Remember

…honor, and give thanks to those who gave their lives or sacrificed their well-being in service to their country.  It’s easy to forget the rights we take for granted, which is why for at least a moment anyway, we should put ourselves in the shoes of those who served. Think about the idea of giving up your life so that others can remain free.  Think about what it must be like to lose your leg, or experience something so horrifying it wakes you up at two in the morning every day.

If you can’t attend a ceremony or don’t somehow know a veteran you know whom you can thank, perhaps then in your own private reverie you can think about how fortunate you are to live in a country where people can live a life so many across the globe can only dream of.  We don’t have our rights by accident; Americans earned these rights.  And many never lived to see their children or grandchildren for the sacrifice they made.

We should all enjoy our barbecues and early summer parties with friends a families this weekend.  But in so doing, we should also honor those who gave so much so the rest of us could be free.

BTW, I had the honor to speak at re-dedication ceremonies area veterans’ groups held last Sunday at the old Third Ward war memorial, which sits at the intersection of Clifton and Highland avenues. I’d worked with these same organizations 15 years ago to rehabilitate the monument there.  Time sure flies…

Passcode: cityhall2001

Ok, geeks, non-geeks, and anyone else who likes to take their laptop, iPad, iPod Touch (iPod Touch fan/owner here), and netbooks where ever they go – Kingston City Hall has officially become a wi-fi hot spot.  Choose the “public” option after your comp finds a wi-fi signal, and key in: “cityhall2001.”  You’re in!

Council Considering Cat Containment

Every now and again an alderman will propose an idea that will really whip up peoples’ passions, and the passionate will show up in great numbers to make it clear – under no uncertain terms – what a stupid idea they think the proposal is.  Such was the case last night at the Council’s Laws & Rules Committee, where at least two dozen cat owners loudly told Alderman Bob Senor what they thought of his cat limitation idea.

He has proposed that people be allowed to own no more than four cats.   He cited in recent news reports a neighbor of his whom he said owned 25 cats, and was allowing the animals to roam free, turning peoples’ yards and gardens into oversized litter boxes.  Well, the woman he was referring to showed up and began yelling at him for embarrassing her in public, that he was falsely accusing her of hoarding  cats.  She owns only four, she told him.

Anyway, the long and the short of it is the Council will likely require the registration, and spaying and neutering of cats. I don’t see legislation going beyond that. As one alderman put it, “we don’t want to get into a numbers game.”  In other words, a limit on the number of animals a person can own…will probably find its way into the proverbial litter box.

Pool & Beach Money Restored

Budget cuts for a time anyway meant that there would be very little staffing at Kingston’s Andretta Pool uptown, and the Kingston Point Beach along the Hudson River.  The Council got together with the mayor, however, and provided additional moneys from the contingency fund to pay for additional hours.

Now, beginning June 26 and lasting through August 8, the pool and beach will be staffed by city personnel from Wednesday to Sunday at a cost of approximately $22,000.  Naturally, we wanted to staff these facilities seven days a week but today’s economy just doesn’t permit it.

Vote Today!

School districts in the area are holding their budget and school board elections today.  I’d assumed turnout would be heavy given the much-discussed voter anger that people feel.  Imagine my surprise when I voted at Kennedy School today at 7:20 and I was only the THIRD PERSON to have voted.  The only people who kept me from getting first place were two polling inspectors who happen to be working at their own polling place.

In the Kingston City School District there are three vacancies that seven candidates are vying for, and a $140.5 million budget.  The district mailed a copy of its newsletter to taxpayers but has also included a PDF version of the newsletter on their website.  The newsletter explains the budget, has candidate biographies and tells you where your polling place is:http://www.kingstoncityschools.org/docs/1011budget/1011-budget-newsletter.pdf.

Herding Cats

The inimitable Bob Senor, who represents Kingston’s 8th Ward on the Common Council, has proposed limiting the number of cats a citizen can care for at any one period of time. He said his neighbors are being plagued by people who own a veritable army of felines who wander all over their property and stink up the place to high heaven.

He’s not solid on the number yet,  but thinks a range of 3-5 would be acceptable.  He knows of one person in his ward who cares for 25 cats.  Frankly, I don’t know – and never have been able to understand – how or why a human being would want to keep that many cats on their property.

I’m willing to entertain Bob’s idea because I think in some cases we could have a public health issue on our hands if dozens of cats are kept on one property.  But as is the case with any legislative idea, the devil’s in the details.  I’m looking forward to what Bob has to say.

Bike Racks on Broadway

Those funny metallic loop-dee-loop things standing along the sidewalks of Broadway are not part of the upcoming outdoor sculpture exhibit, but new bicycle racks.  Evidently a pair of cyclists didn’t know that, or they simply prefer hitching their bikes to trees.  As funny as that looks, though, I want to encourage people to use their bicycles as much as they can through town.  Cycling gets cars off the road, and it’s better for your heart.

Kathy Janeczek

So many good things are said about City Clerk Kathy Janeczek, who after a brief illness passed away last September. She was selfless.  She was a very hard worker.  She was fair.  She said it like it is.  She was honest.  She was kind.  She was always there to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it.  Friends and family meant so much to her.  She dedicated her life to Kingston.   Those are the kinds of things you hear people say when you bring up her name.  And you might even hear someone say, “why is it we always lose the ‘good ones’ so young?”  While I am not one to judge whether someone’s time should have come by now, I will say she was – she was one of the “good ones.”  One of the best, actually.

This is why I think anyone who knew her – or even those who didn’t know her – should go to the memorial that was erected right in front of city hall, just outside of her office.  Sit there and think for a moment what a difference people like Kathy can make in any community when they give to it.  Kathy gave her all – every day.  When she left us, she was doing what she loved best – giving to her beloved Kingston, the city she called home.  We of course miss her – and will always miss her.  But in missing her we also feel grateful that she enriched our lives during the brief time that she was with us.

Where the Money Is Going

The Council recently approved its 2010 application for federal Community Development Block Grant moneys. The total amount we expect to receive is $815,000.  The money is being applied to the following programs, proposed by the Council’s Community Development Committee, which I chair:

1.) $10,000 – URGENT Task Force (crime fighting)

2.) $47,500 – Hodge Center

3.) $47,500 – Boys and Girls Club

4.) $15,000 – Surveillance Cameras for Midtown

5.) $2,250 – Summer Youth Basketball

6.) $30,000 – Kingston Housing Authority

7.) $5,000 – Trolley Museum

8.) $5,000 – City of Kingston Tree Commission (mainly for planting trees in public areas)

9.) $25,000 – Youth Build (affordable housing rehab)

10.) $10,000 – Reher Bakery (historic restoration)

11.) $14,000 – Children’s Home of Kingston

12.) $65,000 – Midtown Sidewalk Rehab

13.) $20,000 – UPAC

14.) $15,000 – YMCA

15.) $30,000 – City of Kingston Lighthouse Rehab Project

16.) $150,000 – Housing Rehab – Midtown

17.) $164,250 – City of Kingston Sewer Repair

18.) $159,500 – Program Overhead (paying for staff, office costs and consultants that help secure grant)

TOTAL – $815,000

Alderman Shirley Whitlock attempted to shift $5,000 from the Surveillance Camera allocation to Summer Youth Basketball.  I supported this move, together with Aldermen Jen Fuentes and Charlie Landi, but there weren’t enough votes to approve her proposal.

Promenade!

If you haven’t had the opportunity yet, go to the Kingston waterfront and checkout the new promenade (walkway) that runs along Kingston’s Rondout Creek shore between Hideaway Marina and the Maritime Museum.  It’s beautiful.  You walk on carefully laid pavers, not concrete or blacktop.  The city did this work, at the direction of Economic Development Director Steve Finkle, with the help of the state and federal governments.  Congressman Hinchey and Senator Larkin helped to provide the approximately $1.4 million it took to do this project.

It really dresses up the waterfront and helps to set the stage for further redevelopment  that will continue to be the envy of many communities up and down the Hudson River.  As an alderman who wants to do whatever I can to redevelop the city’s economy, I was happy to approve the funding for this project and would like to express my gratitude to Mayor Sottile and my Council colleagues for supporting this very worthy project.