"Expanding the spirit of revitalization to every part of the City."
That is the message I plan to carry to all voters of Troy as a Republican Party candidate for an at-large City Council seat in November. My message stems from a dose of excitement tempered by the fact that City government itself needs to play a more emphatic role in fostering development.
The excitement comes as I see the interest in creating businesses -- and, therefore, jobs and taxpaying entities -- that continues at a strong pace in Troy's resuscitated downtown. In just the past week, three separate projects have been announced, all by energetic young entrepreneurs who see value in being in Troy.
Vic Christopher and Heather LaVine, the husband-wife team who have been setting a great example of what you can do with good ideas, targeted building selection, and a lot of sweat equity, have announced yet another project. Not content to rest on their much-deserved laurels after rehabbing decrepit buildings to create the Lucas Confectionery Wine Bar, The Market grocery and the restaurant-tavern Peck's Arcade, all in the Monument Square neighborhood, they have submitted plans to the city to rehab a long-vacant three-story building at 22 Second Street to house a shop selling small-batch boutique wines such as they offer at their wine bar.
Spurred by their example, Cory Nelson, a comparatively new resident of Troy who moved here from Brooklyn, has announced plans to convert the former Union National Bank building at 50 4th Street into a "gourmet food court." It would include four separate food vendors, a wine and beer bar, and a coffee bar.
And, Emily Petersen, who works as a butcher in Saratoga County, has announced the start of an online fundraising effort to raise $35,000 so she can create a butcher shop in the old Sentinel Building at 255 River Street, an office building just off Monument Square. The Sentinel, a semi-weekly newspaper published from 1823 to 1832, is best known for being the first to publish the beloved poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas," commonly called "The Night Before Christmas," on December 23, 1823.
In addition, Sarah Fish, an entrepreneurial chef and social activist who once ran The Hungry Fish Cafe & Country Store on Pawling Avenue, recently opened Annie Patterson's Fancy Shop, a vintage/thrift/consignment/memorabilia store, with partner Josh Sheehan in a renovated building at 336 Congress Street.
What they all have in common is the fact they are young, entrepreneurial, willing to take on very hard tasks -- and they love Troy.
I would like to encourage that sort of attitude and innovation throughout the City, so we are not self-limiting ourselves and excluding some of the community's ugliest and least-appealing neighborhoods.
That begins with a City Council and a mayor who are in sync with the very basic needs -- excellent code enforcement, energetic department heads, the removal of petty political bickering and backbiting, and a willingness to communicate. All of that has been lacking for years.
It has taken a long, long time for Troy to mount a comeback of this magnitude. Even though its past fiscal problems will keep it under close state scrutiny until 2020 and, thus, result in operating on an austerity budget, ideas, hard work and a cooperative spirit often can do what money cannot.
