Cooling stations

  Kudos to the Mayor and fire department for setting up cooling stations. I drove past the one at Ingalls & 7th last evening and there were still children enjoying the water. Much was made of the fact the pools opened a couple days late last summer, I hope as much is made this summer of the fact  the pools opened early and now cooling stations!

Campaign

   As we go forward I am still in constant need of volunteers. To volunteer contact me through gmail tomkillipsfortroy@gmail.com
   Like any campaign, donations are always needed and appreciated. You may send donations made out to KillipsforCityCouncil to:   Tom Killips, 142 Oakwood Ave., Troy NY 12180
   Several events are being planned for August and September. Follow this blog or facebook (Tom Killips) for details.
   I am still looking for people willing to allow signs to be placed in their yards or business windows. If you are at all interested please let me know.
   The campaign season is begining to heat up-not as much as the recent weather-but soon.

Rockin on the River

   My wife Deborah and I went  to last night's Rockin On the River which featured The Emerald City Band and Super Four, both "Troy" bands. Joe Mele played with Emerald City and I'm told he plays with about five bands including his own-amazing talent. Despite the heat there was a good crowd and it was great to see the waterfront full of people on a summer evening. Remember the not to distant past when on weeknights in the summer this was a pretty quite place.
   I truly believe this block between the Collar City and  Green Island Bridges is the BEST entertainment block in the region. Decks behind the Brew Pub, Ryan's Wake and the Dinosaur and great food at Jose Malone's and the River Street Cafe... it doesn't get better than this.
   Yet, it will get better with the proposed construction of a Bombers Restaurant on the corner of King St!
   This is exactly what I think will continue to happen along our waterfront. As the actual waterfront becomes more crowded and popular one block in the empty stores will start to fill creating even more shopping and entertainment diversity in our city. After many years of talking about the waterfront and its potential to drive economic growth in Troy it is finally happening and everyone can see it.

Democratic Mayoral candidate

  The Democrats are going to formally announce today that Lou Rosamilia will be their endorsed Mayoral candidate to face Carmella Mantella.
   I ran into Lou while going door to door with Dan Mahoney and Jim Gordon on Monday night. Lou was out collecting petition signatures. He is a decent man and carries none of the political baggage his predecessor was hauling around.
   The citizens of Troy will have a choice between two quality individuals this fall which ultimately is good for everyone.
   Welcome to the race!

Public safety meeting

    I attended last night's city council public safety committee meeting. The mayor's office had no representative nor was the police chief, John Tedesco, present. Apparently partisan political bickering between the mayor and the safety committee chairman Bill Dunne once again reared its head.
   This is exactly what I am running against. Regardless of which party you are in, this committee could not address public concerns effectively without the chief being present. The primary topic was the behavior of RPI students in the Beman Park area. Residents are concerned that students routinely leave O'Learys Bar at 4am drunk and engage in loud obnoxious behavior such as  a contest to see who can fill a cup faster while urinating in the middle of 15th street.
   OLearys owner was present and felt the police needed to be harder on these students who apparently get public intoxication tickets (occasionally) which only carry a $25 fine. He agreed to close earlier on a trial basis. I suggested, following up on Bill Dunne's thoughts, that perhaps the council could ask all the city taverns to consider closing earlier on a voluntary basis. They seem to feel that much of their revenue comes between 1am and 4 am. I believe nothing good ever happens on the streets after 2am. I further believe that if all the bars and taverns had last call at 2am and closed at 2:30 the patrons would adjust and would likely arrive earlier and drink from say 11pm-2am instead of 1am-4am.
    I certainly don't want to take revenue from bar and tavern owners, many of whom I know, but the quality of life in the neighborhoods  is also important and the two sides must work together.
     I doubt anyone wants to live on a street where at 4am every Thur,Fri or Sat you can predict a large group of drunken young people yelling and having urinating contests in the middle of the street.
     There are other topics that I think might have been discussed if the chief had been present. Last week, at a Lansingburgh Neighborhood meeting I attended  the chief sat and answered questions for two hours covering a wide range of topics. I felt he was honest and direct in his responses. It is a shame he wasn't present Tuesday night, as I believe he could have contributed significantly to the discussion.
 

The Frear Park Fountain

   I spoke at the city council meeting to congratulate the city and specifically former councilman Jocko Mahoney, who did most of the work, on restoring the fountain in Frear Park. It has not operated for about four decades and was most popular for skateboarders in recent years. Now, not only is the water flowing but it is lighted at night and looks fantastic.
   I believe this type of effort is one of the keys to attracting people to our city. Allowing fountians or buildings, parks or the approach to fall into disrepair and stay that way creates a very negative impression of our city. While there is no immediate measurable economic return on investing in this type of repair, it is essential to the way people view Troy. Maintaining our public areas sends a clear signal that we take pride in our city and that we value our history and our monuments, and parks.
   The approach sat in disrepair for years and was a hideous eyesore looking down on Troy.  Now,  the approach draws interst and impresses people. It took a community effort in conjunction with RPI to get it done, but this is what can happen when we pull people together with a common vision or goal. We are a city which can get things done and it definitely makes a difference in the way people perceive Troy.

Radio with Paul Vandenburgh

    I visited my former employer the "Record" newspapers to visit Paul Vandenburgh who hosted his morning radio show from the newspapers' community room. Paul squeezed me onto the show between Bob Mirch and Carmella Mantella. It was a good experience. I'm sure I didn't fire people up as well as Bob Mirch who has an incomparable ability to push the right buttons to get people going.
    Like many, he questioned my sanity in running for office in Troy. Trust me, I have given this much thought and I am running with my eyes and ears wide open. I believe in Troy and am very optimitstic about the city's future, but we must continue to attract new businesses and economic development. We must also promote our city in a more positive manner. Every resident of Troy should be proud to call Troy thier home and part of that is being proud of your elected officials. I think that is a problem at the present time and must change in this fall's election.

Fund Raiser A Success

My campaign launching fundraiser Tuesday June 21 was very successsful. Revolution Hall and Carrie Harkin did a terrific job as did the band "The Heaters". Everyone had a good time and I thank you all for joining us.
We are planning a couple more fundraisers and I will keep everyone posted.
My thanks also to Ed Vigeant for his banner and sign creation.