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Mallow

City Managers Review Process

By Charlie Mallow
I wanted to release the fact that our City Manager's review process has been completed. The budgeted 2.75% increase in his salary will be on the next business agenda for Council to vote to release. I am not at liberty to discuss the details of this employee matter in public, due to employee confidentiality concerns.

I would like to express my thanks for the work our city manager has accomplished over the last year. We began this fiscal year with a projected tax increase over 34% and finished with an 8% increase. This year the City manager’s office helped secure well over $750,000 in grants, substantial reductions in city operating expenses, consolidated dispatch, negotiated several labor contracts beneficial to this city and reworked 7 municipal agreements for ambulance service. Increases in productivity and streamlining of city operations have effected all departments. City staff continues to excel under Jason’s leadership, all the while making due with less and still providing quality service for our residents.
We are looking forward to successful outcomes for the many challenges that we have placed before our City Manager for this year.
These include:
·         A smooth transition to consolidated dispatch with the county.
·         Determining how we can centralize booking with the county.
·         Seeing tangible results with the consolidation study with the town.
·         Continued improvements in the once faltering inspections department with an eye towards increasing productivity, streamlining and improving city codes.
·         Strong leadership in the reconstruction efforts taking place on Ellicott and Walnut Streets this year.
·         Oversight of the Ambulance service to ensure its viability.

 

Message to Genesee County Democrats

By Charlie Mallow

Your County Democratic Committee meets and organizes for one reason only, to make sure that we can field a candidate to carry our line that represents your beliefs. It’s safe to say that as a whole Genesee County Democrats are a little more conservative in our beliefs than most state wide Democrats. We also don’t treat our county Republicans as the enemy or feel that we need to eliminate them from office at all costs either.  

The politics from Erie and Monroe County are complex and sometimes the selection of candidates from those committees seems without reason. We in this county rely on doing things the old fashion way, by meeting people face to face and weighing their personal traits. We look for a candidate that won’t overlook our county because of its small size and genuinely takes and interest in us, before they are elected. Our feeling is if they don’t know there are two area codes in their election district or where exactly our county is before they get elected, why support them? We have the opportunity to select the best possible people and that’s what we attempt to do every time without “outside” interference.
Democrat Jon Powers is an Iraq war veteran and has been endorsed by all of the county committees and has our full support in his run for Congress. Genesee County was the first County to back Jon, for all the right reasons. With our selection of Jon we influenced the other counties to just do the right thing and not go with the guy who had enough cash to win for the sake of winning. Jon is being challenged by Jack Davis who has lost the two previous elections. Jack has a ton of money and intends to spend as much as it takes to buy a seat in Congress. We don’t dislike Jack, he has worked hard for this seat in the past but, he isn’t the right guy and his time has past. Kathy Konst and Alice Kryzan are also running in the primary but, have virtually no support.  
The field might look crowded on the Democrat side but, if you’re a Democrat your choice is really pretty clear, vote for Jon Powers. Go to his website and read his plan http://www.powersforcongress.com. He’s not going to be able to send you three or four color flyers a week like Jack Davis but, what he has been doing is going door to door visiting Democrats in this county, EARNING your vote in the primary. Jon has a huge volunteer staff, who believes in him as a person. They are motivated and truly believe they are supporting the right person. A persons character, stand on issues and work ethic have to still account for something in this world. Those characteristics should at least count in our County Democratic Party.  
County Democrat Chair

 

"Helping Hands: Bringing Pride Back To Our Neighborhoods"

By Charlie Mallow

I'd like to extend my thanks to everyone that participated in this week’s clean up on Thorpe, Watson and Maple streets, it was a good step in the right diretion. We were able to make a nice improvement on those streets, giving just a few hours of our time. Deb Pappalardo wrote the following to ask the public for their help with next weeks effort. This is a very important initiative for our cities neighborhoods and I would hope all willing and able will turn out to give a little time to make Batavia a little greener and cleaner. As you may or may not know, New Hope Church was involved and provided volunteers as well. It was a terrific turn out, more than we could have hoped for. Seeing the residents of that neighborhood coming out with their children to help was reassuring. It appeared as though our efforts were appreciated and may inspire them to continue to make their neighborhood more aesthetically pleasing. This will be an ongoing effort throughout the coming months, and maybe even years to come. New Hope Church will be working with us or we with them, however you want to look at it. Since it will be executed on a strictly volunteer basis we are counting on the residents of Batavia for help. Everyone has something to offer. For those who want to be a part of this effort but really don't have a lot of time to spare, they can donate money, product or both. We have someone donating yard signs. A kind of "Helping Hands Was Here" sort of sign to be moved from place to place. We have people donating the use of trailers to haul garbage and debris away. There are those who are paying the fees to where the garbage and debris are going. Some are donating tools to rake yards and sweep streets, gloves and garbage bags to pick up and bag garbage and yard waste. For a time, Julie and I are going to bring our rolling kitchen out to prepare donated food for the volunteers. What we need the most are able bodies. We had such a great turnout on our first run but we don't want to see people burn out. And, those who donated trailers won't be able to offer them up every Saturday. If there are others who have trailers and willing to donate we certainly could use them. I have a hitch on my truck. Next week we will be working Jackson, Highland and Liberty Streets. We need volunteers. We need equipment. Rakes, brooms, yard waste and garbage bags, gloves, mowers, weed eaters, hauling trailers, anything that can be deemed yard care equipment. We need food. Hotdogs, hamburgers, buns, chips, condiments, bottled water, propane. Anything anyone wants to donate. It's a community effort and no one's donation is too great or too small. Deb Pappalardo If anyone wants to know what he or she can do to be a part of this effort please call New Hope Church at 585-343-2997 or email Barb Toal at BTCSdepot@aol.com.

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