Palmer seeks Alderman ticket against Incumbent Jeffrey for 6th Ward
NORWICH – A political newcomer is challenging a one-term incumbent in the city’s only contested primary Tuesday – a race for the Republican ticket in November’s 6th Ward Alderman election.
No matter who wins Tuesday, the two could still meet again in the general election.
Dan Palmer, a resident of 18 Hickok Ave. and owner of The Broad Street Tavern, says he’s making his first run for office to get involved in the community, be a leader who’s visible in the 6th Ward, and better understand city spending and policy making. He believes there are opportunities worth looking into that could strengthen Norwich’s economy long-term – such as transforming the city’s Morrisville State campus into its own college – and restore it to past glory.
Incumbent Robert Jeffrey’s objectives if re-elected: Mitigate the city’s rising state retirement costs; continue to secure funding for cleaning up blighted properties in the 6th Ward and elsewhere; encourage developers and landlords to build and rent quality housing; and keep working to restore the safety and sense of civic responsibility once prominent in his neighborhood and others before manufacturing jobs faded.
Primary polls open will be open from noon until 9 p.m. in the Norwich High School gym lobby on Midland Drive.
Jeffrey and Palmer handed in petitions as independents, meaning who ever loses Tuesday could still run in the general election on an independent party line.
Concerns
Both men say the city also has to find new ways of generating money other than by raising taxes on people’s homes.
“We need to drive revenue aside from property tax,” said Jeffrey, who’s worked at Frontier Communications and lived at 17 York St. for nearly 25 years. “We need to work with developers and investors and come up with a plan for controlled growth within the city.”
“The city has to have other ways of making money,” said Palmer. “There are always going to be taxes, but you need more businesses to take up some of that load (by way of sales tax) so your people aren’t paying for it all.”
On fiscal responsibility, Jeffrey said the city’s state retirement costs, based on its number of employees eligible for state benefits, needs to be reexamined.
“Right now the state’s retirement pension contributions are a concern. Signs point to it rising almost $100k next year and that’s a concern and we have to look at areas where we can cut back,” he said.
Area officials have recently expressed disdain over an average 4.1 and 4.5 percent increase announced earlier this month in the state’s two employee pension funds. The city’s cost – which was $428,000 in 2009 – is expected to go up nearly $100k next year; bringing it back to historic levels it reached during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 time periods, according to the state comptroller.
Palmer wants a better look at the city’s books.
“I’m interested in how they (the city) spend their money,” said Palmer. “I don’t want to see the (city) so tight with money. I’d like to see them spend it differently,” he said, although he could not say specifically what on.
The 6th Ward
In the 6th Ward, Palmer respects the work of Jeffrey, but claims there’s a disconnect between residents and their current leader.
“I don’t know (Jeffrey). But I think he’s smart and thinks about things before he does them,” Palmer said. “The people I’ve spoken with, their concern was; they didn’t know who to talk to.”
Jeffrey says his efforts, not just on the Common Council but as a long-time resident of the 6th Ward, have made an impact people can see.
“I’ve tried to set an example by investing in our property and taking personal responsibility in continuing to look after the neighborhood. I’m seeing more and more do the same,” he said. “I’m committed. I’m passionate about what I’m doing and I’m not leaving the ward. And the programs I’ve helped implement are improving our neighborhoods.”
Goals
Stifling the brain drain and attracting retired baby-boomers is crucial to urban renewal, Jeffrey contends, and are top priorities in his platform.
“We have to show young people, ages 25 to 35, that this is a safe place to invest, a safe place to live and start a family,” he said, targeting education and corporate professionals who already work in the city but live elsewhere specifically. “The baby boom generation is also looking to retire. Both of those demographics want a clean, safe and secure area to live in.”
Palmer says making Norwich’s satellite college its own SUNY institution would, with the addition of campus housing, revive the city’s retail and service industries.
“Norwich’s own college would bring in a lot more people. More people need more things. It’s good for business. The more money that comes in, the better it is for everyone in the city,” he said. “Norwich has a rich history. A lot of great stuff has happened here. It was where Pepto Bismol was created. The Maydole Hammer factory was here... We were big. It was the center of the area for a long time. I’d like to see it that way again.”
Jeffrey believes added regulations on absentee landlords and stricter codes enforcement he supported during his term have begun to positively impact the city’s appearance and outlook.
“When people who own a house or building live outside the area or downstate, sometimes they don’t pay attention to the property as much a local residential homeowner would. We’re trying to bring back that stronger sense of community responsibility,” Jeffrey said. “We have seen results. I’m starting to see people care, get involved, and clean up. And not every absentee landlord is a problem. It’s the Pareto principle: only 20 percent of the people are 80 percent of the problem.”
When asked his opinion on the tougher landlord laws, Palmer, who owns two rental properties at 32-34 Cortland St., replied: “I don’t have a problem with the law, just the way it is executed.”
Rather than repeatedly call and send a summons, he believes the city should clean up an unkempt property that’s in violation and charge the cost to the offending property owner’s taxes. He believes that solution would be fair and effective, and result in quicker action.
The Alderman also cited sidewalk improvements, downtown facade renovations, and the recent demolition and replacement of three vacant homes with new ones as examples of the Common Council’s commitment to revitalization over the last four years.
Palmer also wants to find out what it would take to create a municipal-run utility.
“I’d like to see Norwich get its own electric, like Sherburne,” he said. “That (high utility costs) is what kills businesses. City-run electric would help out the people and the city would make money.”
Only five municipal utilities have been created in New York state in the last 50 years. The most recent was Massena in 1981, according to the village’s Website.
Jeffrey pointed out separately that the expansion of Norwich’s campus would be a welcome initiative, adding that the city should capitalize on its proximity to top schools like Binghamton, Colgate, Cornell and Syracuse.
No matter who wins Tuesday, the two could still meet again in the general election.
Dan Palmer, a resident of 18 Hickok Ave. and owner of The Broad Street Tavern, says he’s making his first run for office to get involved in the community, be a leader who’s visible in the 6th Ward, and better understand city spending and policy making. He believes there are opportunities worth looking into that could strengthen Norwich’s economy long-term – such as transforming the city’s Morrisville State campus into its own college – and restore it to past glory.
Incumbent Robert Jeffrey’s objectives if re-elected: Mitigate the city’s rising state retirement costs; continue to secure funding for cleaning up blighted properties in the 6th Ward and elsewhere; encourage developers and landlords to build and rent quality housing; and keep working to restore the safety and sense of civic responsibility once prominent in his neighborhood and others before manufacturing jobs faded.
Primary polls open will be open from noon until 9 p.m. in the Norwich High School gym lobby on Midland Drive.
Jeffrey and Palmer handed in petitions as independents, meaning who ever loses Tuesday could still run in the general election on an independent party line.
Concerns
Both men say the city also has to find new ways of generating money other than by raising taxes on people’s homes.
“We need to drive revenue aside from property tax,” said Jeffrey, who’s worked at Frontier Communications and lived at 17 York St. for nearly 25 years. “We need to work with developers and investors and come up with a plan for controlled growth within the city.”
“The city has to have other ways of making money,” said Palmer. “There are always going to be taxes, but you need more businesses to take up some of that load (by way of sales tax) so your people aren’t paying for it all.”
On fiscal responsibility, Jeffrey said the city’s state retirement costs, based on its number of employees eligible for state benefits, needs to be reexamined.
“Right now the state’s retirement pension contributions are a concern. Signs point to it rising almost $100k next year and that’s a concern and we have to look at areas where we can cut back,” he said.
Area officials have recently expressed disdain over an average 4.1 and 4.5 percent increase announced earlier this month in the state’s two employee pension funds. The city’s cost – which was $428,000 in 2009 – is expected to go up nearly $100k next year; bringing it back to historic levels it reached during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 time periods, according to the state comptroller.
Palmer wants a better look at the city’s books.
“I’m interested in how they (the city) spend their money,” said Palmer. “I don’t want to see the (city) so tight with money. I’d like to see them spend it differently,” he said, although he could not say specifically what on.
The 6th Ward
In the 6th Ward, Palmer respects the work of Jeffrey, but claims there’s a disconnect between residents and their current leader.
“I don’t know (Jeffrey). But I think he’s smart and thinks about things before he does them,” Palmer said. “The people I’ve spoken with, their concern was; they didn’t know who to talk to.”
Jeffrey says his efforts, not just on the Common Council but as a long-time resident of the 6th Ward, have made an impact people can see.
“I’ve tried to set an example by investing in our property and taking personal responsibility in continuing to look after the neighborhood. I’m seeing more and more do the same,” he said. “I’m committed. I’m passionate about what I’m doing and I’m not leaving the ward. And the programs I’ve helped implement are improving our neighborhoods.”
Goals
Stifling the brain drain and attracting retired baby-boomers is crucial to urban renewal, Jeffrey contends, and are top priorities in his platform.
“We have to show young people, ages 25 to 35, that this is a safe place to invest, a safe place to live and start a family,” he said, targeting education and corporate professionals who already work in the city but live elsewhere specifically. “The baby boom generation is also looking to retire. Both of those demographics want a clean, safe and secure area to live in.”
Palmer says making Norwich’s satellite college its own SUNY institution would, with the addition of campus housing, revive the city’s retail and service industries.
“Norwich’s own college would bring in a lot more people. More people need more things. It’s good for business. The more money that comes in, the better it is for everyone in the city,” he said. “Norwich has a rich history. A lot of great stuff has happened here. It was where Pepto Bismol was created. The Maydole Hammer factory was here... We were big. It was the center of the area for a long time. I’d like to see it that way again.”
Jeffrey believes added regulations on absentee landlords and stricter codes enforcement he supported during his term have begun to positively impact the city’s appearance and outlook.
“When people who own a house or building live outside the area or downstate, sometimes they don’t pay attention to the property as much a local residential homeowner would. We’re trying to bring back that stronger sense of community responsibility,” Jeffrey said. “We have seen results. I’m starting to see people care, get involved, and clean up. And not every absentee landlord is a problem. It’s the Pareto principle: only 20 percent of the people are 80 percent of the problem.”
When asked his opinion on the tougher landlord laws, Palmer, who owns two rental properties at 32-34 Cortland St., replied: “I don’t have a problem with the law, just the way it is executed.”
Rather than repeatedly call and send a summons, he believes the city should clean up an unkempt property that’s in violation and charge the cost to the offending property owner’s taxes. He believes that solution would be fair and effective, and result in quicker action.
The Alderman also cited sidewalk improvements, downtown facade renovations, and the recent demolition and replacement of three vacant homes with new ones as examples of the Common Council’s commitment to revitalization over the last four years.
Palmer also wants to find out what it would take to create a municipal-run utility.
“I’d like to see Norwich get its own electric, like Sherburne,” he said. “That (high utility costs) is what kills businesses. City-run electric would help out the people and the city would make money.”
Only five municipal utilities have been created in New York state in the last 50 years. The most recent was Massena in 1981, according to the village’s Website.
Jeffrey pointed out separately that the expansion of Norwich’s campus would be a welcome initiative, adding that the city should capitalize on its proximity to top schools like Binghamton, Colgate, Cornell and Syracuse.
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