The Clarion Call

For the past 17 years I’ve written this approximately 500 word column every Tuesday. For the last five days I’ve written a 500 word column every day! Please excuse me if I don’t make 500 words tonight, I’m tired!

The daily columns are blog entries in my new campaign diary which can be found on corrinstrong.com my new campaign website. The blog can also be reached directly here.

I started a separate campaign site to preserve at least the appearance of independence for the clarioncall site, especially the Clarion News Blog. While, naturally, all the sites that I am involved with (including The PDDG File) share a common editorship, they have different points of view and different mixes of fact and opinion.

This Clarion Call column is usually reserved for my personal opinion on issues of general interest in the local community and beyond. It may also occasionally be used for more personal reflections, but after today, it will not be used to talk about my campaign for supervisor. If you want that you will just have to go to corrinstrong.com or my campaign blog.

The Clarion News Blog is closer to the news coverage that was provided in the former Clarion newspaper, with perhaps just a little more slant (if that’s possible!) There is a strong point of view, but there is also an effort to adopt a balanced tone. The PDDG File is also intended to be factually accurate, although with a less balanced tone.

If the PDDG File were found to be inaccurate, the credibility of our entire movement would be threatened. Bill Lofquist and I stand behind every statement published there, so please let us know if you find anything questionable.

Finally, it should be made clear that PDDG as an organization will not endorse my candidacy in any way, nor do I assume that any member of the organization will do so. Further, PDDG will not expend any funds in support of any candidate for office or any ballot proposition. To do so would be to subject the organization to the financial disclosure rules of the NYS Election Law, and that is something we have promised our donors we will never do!

I hope this is clear. If not, please don’t hesitate to ask for further clarification.

That’s 385 words. Not bad!

Today marks exactly two months since I sent the last Clarion newspaper to press. In a perfect world, I would have preferred to enjoy my retirement a little while longer before jumping into my next major venture, but time waits for no man.

I’ve known for a while that Town Planning Board member Patti Lavigne was planning to run for the Republican nomination for Geneseo Town Supervisor. I’ve also known that I would run as well, but since the date of the caucus hasn’t even been set yet, I decided to let her make the first move.

On Monday, I learned that Patti was making it official with an announcement to the newspaper. Not wanting to be left at the starting gate, I decided to follow suit. You can read all about it in this week’s LC News.

I have great respect for Patti and I sincerely hope that we both end up serving together on the town board next year. (After all, there are three seats up for election). Our only difference of opinion seems to be over who should be on the top of the ticket! I’ll trust the Republican caucus to sort that out.

Regardless of what happens, however, I believe that political competition is a good thing for everyone. If Patti and I go out and talk to a couple hundred people each, that will make the community in general immeasurably better informed on the issues.

It will also make each of us a better potential candidate for the fall contest. By talking (and listening) to the voters we will have a better sense of where the community is on the important issues facing our town.

I also believe that Patti and I share a common conviction that the current leadership of the town is due for a major overhaul. No matter how people may feel about the particulars of the Lowes proposal, it should be clear that there is something seriously wrong with the way business is being done (or not done) in our town.

For the last two years every important issue facing the town (the master plan, the access management plan, the shared renovation of the Geneseo Building and much more) has been held hostage in the Big Box War. This politics of division must stop. Town, village and county government each have an important role to play in the continued prosperity of our community, but they can only succeed by working together.

As the person in Geneseo who has attended more town, village and county board meetings in the last few years than anyone else, I am acutely aware of the lack of good will and communication. We can do better than this, and with a change at the top next year, we will.