Schenectady - In the city hall rotunda and surrounded by supporters, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy announced he is seeking a second term.
McCarthy said he developed three top priorities after he came into office: stepping up code enforcement for rundown buildings, a program to encourage home ownership, and economic development.
Soon, the city will see the new $450 million Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor. McCarthy says at this stage, leadership is critical.
"It's a major project. We're under scrutiny to make sure that we're able to implement that to do it in a fashion that brings it on-line in a timely manner and without any major hitches," said Mayor McCarthy.
McCarthy became acting mayor in early 2011, taking over for a departing Brian Stratton.
He won the close November election that year over former Union College President Roger Hull, who is running again this year.
Giuseppe Veglio invested in Schenectady by putting his business, the Paul Mitchell School, in the city. He says he's seen the downtown grow and thrive.
"Just look around and see the building of the nucleus that I talked about in Schenectady and see that the nucleus is being built so strong. And after that, I believe everything else will be built after that. That's very important," said the business owner.
McCarthy wants to give the neighborhoods a transformation, too, but he says that won't happen overnight.
"You've got 16,000 parcels that need to be addressed or create a sense of value in the neighborhood so that you have neighborhoods that reflect the glamor and excitement that's created on the 400 block of State Street," said McCarthy.
McCarthy says he's also proud of a stable tax levy and a turnaround of the city's finances.
4 MORE YEARS OF MCCARTHY THAT NUMBER OF 16,000 HOMES WILL DOUBLE TO 32,000 HOMES.
Where the hell does it state in the article you posted that 16,000 homes were abandoned?
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
Where the hell does it state in the article you posted that 16,000 homes were abandoned?
Bump
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
the FACT is that since the big commercial properties have used high priced attorneys to get their assessments reduced by tens, hundreds of thousands of dollars, then the McCarthy MUST use the taxpayers money to do a citywide reassessment. It is the obligation of an assessment department to value all property equally so that people pay their full share and only fair share of taxes. and that is what the taxpayers pay for. Currently under this incompetent mayor and his equally incompetent assessor, properties are all valued unequally. Of course some houses have fallen in value by 5%, others have fallen by 50% or more. Others somewhere in between that. Some owners have grieved an won, other owners who grieved and lost were stupid enough to assume that McCarthy's crony tax deadbeat on the board of assessment knows what she's talking about and have not appealed the denials. Hearing officers and judges have found that McCarthy and his assessment department are wrong and have ordered the city to reduce the assessments. Some people who grieved failed to request an assessment low enough. So the fact is that all properties are currently assessed unequally. That is a violation of state law. ALL property MUST be assessed at a uniform percentage of value.
Currently, under McCarthy's leadership, the city of Schenectady is clearly in violation of state law in relation to not just 16,000 parcels, but probably all 20,000.
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
I notice McCheese is claiming credit for that casino. It had nothing to do with him, nothing at all. It just fell into his lap. What leadership? That embarrassing blather on Baker Avenue? I'm wondering if that casino is even a sure thing, in light of recent events.
Logged
and the band played on as the ship went under...... 
