On May 29th the city council received a report from the police chief on steps he is taking to implement the items outlined in the now infamous Nottley Report. At least four of the seven council members expressed disappointment with the report, and said so on the record at the council meeting.

This is a very simple issue in my opinion. The police chief, despite his efforts, is not able to provide forward thinking or direction for the police department because his leadership skills are not strong enough. Regardless of the reason for the leadership skill situation, the very fact that there is a “Nottley Report” and that it needs to be “implemented” is the result of twenty years of insufficient police department leadership. Perhaps it’s the city managers fault. Maybe the police chief is to blame. But does it really matter whose fault it is? The citizens of Rochester deserve better.

Please take the time to reflect this weekend about the tens of thousands of US military men and women who have died protecting our freedom. Without their involvement and their sacrifice, none of us would have what we have today. It’s easy to think of the Memorial Day weekend as a holiday, and that’s good, but please remember the sacrifice that these men and women made so that we may continue living in freedom.

Do you think it would be a good idea if the police department organized and advertised an open house? This would allow the citizens to get a better idea about the inner workings of the police department. I think this would be a good way to begin to open up the department to the community, particularly in light of the controversy that has recently been surrounding the department.

I was just advised that there are twelve candidate submissions for this years city council election. All four incumbents, and eight newcomers, have submitted the necessary paperwork for the fall election. Because there are more than eight people running for four positions, the city charter requires a primary election. This primary election will be held on Tuesday, August 7, 2007 and only the top eight candidates will move on to the fall general election.

At last nights meeting, the council voted 5-2 in favor of determining the cost of offering Chief Ted Glynn full health care benefits should he retire prior to July 1, 2007. The city currently has a sliding scale vesting policy for retiree health care benefits, which is based on a factor of years of service times 4% per year. In other words, an employee with 25 years of service will have 100% of his health care paid for on retirement. With just less than 21 years of service, Glynn would pay a portion of his health care if he was to retire now.

I am pleased to announce that Rochester Mayor Stuart Bikson has given his support to my campaign.

I have been very pleased with the overall performance of Mayor Bikson as a city councilperson and have been particularly pleased with his performance since being appointed mayor earlier this year. I applaud him for his effort and devotion as he leads the city council through a very difficult time in our city’s history.

Thank you for the kind words and the vote of support, Mayor Bikson. I truly appreciate it.