info aplenty

I suddenly find myself with more county exec info then I know what to do with.

First off, the TV, Channel 3 was advertising they'd have the candidates on at 9 both Saturday and Sunday. In an interesting split, Dale and Ed are on Saturday, and Joanie and Bill are on Sunday.

Also the post standard ran articles on all 4 candidates yesterday. I haven't had the opportunity to read all 4 yet, but I have had the time to read about all 4 in the Syracuse New Times ("Four on the Floor, the 8/29-9/5 issue).

Some thoughts on the New Times articles. I'll comment in the order they appeared in the New Times.
Joanie: I like that she comes off as a family woman. I think the fact that the New Times spent so much of her article talking about family, and barely mentioning if the men even have families or not says something negative about the reporting at the New Times, but being a family woman is still a positive. I also am glad to hear her assertion that the "City vs. County attitude will stop." This has been a huge problem in our county.

Dale: I actually do like that Dale mentions his family did share the experience of downsizing at times, it brings him down to earth to me as a candidate. Also like that he and his family stayed here. Dislike his assertion that he fears downtown development may be swinging too far in one direction. The city is the reason people come or don't come to this county and we need to build it up.

Bill: Love that he says he'll follow Nancy Cantor. Yes, I think the woman seemed a little weird at first, but she seems to be one of the few people who knows what she's doing when it comes to Syracuse. Now if only she could get the same knowledge about our sports programs. I also like his thoughts on merging county and city resources. Everyone is talking about it, but Bill's comments seem to make sense.

Ed: I like that Ed won't answer the "tell me a joke" question because it'd be a dirty one. I also like that he's willing to use tax credits to create jobs, but opposed to empire zones, which implies he'd put checks and balances on it. And I like his desire to expand the eco-friendly business in CNY. Other candidates have talked about it, but Ed's made it a forefront issue, and it seems like an area where our county can take the lead.

Finally, in other county exec news, Bill was quoted in 4 on the Floor as saying "I don't even know why Ed's running." Ed responded with a letter to the editor in which he quoted Elliot Spitzer, calling Bill a puppet of the Silver administration. Kudos to Ed for saying what he feels even at the expense of another party member, but also wish there wasn't such infighting.