leaders in this country, and whether it is on a local, state, and federal level, that is awesome power.

11/17/05 - Turkey Trot
We had a great press conference today to announce the Trot, including a mock race between Hannaford Hank and Trotter the Troy Turkey. Try saying that five times fast.

12/01/05 - Victorian Stroll
This Sunday is the 23rd Annual Victorian Stroll. Has there ever been a more predictable topic on the weekly column than this? But that’s okay, because the Victorian Stroll is not only worth writing about, it’s worth planning your weekend around.

12/15/05 - www.familywatchdog.us
Today we announced that we have added a new link to our website that we hope will further help educate parents, teachers, and students about sex offenders living in the Capital District.

12/22/05 - Holiday Message
I want to wish each and every one of you Happy Holidays over the next week and half. No matter what religion we celebrate this is a very special time of the year, and I hope everyone remains safe, and has a great time with friends and family.

12/29/05 - Happy New Year Message
Happy New Year? Already? Where did 2005 go? It seems like yesterday I was just starting the job as Mayor, thinking I had a good handle on everything that was going to happen. While I think we have done a good job during the first two years of my administration, we certainly have room to improve.