GUEST COLUMIST

Another guest post from the very thoughtful Politicus Ebonus Abyssus:

The Troy City Administration continues to implement programs that look pretty but that do little to move the city forward. While Harry understands fluff and pageantry, he has no understanding of the substantive changes that this city needs to grow and become viable. Harry reminds me of an ice skater who cannot do the triple lutz but looks good in the outfit (Try sleeping with that vision in your head!) – all show and no stay.

While Harry has touted the paint and sidewalk grant programs and the zero tolerance policy for code violators on the radio as improving this city, these only deal with cosmetic problems. Such programs do little to attract businesses and to improve the infrastructure. A better example of this is how the city repaired the streets last year. While many intersections were paved, little was done with the remaining portions of the streets. Did Harry believe only the intersections had potholes? Better yet, does Harry think that the citizens of Troy are so stupid that they believe that the streets were repaired just because the intersections got paved? A slight of hand does not get the job done, Harry.

More businesses are closing, leaving more vacant building, lots, and storefronts, ultimately reducing the tax base and impacting on revenues for both the city and the school districts. The water delivery system continues to be ignored unless a pipe breaks. This city needs to create programs that attract and retain businesses, address a sorely aging water infrastructure, and create more homeownership. Illegally knocking down a historical sign because it belonged to an adult movie theater while leaving the scaffolding up at Proctors, which had a similar problem, only shows that the City’s administration true motivation is political and self-serving, not moving the city forward