Chris Maj for Mayor - News

I will work tirelessly to employ citizens to stop the construction of Renaissance Square, if necessary, they will be employed to lie down in front of the bulldozers building this boondoggle.

WWW.ROCHESTERMAYOR.COM

Employing City Residents on Renaissance Square

23 August 2005

Chris Maj - www.rochestermayor.com 

The Democrat & Chronicle requested that lots of candidates for office submit answers to three questions for their Speaking Out pages. Here's their questions and my answers:

1. What will you do to ensure that city residents are employed in the construction of Renaissance Square ?

The combined underground bus terminal, arts theater, and college campus at the corner of Main and Clinton is a bad idea. Huffing bus fumes is unhealthy, especially in a confined underground space.

Putting performing theater above thirty or more idling buses is not acoustically sound. Moving MCC across the street and calling it development is political sleight-of-hand.

Rolling all these projects into one because that's the magic formula for pork-barrel federal taxpayer money doesn't make it right.

I will work tirelessly to employ citizens to stop the construction of Renaissance Square, if necessary, they will be employed to lie down in front of the bulldozers building this boondoggle.

For a fraction of the cost, we could build more sheltered bus stops around the city. People are not just waiting for the bus downtown. By building this bus station at this location, there will be ten minutes added to each bus ride because the buses will have to go underground in one small spot. That's twenty minutes extra for a cross town ride.

Even worse, they don't have the money to build it - even at the "estimated" price. My guess is they are going to increase bus fares to cover the costs of construction. The Renaissance Square is like ten Fast Ferries stacked on top of each other on dry land in the middle of the city.

2. What steps will you take toward the consolidation of the many layers of government in Monroe County ?

I will increase the urban-suburban schools exchange program. If we want Rochester to move forward as an international city that works together, then let's start by going to school together.

3. What is your specific plan to restore/rebuild poor neighborhoods in the city ?

I encourage increasing green space to make the city more self-sufficient. Planting vegetable gardens in empty lots and teaching kids how to grow their own food in a new School of Agriculture will reduce the need for government assistance.

Chris Maj - www.rochestermayor.com