Quoted Text

Hope along the Mohawk Spring Fling shows that Amsterdam can revive its downtown
BY DANIEL T. WEAVER For The Sunday Gazette

    “I’ve never seen this many people in Amsterdam before,” my son said after viewing the throngs of people on Main Street during Amsterdam’s recent Spring Fling. He was born in 1980, after Amsterdam’s population had already declined considerably and after urban renewal had demolished most of Amsterdam’s downtown, so it’s not surprising that he had never seen so many people together at one time in the city.

  .............the article goes on to say..............

VISIONARY MAYOR
    While volunteers did the bulk of the work to make the Spring Fling happen, it would not have happened without Mayor Ann Thane’s vision. While a mayor needs to keep taxes down and must have the ability to administer a city, it has become clearer to me over the years that a mayor must be more than that. A mayor must inspire, must create a vision or dream of what a city should look like, and make it possible for people to see and to follow that vision.
    When I think of a mayor like that, I am reminded of George Lunn, who became mayor of Schenectady in 1912. His vision for Schenectady was considered revolutionary at the time. He wanted children in school, not in the factories. He wanted them to be immunized. He wanted a park within walking distance of every child in Schenectady. He believed in urban planning. Most of what he dreamed of became true, and is now considered commonplace, not revolutionary.
    Lunn, even though a Christian Socialist, went on to become lieutenant governor and a congressman. His legacy is still such that a century later, Mayor Brian Stratton acknowledged Lunn’s foresight in Schenectady’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan.
    On May 21, 1995, I wrote an election-year piece for The Sunday Gazette. Its title was “Amsterdam needs a mayor and a plan.” The piece primarily argued that Amsterdam needed a mayor like the kind I mentioned above. Fifteen years later, I think Amsterdam has that kind of mayor.
    In the end, however, no one person can create a successful event. It took the cooperation and unity of city government, business, non-profits and volunteers to pull off the Spring Fling.
    When everyone works together, then everyone has fun together. That’s the primary lesson learned from Amsterdam’s first, but hopefully not last, Spring Fling.

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r03100&AppName=1

Mayor Lunn was a Schenectady socialist. In the 20's Schenectady could afford him-not now. Not surprised that a supporter of socialism would support the horrible Amsterdam DEM incumbent Ann Thayne. The REPS over there have nominated Joe Emmanuel a much better choice. Amsterdam's major fiscal problems are not solved by street festivals.

     Typical DEM thinking let the infrastructure rot but provide bread and circuses. BTW, Thayne wanted to 4X the water taxes in the City. The School District just rammed a 16.5% tax increase on the sheeple same percentage that the Amsterdam voters decisively voted down. Some example for Schenectady County?

It goes to show how pitiful the Republicans and Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity have become ... by attacking people for holding a street festival.   They don't do anything to BUILD UP their communities but spend all of their energy DESTROYING and TEARING IT DOWN.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

It goes to show how pitiful the Republicans and Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity have become ... by attacking people for holding a street festival.   They don't do anything to BUILD UP their communities but spend all of their energy DESTROYING and TEARING IT DOWN.

DV, communities are NOT built on taxpayer funded street festivals.  Communities thirve when tax money is spent to provide vital services.   COme on DV, roads are in critcally poor condition such that peoples homes are being damanged and you prefer tax dollars be spent on street festivals.

Street festivals are NOT NECESSARY.   But fixing roads, fixing sewers, reducting crime, plowing roads, ARE a necessity.  Now, DV, YOU tell us....HOW would YOU suggest that boh happen?  

Does Amsterdam have a county nursing home?

How many new good jobs have been created in amsterdam?

What is the tax rate for amsterdamians?

Are there businesses that are tax exempt in amsterdam?

How many amsterdamians are on public assistance?

just askin'!
     

No one attacking Amsterdam for having a street festival. I have run many of them and realize the time and effort needed to run them. What I am attacking is using a one day festival as some achievement to support re-electing a failed Mayor. Ms. Thayne is a total disaster. Another DEM nonprofit "leader" with rose colored glasses who thinks she can run a City. No street cred nor business/planning expertise. People of every party are fed up with her.

     Amsterdam has serious fiscal problems. These are not addressed with a street festival. It's good! It's good! Until you open her new DEM tax bill. BTW, how much did Ms. Thayne contribute in time, effort and publicity to this? This also speaks to the Gazetto bias. Endorse candidates on the editorial page not in opinion columns. Will Joe Emmanuel be given equal space to promote his campaign?

The first thing we need to sweep out of Schenectady --- are all the nattering nayboobs of negativity -- put them on a bus and send them to Club Gitmo.

That's right DVR all is well no trouble here in the land of OZ with rotten infrastructure, we have great roads paved in gold, milk and honey flowing out of Proctors front door, and a city with one of the highest tax rates in the country, properties that you can't even give away let alone sell. Yes all is well working together works cheer on.

Quoted from Shadow

That's right DVR all is well no trouble here in the land of OZ with rotten infrastructure, we have great roads paved in gold, milk and honey flowing out of Proctors front door, and a city with one of the highest tax rates in the country, properties that you can't even give away let alone sell. Yes all is well working together works cheer on.

Not only that, but we also have roads that are paved BEFORE they take care of the infrastructure problems that are underneath.  Just look at Princetown Road between 5 Corners and North Thompson.  In the past few years, we have had 2 water main breaks (along with another down past North Thompson).  Did they decide to fix the entire water main before making this road look beautiful with a new paving?  NOPE!  So, that means over the next few years, we will get to pave it again, little by little, as the mains break underneath.

Quoted from Shadow

That's right DVR all is well no trouble here in the land of OZ with rotten infrastructure, we have great roads paved in gold, milk and honey flowing out of Proctors front door, and a city with one of the highest tax rates in the country, properties that you can't even give away let alone sell. Yes all is well working together works cheer on.

The stooge DEM kool aid drinkers are in for a rude awakening. Did you hear about the City third party endorsements? Silent DEM Peggy King got NONE. Fell on her face. Ditto for the DEM newbies. The DEM death grip on City Hall is coming to an end. People have had enough of these useless DEMS running only to pad bloated pensions and enjoying free benes, If they had a clue we would have seen it like 25 years ago.