UFA endorsement

   I did receive the firefighters endorsement making me the only candidate who has been endorsed by the Police, firemen and retired firemen. I worked as a news photographer alongside these men & women for more than 31 years and I have great respect  for the work they do. I am proud to receive their endorsement.

Ryans Wake

    I held a fundraising reception at Ryan's Wake on Wednesday and it was well attended. I want to thank Chris Ryan for his support and help and Francesca, who provided food. It was a good evening and brought out several supporters who had been unable to attend other events. Thank you to all.
   It was a good week at Ryan's Wake as it was the location for a film on Monday. The period piece features "Legs" Diamond in a saloon, which will be a backdrop to an interview with William Kennedy telling  "Prohibition Stories". Chris Ryan and his brother Matt were both in the film. I shot still images and had a great time. The WMHT production crew was first rate and really captured the atmosphere of the bar.

Endorsements

  I received the PBA endorsement which came as somewhat of a surprise since I was never invited to an interview. The PBA President told me it was because the guys know me and believe I really care about the city and will be my own person if elected. I am honored and hope to prove worthy of their endorsement.
   I was interviewed by the Firefighters' who have not yet announced thir endorsements. I was given a fair shot and that is all I seek. Regardless of their decision, I am second to no one in my respect  for the job they do in protecting our city.  I joked that Troy is so good at putting out fires it was hard as a newsphotographer to get there before the flames were already knocked down.
   Public safety is crucial if we are going to grow our city and attract businesses and people. They will not come to Troy if they do not believe it is a safe place to live, work or visit.
   I made the following promise to the firefighters, which I make to all the citizens: I will always be willing to listen, and to be fair (there are always two sides) and to be honest. I am sure there will be times when we will agree to disagree, but it should not result in a long standing grudge as seems to have happened in the past. Just because we may disagree does not mean we need be enemies. I have been married 27 years and my wife Deborah and I disgree regularly but I love her and I am happy to still be with her. That is exactly how I hope everyone behaves going forward.

Uncle Sam parade

     My team of volunteers , who helped distribute balloons during the Uncle Sam parade Sunday 9/18. My daughter, Rachel and honorary daughter, Jessica, are missing from the photo since they were already distributing balloons.
     I marched in the parade with other candidates and enjoyed the gorgeous Sunday. It was a good parade, one of my favorites from my days as a news photographer. The crowds seemed a little smaller than in the past which is too bad since being the home of Uncle Sam is a significant tribute to our city and something we can build on to attract tourists and others to our city.
     I also attended the gravesite ceremony on Saturday where Marge Derguarian acted as mc. She did a great job and the ceremony was spot on in remembering the man who became an American iconic figure.

9-1-1 Memorial

    I was asked to photograph the dedication of the new 9-1-1 Memorial in Lansingburgh on Sunday in a newly created park North of the 112th Street Bridge. It was an honor. It was a great day.
    The memorial looks great and is a fitting tribute to the devastating attack on America and Troy's assistance in many ways in the weeks that followed.
    Jim Gordon spearheaded the effort and should be recognized for his outstanding concept and execution. Everything starts with an idea, but it then takes hard work and on organized effort to get anything done. He and his committee got it done.
   I have long felt and have written how important I feel it is to have every entry point to our city sparkle. You get one chance to make a first impression and people entering Troy should know we take pride in our city and take care of it. Having this memorial greet people who enter Troy from Cohoes is a significant improvement over what used to be there. This is an outstanding use of this space and  a profound improvement.
   Congratulations to everyone who worked to make this project a reality and hopefully it is indicative of how we as a city can move forward developing ideas and bringing them to reality in the future.

Election

  There are 63 days left until the election. I will be going door-to-door 4 or 5 days a week until the election. I plan on being at the candidates night on Oct 4 in the old School 12. I will gladly speak to any group interested in having me regarding the election or my work as a photographer.
   I still have to make a living and after a slow summer, it looks like my photography work is picking up which is good. While my schedule provides me the flexibility to devote the time to being a council candidate and hoepefully a council person, I still have work obligations like everyone else. I am not retired!
   I hope to see you soon and if you have any questions, ideas, or concerns let me know.
  

Restaurant Tour

     Tuesday night's restaurant tour of 12 downtown establishments was a huge success. Sharon Smith, The Executive Director of The Troy Boy's & Girl's Club runs this terrific fundraiser. On a beautiful night there were a lot of people out supporting the Club and visiting Troy's restaurants.
     The Dinosaur, Ryan's Wake and Brown's Brewing were unable to participate as intended due to clean up from the flood.  I love all three places and wish them well as they recover from Hurricane Irene.
     Even without their participation the 12 that were able to go forward did a tremendous job. Troy has without a doubt the finest eating establishments in this entire region. Congratulations on a great night to be in Troy.

Flood

    The flood Irene dumped on our region reminds me of the flood I covered as a photgrapher for the Record in January 1996. That flood was largely about ice, but the water overflowed the banks in a similar manner. The next day cars parked behind the Quayside apartments were covered in sheets of ice. It was an amazing scene.
    While it is certainly a mess, the situation could have been much worse. We suffered very little wind related damage and few power outages. We have also been blessed with great weather since the storm.
    My heart goes out to all who have suffered damage particularly the homes on Brunswick Road which felt the effects of a mud slide. But, I have great faith in the people of our city. I'm sure there will be many who help clean up and life should get back to normal fairly quickly.
   Our police,fire and DPW workers did an outstanding job as they typically due under difficult conditions. A tip of the hat to all the city work force.

ValleyCats fundraiser

  Many thanks to everyone who came out to support my fundraiser with the ValleyCats Wednesday evening. They provided a fantastic picnic "spread" and the game was outstanding with the Cats winning 7-4 on an 8th inning grand slam. What a perfect finish to a perfect night.
  I am planning a couple more events and will post when I have established dates.

TRIP

  Along with candidates, Jim Gordon, Billie Jean Greene and Debra Lockrow, I met with Pat Madden and Hilary at TRIP Tuesday morning.
   I felt it was a good meeting which was very informative. One of our cities most serious ongoing problems is vacant buildings and negligent absentee landlords. In a college town there are going to be a lot of rental units and probably therefore many absentee landlords.
   TRIP is a tremendous asset in dealing with these issues. They currently own 45 buildings and manage about 200 rental units. They do pay property taxes on these buildings of close to $200,000 a year.
   They have a landlord training program and a screening process for prospective tenants. They also help people become homeowners with a lengthy education process.
    I was impressed and I certainly believe in their mission of trying to help people as they seek to become homeowners. Their counseling and educational programs are invaluable and I foresee working closely with them should I be elected. We must address the housing issues in our cities as they have a tremendous impact on the quality of life in our neighborhoods.