Ellis for mayor

Tuesday, Sept. 15, is primary day in Albany. Of the various races, the most important one for the city of Albany is the mayoral race between challenger Corey Ellis and incumbent Jerry Jennings. For those students who are registered to vote on campus, I strongly encourage you to support Corey Ellis.

Now I know the average (transient) UAlbany student probably doesn't care about property taxes and after-school programs, but they should care about their safety when stumbling home drunk from the bars in the Pine Hills neighborhood. I'm sure most students heard of the muggings that happened earlier in the year and the tragedy that took the life of senior Richard Bailey in Oct. 2008.

Perhaps the most compelling reason to vote for Ellis is the fact that Jennings has been in office four terms. That's sixteen years.

I'm not looking to attack Jennings as a person. My point is that 16 years is too long for anybody to be in office. Too many people wind up owing you favors and visa-versa. It's time to change the oil in Albany politics.

Ellis is a fresh-faced 38-year-old Common Council member who grew up in Albany's South End and Arbor Hill. He is squarely aligned with the progressive agenda in Albany and consistently fights for reform in Albany's government. Before being elected to the council, he worked as a union organizer and campaigned for District Attorney David Soares.

I recently interviewed Ellis to see how he would improve the lives of students if he were to be elected. He feels the area where he could be most effective is safety downtown, not only for students but also for the long-term residents that call these college neighborhoods home.

"We will have police officers trained to be connected with the communities that they serve," said Ellis. "Those communities will know who the police officers are."

Ellis said that these specially trained community police officers will certainly be an initiative in the Pine Hills neighborhood, where many college students live and sometimes fall victim to opportunistic criminals. Ellis further explained that there will be a specific group of police officers assigned to each neighborhood who will know the problems and issues facing that area.

"They will be trained on the demographics and the people living in that community - their immediate needs, and the immediate challenges of that community," Ellis said.

With the recent resignation of Albany Police Chief James Tuffey, whose short tenure was marred by controversy, Albany is experiencing a period of transition. It's easy to think that the concerns of students will get lost in the shuffle. Ellis said that "accountability starts at the top" when it comes to the police department and he will work with whoever is appointed as Albany's chief of police to implement these new policies as well as work with the University Police Department here on campus.

A large aspect to crime prevention and safety in Albany is gun control. On this front, Ellis said he would support two programs to combat the distribution and use of guns in Albany. Ellis is working with the other progressives in Albany to implement a gun control policy that was first used in Chicago called "Operation Ceasefire." This called for federal funding, which they are currently in the process of applying for. Ellis said the program uses people who are familiar with the streets and has seen great success in Chicago:

"The program uses ex-offenders," said Ellis. "People who understand the streets, who understand what's going on, that are able to communicate with groups that are put together under this umbrella and are really proactive in eliminating gun violence."

"What makes it successful is that its community driven, it's not driven by the government," Ellis said.

The other program Ellis said he would support is a gun buy-back program. Ellis claimed that until recently, Jennings has not given money to this cause and that the program needs further funding from the city going forward.

"Gun buy-back programs do help eliminate the number of guns on the street," Ellis said. "It's a proven fact."

Aside from safety, Ellis said his administration would hold landlords more accountable for the properties they own by having a strict stance on code enforcement and would strive to make landlords more responsive to their tenants needs. Should he be elected mayor, Ellis said he would implement a 24-hour hotline where residents of Albany, including students, could air grievances that will be addressed by the correct office in a timely manner.

"We will make sure that this city moves into the 21st century when it comes to technology," Ellis said.

Perhaps my support for Ellis stems from the fact that I recently completed a summer internship at a small weekly newspaper in Albany called Metroland (that recently endorsed Ellis), where I received a biased yet informative crash-course in Albany politics.

They market themselves as Albany's "only alternative newsweekly," which is true enough as there is really only one other newspaper in Albany (who recently endorsed Jennings). But in this context, alternative means anti-establishment. Which is great, because there is certainly an establishment in Albany. This Tuesday, the citizens of Albany have a chance to change that, as do some socially conscious students who are registered to vote on campus. I hope there are enough of us to help turn this city around.

Polls are located on State Quad in the flag room, and on Colonial Quad in the cafeteria. Polls are open from noon to 9 PM.