“I’m a retired teacher from the school district and I find a graduate rate that’s at about fifty, fifty-five percent to be appalling. As a teacher I think one of the best things you can do is reduce class size. They have to get more teachers in the classrooms. That was one of the things I always thought would have made my job easier…I have a personal issue. I think the city looks like hell. There are just too many eyesores around that are just allowed to be here, and I think if you’re going to attract small businesses, I think you need to clean the city up.”
(Ann Marie Bergold, 61, of Eastwood, retired teacher, registered Democrat)
“We have to ensure that downtown is safe — that there’s good security and that people who live downtown have places they can park their car and feel that it’s safe at night time.”
(Edward Koolakian, of Clay, described himself as in his 60s, downtown business and building owner; serves on Downtown Committee Board)
“The fact that she’s going to have one office for permits is an incredible move forward.”
(Janice McKenna, 56, Democrat, business owner and neighborhood association president in Tipp Hill)
“I think what the mayor needs to focus on is that we have some of the lowest performing schools in the state.”
(Christiana Molldrem, 25, spa manager, registered Democrat of the Highland and DeWitt area)
“What they’re not doing is they’re not treating, they’re not dealing with parking in a way that is easy for people to understand and there’s not enough, obviously…I have absolutely lost customers because of the parking.”
(Tina Parker, co-owner of Eureka Crafts in Armory Square, registered Democrat in Sylvan Beach in Oneida County, lives on the lake)
(Paul Brockwell is a graduate student in magazine, newspaper and online journalism.)
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