Letter: Lynn Killian’s Speech From Candidate Forum

The following is Councilperson Lynn Killian’s speech from last Friday’s Meet The Candidates Forum at the CVI Building Auditorium. As always the Indy prints most any letter sent in, we invite other candidates to do the same! Here is her speech that was submitted to us:

I am Lynn Killian and this is “IT”.

You are all too familiar with “IT”—- our taxes, our economy, infrastructure, our appearance and all the other challenges we face as a town. And “IT” is exactly why I WANT TO BE YOUR SUPERVISOR. I see a clear direction of where to proceed from here in order to build a better community and to get “IT” under better control.

We should begin by structuring and implementing a viable ECONOMIC PLAN -where we start building upon the many assets in and around Liberty- and to re-think industries of the past. We need to DEVELOP NEW ATTRACTIONS and feature those that already exist. We need to CATCH THE WAVE created by Bethel Woods and other high impact projects and RIDE IT to new opportunities. We need to recognize up-and-coming industries like AGRIBUSINESS! Which I truly believe will be a way of the future. Our proximity to NYC, our open space, renewed interests in farming, and the fact that we are home to Cornell Cooperative Extension, Soils & Water, and the future processing plant makes us PRIME for the development of valuable agribusinesses. An effective MARKETING STRATEGY will be CRITICAL to the success of this economic plan.

We need a CAPITAL IMROVEMENT PLAN to address our infrastructure; to FURTHER REVISE ZONING LAWS to better protect property owners and the character of our town; to implement our COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND FARMLAND PROTECTION PLAN and to FOCUS on our YOUTH.

WE MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIES!

These ideas cannot come to be without THREE KEY INGREDIENTS:

1. We must WORK TOGETHER! Our town government needs to encourage GREATER PARTICIPATION from our residents and to WORK CLOSELY with other levels of government, organizations, agencies and businesses. It can begin as simply as becoming better communicators about what is happening in town government.

2. ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS! Are you seeing the glass as half-full or half-empty? We must FOCUS ON OUR POTENTIAL AND REALIZE GREATER DIRECTION AS A TOWN!

3. We must ELECT EFFECTIVE PUBLIC OFFICIALS! The Independence/Republican lines offer you the candidates with the experience, know-how and talents to accomplish these and other objectives. We know the job, the issues, the community and the town’s potential. We see the glass as half-full and are READY TO STEP INTO ACTION!

As a candidate for Supervisor, I offer you positive leadership, hard work, heartfelt commitment and a genuine belief in the Town of Liberty. I appreciate your support for me and my fellow candidates on November 8th. Let’s get “IT” under control!