Write a commentOn Wednesday, September 16, 2015, incumbent Mayor Tom Gillen sat down with some local residents and small business owners at the Oswego Tea Company for a 'Q&A” session. Mayor Gillen will not be on the ballot but is entering as a 'write-in' for the mayoral election this November 3rd.
Citizens and business owners all sat together as the Mayor introduced himself and discussed his work background. Mayor Gillen had thanked everyone for taking the time to attend the event and briefly described why he was running: “It’s important people have a chance to vote for who they want, regardless of political party affiliation” Gillen said. He also stated that the city still has big problems that need to be addressed.
Gillen stated that he could see where the local economy is still struggling; with aging infrastructure within the 5th and 3rd ward, and digging up the streets to separate the sewers, it's going to be expensive and the city cannot obtain grants for the upgrades. “We cannot expect the state to help all the time”. said Gillen.
He also stated that the City of Oswego is going to lose revenue soon. The city will be receiving its last check from AQUCA after a former Mayor sold off major resources 19 years ago which resulted in a deal where AQUCA gives the City of Oswego a check for one million dollars every year, for 19 years and 2016 will be the last check the city will receive from AQUCA.
Mayor Gillen also said that another issue is that our DPW has an “aging population” in which, upon retiring, receive retirement benefits and health care that is costly, and Oswego is responsible for those payments.
Gillen pointed out that the city is financially “healthy” now and qualifies for lower interest rates when borrowing funds. Gillen feels that we need to invest in the City of Oswego. Gillen is now focusing on the investing toward the future of Oswego. Mayor Gillen feels that we are “blessed by having the resources of lake, SUNY Oswego and the port here in Oswego and while all are growing and expanding, we cannot agree on the best way to market ourselves.”
Mayor Gillen stated that, as a businessman, “Cutting, slashing, downsizing, expecting more and investing less, makes no sense.” When it comes to investing in the city, Gillen believes that “The future of Oswego isn’t you and me, it’s our kids.” Gillen believes we have great resources and should be getting out there on social media like the next generation has been doing. However, Mayor Gillen feels the City of Oswego is behind on technology. “We can't take credit cards, we don't have voicemail and still use an answering machine” said Gillen. “We are years behind on use of technology at City Hall.”
Tom Gillen is not on the ballot but is encouraging people to write his name onto the ballot in the write-in location. He admitted his own party did not ask him to run and feels that “Politics is not the solution at this point and time, good leadership and successful growth of a city does not care if you are a Republican or a Democrat.” Gillen admitted he was disappointed in his own party not backing him and admitted “That’s politics.” Gillen stated “I know what political parties are like, they don’t think in terms what’s best for the city first, it’s what’s best for the party. Being Mayor is supposed to be about doing the right thing and helping the city grow. That's what I am doing.”
