Resolutions

Some 2008 resolutions, both personal and professional:

- Teach my son, while teaching myself, how to ice skate
- Do better than last year in my March Madness bracket picks
- Add accomplishments and performance benchmarks to the 2008-09 budget
- Complete a spring/early summer marathon
- Complete three (3) half-marathons / 20Ks
- Post more regularly to this blog; Add video to the blog
- Close the financial books earlier
- Lose 15-20 lbs
- Win the Gus Macker B-Ball Tournament in Buffalo
- Hold three (3) informal budget meetings with the publc

Fran Wilcox

Nice article in today's D&C about the impending retirement of Fran Wilcox, Town Clerk for the Town of Clarkson. Many Brockporters know the name and recall the excellent service Fran provided to local residents. A pillar of the Clarkson community for over 27 years, Fran will be sorely missed. I wish her well in her retirement and thank her for her years of dedicated, constituent-first, service to the community.

Join your fellow area residents for a "Thank You" retirement party for Fran Wilcox. Here's the information:

What: Retirement party for Clarkson Town Clerk Fran Wilcox
When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. tonight
Where: State University College at Brockport Alumni House, 142 Utica St.

Fine Arts @ SUNY Brockport

I recently read a paper publication from SUNY Brockport and there was a brief article on an upcoming French Film Festival that is being brought to campus and shown free of charge to the public, through a grant obtained by a professor/staffer at the College. I am trying to come up with more details on this event. I am a movie buff and a "six sigma" in the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon but I admit no virtually nothing about the great French filmmakers so I am looking forward to this event. Anyone with information on this please post a comment.

In the interim, here is a link for Fine Arts events @ SUNY Brockport.

2008

A belated Merry Christmas to visitors...


Next Tuesday, January 1st, marks the beginning of the new year. New Athletic Club memberships skyrocket in January; diets start and resolutions are made. For those Brockporters out there who are resolved to be more involved, we have an open door and seats for you in the Village. Numerous committees, groups and boards in the Village have vacancies. Please stop by the Village Hall or click here to download an interest form.

Light Week

It's been a light week of posting. The Village office had two new staffers start this week so the Village Clerk and I have been busy training on the various programs, procedures and work tasks to be tackled by the newcomers. They are both great additions to an already excellent office staff.

Next week, the office is closed Monday and Tuesday for the holidays.

As I look to the start of my fourth calendar year of blogging, I checked out my site stats again for the 2007 year-end. Zonies, the new calzone-only eatery in the village of Brockport, takes the proverbial cake for most referrals to my site, followed closely by the 2006 Chase Bank Robbery and its perpetrator William Fragner. Gabin McCleod's movie shot in Brockport "The Secrets of Jonathon Sperry" was third place, followed by our favorite visiting canal vessel The Lois McClure. Other search terms in Google that directed people to my site include Springsteen and SABAH.

Interview

I was recently interviewed for a capstone paper being completed by an MPA candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill. The paper is entitled "Managers Who Blog" and I was asked several questions on how I got started blogging (Scott Neal's PM article in ~2005) why I blog (to connect further to the citizenry) and what recommendations I have for future bloggers (don't have a ghost-writer; keep the blog up to date; dedicate time; organize posts the week before if possible).

The student informed me that, based on his research, I am one of ~32 local government managers who blog. After visiting Kent 360 and the Blogs at Eden Prairie, I know I am in good company- and also know I have a lot to improve upon.

Holiday Event

Follow the link here for a flyer on an upcoming Christmas Concert at the Sweden Senior Center, with select members of the Brockport Community Big Band. Proceeds will benefit the Food Shelf.

Helping Hands 2007

Check out pictures from Helping Hands 2007 on Flickr.

These photos are of the joint literacy project between the Brockport Rotary and Drake Memorial Library. The Rotary funds the purchase of books for children of the SUNY Brockport Holiday Helping Hand project. Librarians then hand-pick titles for each child. This year 86 books were provided for 47 young readers.

Connecting the Dots

ICMA recently formed a committee that was charged with assessing the manager's role in building awareness for the critical role public libraries play in supporting community vitality and sustainability. The committee, with funding through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, recently produced a management perspective on the issue. The link to the committee's work is available here.

The Seymour Library in Brockport is a community jewel and an entity that is vital to the region's strategic growth as a destination area in Western Monroe County. The Library, after some staff turnover, is primed for growth. The new director, Cassie Guthrie, brings a wealth of experience, energy and vision to the Library and we in the Village are excited about the year ahead.

Thruway Toll Hike- Public Hearing

Dec. 10. Assembly Republican Public Hearing on Proposed Thruway Toll Hike
Chair: Assemblyman Brian Kolb (R,C,I-Canandaigua)
Public Hearing: Exploring the negative impact that would be caused to New York’s motorists and small businesses if the proposed Thruway toll hike were implemented
Place: Monroe County Leg. Chamber, 39 W. Main Street, Rochester
Time: 10:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.
Contact: (Assemblyman Kolb) Doug Finch (315) 781-2030
Media Contact: Assembly Republican Office of Public Affairs (518) 455-5073
ORAL TESTIMONY BY PRIOR NOTICE ONLY

Thursday Notes

-Special meeting of the Board of Trustees today @ 10 AM in the conference room of the Village Hall.


-There's a new "Sunshine" site for NYS government information. In the interests of government transparency, the State Office of Attorney General hired Blair Horner, previously of NYPIRG, to lead the development of a website shining light on legislative resolutions, state contracts and lobbying issues. It's linked in the first sentence.

Board Meeting

The Board approved the following items at last night's business meeting:

-Street lighting system for McCormick Place Phase II Subdivision
-Welcome/Entrace sign at Sunflower Landing. The sign simply says "Welcome Home."
-Public Hearing for the December 17th meeting on the Illicit Discharge Ordinance for Stormwater
-Capital Expense Request for StairChairs for the Ambulance Department

Poster Contest

Some first-place winners in the Walk! Bike! Brockport Action Group's 4th Annual Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Poster Contest. Over 100 entries were received from BCSD students in grades K-5.