October 10, 2005

What the Mayor ought to do: The view from Strathmore

City Voters Say Strathmore is a patchwork of well-to-do, middle- and working-class neighborhoods between Bellevue and Glenwood avenues west of South Avenue. Its Winkworth section, in the far west end, is home to Mayor Matt Driscoll and other civic leaders.

We walked along Reed Avenue, a few blocks west of Woodland Reservoir, to pose our question: "What's the one thing the next mayor of Syracuse should do to improve life in Strathmore?" Here are the responses of four residents.

Martin Passeck, 47, of 221 Reed Ave., said the "need to get on with Destiny (USA) shoot it down or get on with it," is the most pressing need in Strathmore. The proposed multibillion-dollar resort promises to create a lot of jobs and give Syracuse a needed boost, he said. He said he believes candidate Joanie Mahoney would be better at getting the project going, "although I can see both sides." Like many observers, he wonders why the developer hasn't revealed more tenants, and wonders who's going to "pay the bill" if the project flops.

Matt Driscoll (D):"I support the project and the jobs it may bring. This week SIDA (Syracuse Industrial Development Agency) outlined how up to $100 million in publicly supported bonds can finance infrastructure for the expansion. What's next is for Destiny to demonstrate enough private financing for the retail portion of the project."

Joanie Mahoney (R-C-Ind):"I have always supported the development of Destiny USA. It is a tremendous investment in jobs and opportunity for our community. As mayor, I'll ensure a fair deal for city taxpayers and address impact-related concerns, but work with the developer to get a shovel in the ground right away. This is a case where a mayor needs to lead, follow, or get out of the way."

Howie Hawkins (Green):"I would stop Destiny and have Carousel mall start paying property taxes. We should focus on developing locally owned, ecologically sustainable businesses throughout the city. For the Inner Harbor/Oil City area, we should develop a "People's Waterfront" with parks and public access, mixed-use development and mixed-income housing."

Daniel Grimes, 59, of 224 Reed Ave., said the next mayor ought to "get Destiny USA going and get the hotel (renovated Hotel Syracuse) built." Destiny will create jobs and get people moving into the area who are committed to families and careers, he said. But the mayor also ought to ensure that the jobs go first to people who live in the Syracuse area, he said. The shuttering of the Hotel Syracuse has left a gaping wound at that end of downtown that needs to be healed, he said.

Amie Spring ,20, of 260 Reed Ave., said: "I think the mayor needs to put a lot more money into the public school system, because kids are growing up without a choice." The money, she said, should go toward hiring better teachers, improving after-school programs and providing more extracurricular activities to keep students involved.

Gene Stoesser, 63, of 275 Reed Ave., said the next mayor ought to hire department heads and staff based on their expertise, not on political or family connections. Not that he was pointing fingers at this particular crop of candidates, he said. It just seems that most politicians, once they are elected, replace their predecessors' people, no matter how competent, with their own crew, regardless of qualifications. "I think it's made a lot of people lose interest," Stoesser said. "I have."

© 2005 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.

Posted by syracusegreens at October 10, 2005 01:56 AM