2008 Weekly Messages

01/03/08 - Changing The Perspective Of Troy
Welcome to 2008, which I hope will mirror the enthusiastic shouts Monday evening from
revelers that ‘08 will be great. There are some very exciting things happening in the City of Troy right now, and this year is an important one in making sure momentum is not lost.

01/10/08 - Crime in the City of Troy Drops
News came this week from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice that violent
crime in the City of Troy dropped 3.6 percent in 2007. This may come as a surprise to
many of you that were inundated with election falsehoods during the fall of last year, but
it does not come as a surprise to us.

01/17/08 - Restore NY Program
We picked up a tremendous grant award from New York State as part of the Restore NY Program. Though the state only issued $25 million in grants to downstate communities (of which we are considered a part of in the Economic Development front), we received $2.5 million for waterfront bookend projects in the Hedley District and the future demolition of City Hall. That’s ten percent of the entire pot!

01/31/08 - Congress Ferry Street Corridor
Earlier this week, we held a public meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss the road
design for the Congress-Ferry Street Corridor. It was a busy night in City Hall, as the
committee reviewing the proposed sale of this building met for the first time.

02/07/08 - State of the City Address
Here it is, the 2008 State of the City Address. Thank you to the many people that attended last night, it is much appreciated.

02/14/08 - RPI Converts Best Western into a Residence Hall for Undergraduates
We have talked for many years about bringing more residents into downtown. It is one of
the reasons my administration wants to move City Hall, and it is the basis for many of the
exciting announcements we have had in the past four years. More people downtown
means more business, means more tax base.

02/21/08 - Happy Birthday to Troy Night Out
Next Friday will be the 1-year Birthday Celebration for Troy Night Out (note that organizers are
cleverly not referring to this as an anniversary), and there is quite the special evening planned in
addition to the normal night’s activities that have made this event such a smashing success.

02/28/08 - Troy Truancy Reduction Program
Earlier this week, the City of Troy, in collaboration with more than a dozen other agencies that form the Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition, officially kicked off the Troy Truancy Reduction Program, an initiative aimed at addressing habitual truancy in the Lansingburgh and Troy School Districts, and solving the issues that underline this problem.

03/07/08 - Police Benevolent Association Contract
Welcome to a special edition of the Friday column. Last night the City Council took action on the recently approved contract with the Police Benevolent Association, passing it with unanimous approval.

03/13/08 - CDBG Fumding
One of our most important sources of funding that we receive each year revolves around
the federal Community Development Block Grant program, which provides us with more
than $2 million each year to distribute amongst community programs, city initiatives and
neighborhood projects.

03/20/08 - Earth Day
It’s that time of year again! That’s right, Earth Day 2008. It’s merely a coincidence that
today is the official beginning of spring, and we are starting talk of Earth Day. If only it
felt like spring out there.

03/27/08 - Spring Clean Schedule
As we embark on this aggressive street cleaning schedule each and every year in hopes of
removing the mess that winter has left behind. In an effort to guarantee the streets are
cleaned properly and efficiently, the cooperation of all neighborhoods is essential.

04/03/08 - Annual Striped Bass Fishing Tournament
This is one of the most exciting events we hold each year, with hundreds of fishermen coming
from all over the world to participate in the striper tournament. Each spring, more people than
you can imagine call the Hudson River one of the finest striper destinations in the entire world.

04/11/08 - Frear Park Golf Course
It is always a sure sign of spring, and how long winter has taken to disappear, when the
golf course gets going. This year was just about average. Not as late (April 21st) as last
season, and not nearly as early (March 31st) as 2006. But we are off and running.

04/21/08 - Earth Day Volunteers
This coming Saturday is Earth Day in the City of Troy, and we continue to seek
volunteers for the annual cleanup. As of this morning, there are more than 25 groups
signed up to participate.

05/02/08 - Troy Pig Out
We had a wonderful announcement yesterday detailing the inaugural Troy Pig Out, a New York State Barbecue Championship sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Mark your calendars for Saturday July 19th and Sunday July 20th for a party in downtown Troy.

05/15/08 - River Street Festival
With Memorial Day fast approaching so is the summer concert series. We will be talking about this much more in the coming weeks, but I wanted to get a quick head start today. This afternoon at 4 p.m. WEQX 102.7 will be announcing the musical lineup for the 5th Annual River Street Festival.

05/22/08 - Rockin On the River
With the rising cost of gas and living expenses around the country, people are looking for unique
entertainment this summer that the entire family can enjoy and not have to break the bank. We
have had great success in the last few years with booking local acts in the City, but this event
will be a step up with nationwide talent and excitement.

05/29/08 - Troy Night Out
It is difficult to believe that when Sunday morning rolls around, June will be here. Talk about a quick moving year. Of course, if a new month is coming Sunday, that can only mean one thing. Tomorrow is Troy Night Out, and once again there is no shortage of events to take advantage of.

06/05/08 - Troy Pig Out
With the backdrop of the Hudson River, this event has now added a dimension that was previously missing. During the summer months, the River is a tremendous recreational asset, and having this event take place in Riverfront Park will only add to the fun. Thousands of people will be coming to Troy for the first time, and we are intent on putting on a good show.

06/12/08 - River Street Festival
It is hard to believe that it was five years ago we began this event in the singular hope to bring people to downtown Troy on a Saturday afternoon. Now it has grown into one of the more exciting events each year in the Capital District. With nice weather, you can expect about 20,000 people to fill four blocks of River Street throughout the day on Saturday.

07/03/08 - Fireworks
Like so many urban communities, the illegal use of fireworks is going to be at the top of the list of issues for the police department to deal with this weekend. As has been the case the previous few years, we have increased our police patrols, and will have a zero tolerance approach to fireworks and explosives throughout the City of Troy. The Street Crimes Unit in particular will be out in force tomorrow evening and throughout the holiday weekend.

07/11/08 - Citywide Reassessment
During the State of the City speech earlier this year, I announced that the City of Troy would be pursuing a revaluation for the first time since 1972. I want everyone to know that I did not make this decision without weeks of contemplation. Unfortunately, we have come to a point where we cannot wait any longer. The intent of conducting a citywide reassessment is to have the City’s Assessment Roll be both fair and equitable, a point we are not near today.

07/17/08 - Redevelopment of the Hudson River Waterfront and the City Hall Site
Today the City held a press conference with Senator Joe Bruno to announce significant funding for the redevelopment of the Hudson River waterfront and the City Hall site. The announcement of this funding from the Senator came at a time when he was just hours from retiring from the job he has held for 32 years. I do not believe we will ever be able to thank him appropriately.

07/24/08 - NY Penn League All Star Game Fan Festival / Annual Chowder Festival
Coming up in just a few weeks in Downtown Troy, will be the 2008 New York Penn League All-Star Game Fan Festival. That’s a mouthful. Hosted by the City of Troy and the ValleyCats, the fan festival will be held on August 18th, a Monday night and will be highlighted by a
performance by rock legend Eddie Money. That’s right, Eddie Money for free on a Monday
night in Troy.

07/31/08 - Mitchell Smyth
Earlier this morning I had the great opportunity to meet with Mitchell Smyth, a travel writer composing a story for the Toronto Star, in which Troy will play a starring role. He was in Troy to take a tour with Rensselaer County Historian Kathy Sheehan, and stopped by my office to talk a little about Uncle Sam and his history in Troy.