SCHENECTADY COUNTY Gillen is appointed to SCCC board County legislator to replace college trustee who is retiring BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
The county’s top economic developer is joining Schenectady County Community College’s board of trustees, and he already has ideas on how to tie the college into the community’s economic development efforts. In another change, Vincent DiCerbo, appointed by the Schenectady County Legislature, will resign from the college board next week and be replaced by county Legislator Gary Hughes. Ray Gillen, commissioner of economic development and planning for Schenectady County and chairman of the Metroplex Development Authority, was appointed to the 10-member board in January by Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Gillen replaces Nicholas Barber, whose term expired last summer. Gillen’s term expires June 30, 2014. Barber said he was “honored and proud to serve as a trustee and as chairman of the board during some major projects.” The governor appoints four members of the board, the Schenectady County Legislature appoints five and the SCCC student body selects a student representative. “It is an honor to be appointed,” Gillen said Friday. He has yet to attend his first board meeting, but is looking forward to helping the college move forward. “My son goes there and I am interested in the programs and what they do,” he said. He said one of his goals is to help the college develop new programs and services to train people for jobs in the Capital Region. “There is a whole emerging field to prepare people to work in green industries, those related to renewable energy,” he said. He calls these “green-collar jobs,” a term akin to white-collar and blue-collar jobs. Gillen said Schenectady is becoming a hub for the development of renewable energy technology. Renewable energy uses wind, solar and the sea as sources of power; it is cleaner than power created by coal-fired plants and safer than power created by nuclear plants. “I would like to see the college become more involved in training the technical workers that we need for the local economy. It is a good fit between our economic development role and our college,” Gillen said. He cited the decision by GE Energy Power Generation to invest $39 million to expand its power generation business headquartered in Schenectady as proof of the need for new educational programs. GE will renovate Building 53 on its campus, a now vacant five-story office unit built in 1909, to house 500 engineers. The engineers are expected to earn starting salaries of between $80,000 and $100,000, according to officials. SCCC is already moving in this direction, Gillen said. The college introduced a new two-year-degree program in nanoscale materials technology. The program prepares students to work in the emerging and highly technical semiconductor and superconductor manufacturing and research and development field. Gillen also cited the college’s program in emergency management. The program prepares students for careers or to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program related to emergency management, homeland security, organizational communication, political science or public administration. DiCerbo, D-Schenectady, said he is stepping down as a college trustee to concentrate on his new duties as chairman of the county Legislature’s Committee on Economic Planning. DiCerbo had chaired the Legislature’s Committee on Education and Libraries; Hughes, D-Schenectady, is the new chair of this committee. “It is an unwritten rule that the chair of the education committee serves as liaison to college board,” DiCerbo said. DiCerbo’s term on the college board was set to expire 2011.
Ray Gillen, commissioner of economic development and planning for Schenectady County and chairman of the Metroplex Development Authority, was appointed to the 10-member board in January by Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
Brad, maybe this is one reason why it will be a little difficult to get the state's attention for an audit of the Metroplex.
Ray Gillen, commissioner of economic development and planning for Schenectady County and chairman of the Metroplex Development Authority, was appointed to the 10-member board in January by Gov. Eliot Spitzer
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Brad, maybe this is one reason why it will be a little difficult to get the state's attention for an audit of the Metroplex.
PERHAPS? Of Course!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
SCCC might as well start moving their music dept to the so called 'arts district' of State Street now!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
They dont have to move their music department....just make a venue of choice for the students- for both Union and SCCC.....schenectady city will become schenectady city college town......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Schenectady county residents are getting their just deserts.
Voters remain uninformed of the important issues facing our county. Election turnout in the November election was low. Our freedoms and our individual wealth are being usurped by the government. Wealth is being redistributed from the hard working amongst us to those who contribute nothing of value to society.
As President Reagan stated, "Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem"
That is because we have become 'fat heads', as long as our own freezers, homes and backyards are full of STUFF(everyone has a different idea as to what has value-then there is no further to go or make an effort for.....
"..I will send fatness among them..."
dont worry we will pay attention soon, as the subprime and credit crunch comes around squeezing our Homer Simpson waistlines......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Ray Gillen has done an excellent job as Metroplex chairman and Schenectady County planning commissioner, using brains, energy and talent to bring badly needed economic development projects to the city and county. Now he will take on another job, one that ought to raise eyebrows: trustee of Schenectady County Community College. That Gov. Spitzer has named Gillen to the position shouldn’t obscure the fact that the choice was really made by the county’s Democratic majority — or change the perception that this, along with the appointment of the Legislature’s majority leader, Gary Hughes, is an attempt to extend the Democrats’ control over the college’s board of trustees. The board has recently shown its independent-mindedness by resisting a plan pushed by county Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage, and supported by Gillen and Hughes, to move the college’s music program to Center City. Will the two recuse themselves from future discussions or votes concerning the proposal? According to Republican Legislator Bob Farley (who actually thinks it makes sense to have Gillen on the board because, he says, the community college should be an engine for economic development), in the past the four gubernatorial appointments have been mostly educators or businessmen or representatives of nonprofit organizations. And contrary to the assertion of Democratic Legislator Vince DiCerbo, who has been negative to neutral about moving the music program and is leaving the board of trustees to make room for Hughes, the position has not traditionally gone to the chairman of the Legislature’s Education Committee. Bob Farley was head of that committee and never served as a trustee; Al deAprix, who served as a trustee for almost 20 years, was only chairman of the committee for two of them, and he was a maverick legislator who at times bucked his own party leaders. Gillen has good ideas about getting the college more involved in training workers for “green-collar” renewable energy tech jobs in the Capital Region. But he could push them from his other positions. This is a hat too many, one that could make him appear what he has always tried to avoid being perceived as: a partisan.
Just a thought here......We all know what a corrupt Gov. Spitzer was rights? Now in reading this article, Gillen is at the least connected to Spitzer by association. And we know that Nicolas Barber did a fine job in this position. Now could it be that Gillen will be far better at this position? What were the motives? I tend to be a bit leary on people that X-Gov. Spitzer appointed while he was in office. Hmmmmm.......
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Just a thought here......We all know what a corrupt Gov. Spitzer was rights? Now in reading this article, Gillen is at the least connected to Spitzer by association. And we know that Nicolas Barber did a fine job in this position. Now could it be that Gillen will be far better at this position? What were the motives? I tend to be a bit leary on people that X-Gov. Spitzer appointed while he was in office. Hmmmmm.......
Probably to clean up the prostitutes in Schenectady.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Every appointed position of Spitzer's should be investigated by the AG's office. Just remember how many Spitzer rallied in Troopergate just to bring down Bruno. What else and who is was he rallying for or against? This state is becoming a political cess-pool! Gillen and company just may not be the right people for the job.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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