State of the City 2010

Click here for the downloadable pdf version

State of the City Address 2010
Mayor Linda L. Witte
City of Olean
1-4-2010

Members of the Common Council, Department
Heads, Father Greg Dobson, Judge Palumbo,
distinguished guests (name as present), family,
friends, and citizens of Olean,

As we begin a new decade, Olean faces both challenges and opportunities. Olean is blessed with institutions of higher education, including J.C.C., O.B.I,, and nearby St. Bonaventure that attract young people, culture, sports and business to our area. We have excellent public and private schools to educate our young people, who I would like to see become more involved in the life of our community. We have first rate medical institutions, including Olean General Hospital, Olean Medical Group and independent physicians. Our area serves as a health care hub for the surrounding communities in this part of the Southern Tier. We have businesses such as Cutco, Dresser-Rand, Dai-Tile, Conap, the Call Center, to name a few, that have survived the recession and stand ready to grow. We are fortunate to have the Greater Olean Chamber of Commerce, which has been nationally recognized. I look forward to working with it. We continue to enjoy a diversity of restaurants and entertainment and we need to attract more, particularly for our young professionals. We have a diverse, hard working and spiritual community that I'm proud to call home.

There are many opportunities for growth. Brownfield development, the former St. Francis Hospital site, Bradner Stadium, and the former Manufacture Hanover building are just some of the areas we need to work on, along with the continued health of downtown, and our mall. Upcoming projects include the east end sewer projects, the West State paving program which is funded largely by stimulus money, and the Main Street paving project.

The biggest challenge for our city is to maintain services and quality of life, while living within our means and keeping down the tax burden on our citizens. I want Olean to be a city which young people will want and be able to return to, and that senior citizens can afford to live in. Safety of our citizens is always paramount, and I will work with our police and fire departments to continue to improve in this area. Codes enforcement is vital to the safety and stability of our neighborhoods and must improve. These areas are all vital to our quality of life.

Shared services with our neighboring communities is an opportunity that can benefit all of us, and will be a priority of my administration. Strategic planning can help us utilize our valuable resources, such as our water system.

I meant what I said during the campaign about working with the Common Council. In order to accomplish our goals, I need to work with the Council, department heads, city employees and their unions, and our business community. Communication and transparency will be key elements of my administration. As our public school motto says, it takes all of us to pull the sled.

Thank you to Mayor Carucci for your hard work and the accomplishments of the past four years. I would like to thank my family, my husband Gil, my sons Matt and Mike, my daughters Mandy and Melissa for their love and support, my young volunteers, Taylor, Tom, Tony, Brandon, Tyler, Alex, Michael and Jessica, and my other volunteers for their help. I would also like to recognize my fellow nurses, who have supported and encouraged me, some of whom I've had the pleasure of working with for 35 years. Once a nurse, always a nurse! There are four women who have served our city in different ways, including Alderman and County Legislator, and who have run for Mayor of Olean. They are Mary Avery, Charlotte McLaughlin, Paula Snyder and Joyce Melfi. I thank them for their efforts and commitment to our city, without which I would not be standing here today. I hope that the next time a woman runs for Mayor, it will no longer be news. Our city has much to be proud of. We have great people and a shared sense of commitment to our city. Let’s all remember that as we move forward.

Thank you.

Mayor Linda Witte