South Troy

  I attended the South Troy neighborhood meeting last night after having gone door-to-door in the area campaigning. The people have similar concerns as the people in Lansingburgh. In the Burgh it is Fifth that is frequently a drag racing street while in the South End it is First which seems to attract speeders. One family expressed legitimate concern for the safety of their children.
   One resident was disgusted with the drug trafficing and crowds in the street at night, which apparently ended in a brawl just the night before. It is sad when a resident feels like a prisoner in their own home. The city recognizes the problems and a significant improvement program is underway, but some of these problems are tough to handle.
   Another resident spoke of an absentee landlord who had tennants who literally throw their garbage out of the their third floor window with some of the trash actually hanging from a tree. Making people behave respectfully and responsibly is difficult, but clearly the city needs to come down hard on both the tennant and landlord for persistent chronic problems. There has to be accountability.
   Every neighborhood in our city is important and matters. There needs to be more police patroling and an even stiffer response in the South End. The folks in this section of the city will find me in their corner as they try to improve the quality of life.
     They are planning an event at the Burden Iron Works Museum for National Night Out Tuesday Aug 2. I hope many people take advantage of this and get to know their neighbors.