Citizen Issues Agenda

Victor Mendolia

Candidate for
Hudson 
Mayor

Citizen Issues Agenda

• Open Government

When government is working in the people's interest, there is nothing to hide. 
As required by open meetings laws, all proposed resolutions and local laws including supporting documentation, will be posted online in advance of meetings and prior to any votes being taken.

Unless there is a real emergency, Common Council members will always have the time required by the Charter to consider resolutions put before them. 
When a decision will impact people's lives, public hearings will be held.

Accurate minutes of all actions taken at Common Council and Committee meetings will be posted online on a timely basis. 
When documents are sent or received, legislation or projects are proposed or any other public business takes place it will all be a part of the public record, accessible to all and online. (see Technology below)

• City Control of the Port

The waterfront holds the key to building our tax base and connecting residents and visitors to the river. The city must be the steward of its own waterfront. The only way to do that is for the City to control the dock and port. 

As Mayor I will be starting from that position and look for ways to make it a reality.

The LWRP calls for the city to eventually own the dock. There is no better time than now to move toward ownership. Owning the port would hasten the cleanup of the derelict buildings and structures at the waterfront and would encourage development.

Development at the waterfront would be an huge economic engine not only for the city, but for the entire county as well. Thus the city should not have to go it alone. I would immediately look to partner with Columbia County and/or non-profit entities to begin exploring ways to purchase the Holcim dock or take it by eminent domain.

 • Building the tax base by growing the community • Columbia Street Redevelopment
At its peak, Hudson's population was twice what it is today. While there are a number of factors for that, the city can sustain a lot more people than it currently does. The more people we have living in Hudson, the more they are paying taxes and contributing to our local economy. But in order to do that, we need more housing. We will also need more commercial space to support those residents with services.

To facilitate some new growth quickly, coupled with much needed community renewal, on the North Side, I would champion new zoning to help restore Columbia Street to the secondary commercial strip it once was. The area around Helsinki, TSL, Etsy and the County Building should be considered for development which would allow more density than is currently allowed. A limit of five stories rather than the current three and allowing construction closer to the property line would entice developers, help rehabilitate a long neglected and blighted area. It would also provide the city with desperately needed residential and commercial space, preferably with underground parking,which is also increasingly in short supply.

However, any zoning change allowing for more density would come with conditions to set aside at least 20% of the units for low and moderate income residents. The set aside would have to be scattered around the building or complex, so as to avoid any stigmatization of low income tenants and afford them the same amenities as any other tenant.

• Truck Route – Short Term

We should immediately begin hyper-enforcement of existing traffic rules regarding speed and jake braking on the truck route and place electronic signs at the entrances of the city warning truckers of increased enforcement. I would support decreasing the speed limit on the route, especially near schools and day-care facilities. If possible, weight limits on thru trucks should be imposed and enforced.The city should consistently make it as unwelcoming for truck traffic as state law allows, to encourage trucks to take other routes.

• Truck Route – Long Term

There must be a better long range solution to the truck route which is strangling the city, Fairview Avenue in Greenport and to a lesser extent, the hamlet in Claverack. I would work with our state legislators to fund studies leading to by-pass connections for Rt 66 and 9H that could allow trucks to avoid not only the city but the Fairview corridor and Claverack's Hamlet as well.

• Housing

As Bliss Tower continues to move toward the end of its useful life, there must be a renewed effort to either replace the building or do a major upgrade to rehabilitate it. That decision must involve the residents of the building and not be imposed upon them.

Any new rental housing at the waterfront will set aside 20% of its units for low and moderate income renters. In the case of co-op or condominium development, there will also be a similar set aside for affordable home ownership.

We must better protect tenant's rights to live in safe and properly maintained buildings. I will advocate for strict enforcement of our building codes and adherence of our Historic Preservation Law.

• Technology
The City website and other electronic media must be a top priority. Social media pages will be established and updated often in order to keep residents informed of situations. All of the city's information platforms will incorporate ways for citizens to send feedback to their elected officials and public employees. If something doesn't work properly, or there is a dangerous condition, you will be able to tell us immediately and get a fast response. Smartphone apps will be developed as well. The citizens' eyes and ears and their feedback will help everyone in city government do a better job.

There will be routine digitization of all public documents going forward and other public documents from years back will be added as quickly as possible. The website will contain clear and easy to find instructions for parking, snow emergencies, meetings, and accessing city services. In addition, it will promote the city as a tourism destination and easily link people to information about Hudson they are seeking.

Unlike city government today, two way communication will be the norm in Hudson, and it won't take years and years to do it. It will make for a better informed public and for elected officials who are more connected to the problems their constituents are facing in their neighborhoods.

• Utilities

Unreliable and slow broadband service is holding back our economic development. The city must negotiate a better franchise agreement with the current provider or seek another cable provider to service the city's needs. A studio facility for the production of public access television, which was required under the previous agreement but never provided, must be a part of any deal. 
We will implement Free Wi-Fi access in all municipal building and all parks.

• Green Initiatives

Within the first year I would be committed to having at least one 50 kilowatt Solar array on every suitable city owned building and facility. In addition, 

I would put forward new initiatives to require all new public buildings, sidewalks and streets to include permeable surfaces, rain gardens and other modern rainwater control systems. A major tree planting initiative, particularly on the North Side, would also be included.

• Sanitation
I believe that we have to take a look at adopting a different model of trash collection. While I can appreciate the concept that having free recycling and charging by the bag for everything that isn't recycled was intended to encourage greater receycling and have residents pay for what they toss. But the reality is something that simply isn't working. 

If you walk to the furthest end of any alley in the city you will see tons of trash dumped in woods, down ravines, or just right there at the side of the road. The reality is that people who are struggling to make ends meet, do not always pay for bags. But their trash has to go somewhere and often it is just dumped somewhere. Our system is just not efficient and it is not green.

We need to move to municipal pickup, where everything that is put out, is collected. The city is already paying our DPW crew to pick up. The bags only offset the cost of doing so. I believe that with the savings we would realize without having to pay staff to sell the bags and other savings, any increase in taxes to pay the difference would be minimal to nonexistent. And our city would be a whole lot cleaner and greener for it.

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NOTE:  Is there something that is of concern to you which hasn't been addressed here? Or is there something that I have discussed, that could be done differently? 
Please let me know your thoughts. I am interested in hearing other ideas or discussing issues that you may have, either in small groups or one on one. 

Victor

Email me at betterforhudson@gmail.com