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Washington Park grant application resolution
As reported yesterday in The Record, Councilman Ken Zalewski, D-District 5, will be adding a resolution to tomorrow night's agenda for the final regular City Council meeting of the year. The resolution is in support of the Friends of Washington Park, who are applying for a $5,000 Hudson River Valley Quadricentennial Legacy grant.
According to the resolution, the grant will be used for signage and a traveling exhibit narrating the 1860 Troy rescue of a slave named Charles Nalle. Many of the homes in the Washington Park area were part of the Underground Railroad.
The resolution also says that the Friends will partner with the Underground Railroad Workshop, the Rensselaer County Historical Society and the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway to secure matching funds, allowing the project to take place at no cost to the city. The project is being spearheaded by Washington Park Neighborhood Association President Lynn Kopka.
"I wholeheartedly support this project, and appreciate the efforts that Lynn has put into improving her neighborhood and the city as a whole," said Zalewski in an e-mail Wednesday.
For more information, the entire resolution is embedded below, or can be viewed here.
According to the resolution, the grant will be used for signage and a traveling exhibit narrating the 1860 Troy rescue of a slave named Charles Nalle. Many of the homes in the Washington Park area were part of the Underground Railroad.
The resolution also says that the Friends will partner with the Underground Railroad Workshop, the Rensselaer County Historical Society and the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway to secure matching funds, allowing the project to take place at no cost to the city. The project is being spearheaded by Washington Park Neighborhood Association President Lynn Kopka.
"I wholeheartedly support this project, and appreciate the efforts that Lynn has put into improving her neighborhood and the city as a whole," said Zalewski in an e-mail Wednesday.
For more information, the entire resolution is embedded below, or can be viewed here.
posted by Unknown at
5:30 AM
4 Comments:
Ken Zelwski has the city's best interest at heart. He's against the budget but votes for it. At a committee meeting he asked Sondra Little who had the job they were eliminating, then last night claimed he did not know.....your time is coming Ken, you've requested all kinds of investigations of the administration but you have been totally silent about your fellow dems who are soon to be indicted.
Hi Jeff,
If you feel so strongly about me, you could at least have the courage to sign your name to your comment. Oh, but that would make you responsible for your dishonesty and misinformation.
Allow me to respond to your lies:
1. I voted for the budget for one important reason: It brings the tax increase down from the originally proposed 5.5% to a reasonable 1.9%. That's a victory for the people of Troy. It's true that I took issue with some of the allocations (including your own $50K job, by the way, which I think is non-essential and should be eliminated - and you continue to help me prove my point). But overall, it's a solid budget and it benefits the people of the city by keeping taxes low and by funding public safety. Low taxes. More public safety. It's quite simple.
2. At the budget meeting, I stated that I do not know the person myself. At the committee meeting, no one had an answer as to why the position was created, especially when Sondra Little stated that there were no new development projects in the pipeline. We cannot be creating new, non-essential jobs in the city during these difficult economic times. That money is better spent on keeping taxes low and funding public safety - which, coincidentally, is what the Council emphasized in this budget.
3. Please list the "all kinds of investigations" that I've requested. To my recollection, the only investigation I ever publicly called for was an investigation into the "Tonya scandal" in April 2007 (before I was elected), because I thought it was improper that the Mayor of a city would allow City Hall to be used as a campaign location to record disparaging phone calls against a sitting councilman.
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4. I assume you're referring to the voter fraud case in your last point. It's interesting that you say that I've been "totally silent" about it, when I have arguably written and spoken publicly about it more than any other city official, including yourself. Interestingly, I've never heard Harry make any public statements about Bob Mirch's conduct, even after he cost the city $20,000 in a court case. If you want to talk about "total silence", look no further than your boss.
I understand the glee that you feel every time you read another voter fraud article - you can't jump over yourself fast enough to post it to Facebook. For you, it suits a political purpose - to defeat Democrats and prop up Republican candidates. Fair enough. I can't blame you for using it politically.
For me, it's another disgusting chapter in Troy's long book of dirty electoral history. So, these folks will have their day in court. The case is moving forward, and hopefully justice will be served.
Would you have me play judge and jury, when I have no facts other than what I read in the newspaper? What are you asking of me? I've seen all of your comments about "Ken's friends" and "your fellow Dems" and all of this garbage, as if I'm now responsible for being the caretaker and spokesman for the Council majority. Give me a break.
I know it helps your propaganda machine to paint all Troy Democrats with the "voter fraud" brush, but it's completely disingenuous. My political party does not define my whole person, and it certainly does not bind me to people tighter than my relationships with family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, teammates, or my own constituents and fellow Troy residents.
I know I've said this before, but our city is too small to be wasting time tearing people apart politically. We need to govern in the best interests of the city, and put aside the petty politics.
The one statement you made that is actually true is your first one: Yes, I really do have the city's best interest at heart. And I know I'm doing something right because folks in your own administration have told me this.
I've tried to work with you, Jeff, but you can't seem to get out of your own political way. So I'm done trying. If you want to bury the hatchet and move beyond this, I'm happy to do so. If not, so be it.
The good news is that most city employees have been fantastic to work with - responsive to my requests and eager to help me to help my constituents. That's the way it should work. The rest is all interference, as far as I'm concerned.
The next time you feel like writing a disparaging comment, why not take a step back and decide if it's truly conducive to furthering our city's interests. Instead, turn it around with a kind word or gesture.
I don't need praise to feel better about myself, but once in a while, a "thank you" or "nice job" could make a world of difference.
After all, the original posting here was about a grant for a project that benefits the city.
How that resulted in a negative comment is beyond me.
Ken turn your frown upside down
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