Interview with Jason Corrigan

As promised here is a statement from Oneonta Mayoral candidate Jason Corrigan, regarding programs and activities such as OWL:

"Thank you for your consideration in this matter. As mayor, I look to expand off of a number of current opportunities that exist within our community, as I believe we have a decent base of attraction that can be improved."

"I look at several programs that exist and look to either promote them to a larger extent, or to expand off of their success in order to increase tourism and community activities for our community members. For example, with the addition of the Foothills Performing Arts Center, I have already worked with their director, and have taken the initiative to speak with officials from Madison Square Garden Productions. Together, I look to bring in mainstream music and theater productions to provide additional areas of entertainment for our community, increase foot traffic and revenue downtown, and to market our community to the greater New York region."

"As for programs that I believe we can expand on, I attended our summer balloon festival and believe that there is a lot more we can do to bring in more tourists, while making the event more exciting for our residents. Where I grew up, there is an annual balloon festival that takes place in Glens Falls, NY. My family and I often attended the event, and it was very impressive as far as how many balloons were present, as well as how many local businesses were hands on in promoting their community. "

"I believe we can market this event even further so that we can reach more residents in central and upstate New York. As mayor, I would look to expand this program for an entire weekend, establishing space that allows families to camp out in Neawha Park for the weekend, granting them the opportunity to share an exciting weekend with their loved ones."

"In addition to this, I see an opportunity in expanding off of our summer baseball leagues, and creating a summer soccer league program. In Clifton Park, there is an annual soccer tournament where families as far as Italy come for the weekend, and spend their time and money in the community. I think this would be an excellent opportunity for Oneonta, as again, we would be able to increase our revenue and foot traffic, but this would also create an opportunity for our community's families to enjoy this sport with our children participating and their parents supporting them."

"Overall, these are just a few of many opportunities that we can explore. As mayor, I will be open for any suggestion or point of interest that would benefit our community and the families within our community. This is an excellent place to live and it is no coincidence that it has become my first "adult" home away from the place I grew up. I look forward to working with everyone in our community so that we, as a community of one, can create the environment that we see fit for our needs and others."

Thank you sincerely,

Jason Corrigan