In 1970, Schenectady was heading DOWNWARD on the path of decline.   Schenectady is heading in the right direction NOW ---  towards improvement and RENAISSANCE.  I have ALWAYS said that there is still much more room for improvement --- but we are IMPROVING.  Certain other people who post on this website will try to lie and deceive by saying that I have said "everything is perfect" --- I have NEVER said everything is perfect ... only that is BETTER today than it was 8 years ago and improving.

Quoted from TakingItBack

Great post.  I agree with all you points and agree these posts dont help promote Schenectady.  We are just frustrated.  I own multiple properties and many of my mortgage payments with escrow are up 25% in 5 years.  I am at a fixed rate for all of them so the increase is entirely taxes and fees.

I am seriously interested in hearing your ideas for what direction we should be taking in the City.  Do you think it is on the right path or should something else be tried/done?  

Taking,
I'm an outsider to your city.  I have little input except in that capacity.  I remember Schdy when I was a kid, as a
busy thriving area... but times change.
No city along the Mohawk Valley is what it was in it's heyday.  Almost all have suffered the same problems of
lost population, businesses and jobs.  
I used to work in Schenectady but avoid it's downtown.  Today I occasionally shop there in specialty stores
that offer something not found elsewhere.  Proctors, the Villa Italia,  Perreca's Bakery & Cafe, The Green Market,
and a few restaurants.  When passing by I will pull off 890, for some canolis, bread & pastry, or for a meal, or to
see a show at Proctors or shop at the Greenmarket.
It may not seem like much, but it's a base... it draws people in to the city, where they patronize the local shops that
support your tax base.  
The city has something to build on... compared to most Mohawk Valley towns... Schdy has promise.

Quoted from Box A Rox

Taking,
I'm an outsider to your city.  I have little input except in that capacity.  I remember Schdy when I was a kid, as a
busy thriving area... but times change.
No city along the Mohawk Valley is what it was in it's heyday.  Almost all have suffered the same problems of
lost population, businesses and jobs.  
I used to work in Schenectady but avoid it's downtown.  Today I occasionally shop there in specialty stores
that offer something not found elsewhere.  Proctors, the Villa Italia,  Perreca's Bakery & Cafe, The Green Market,
and a few restaurants.  When passing by I will pull off 890, for some canolis, bread & pastry, or for a meal, or to
see a show at Proctors or shop at the Greenmarket.
It may not seem like much, but it's a base... it draws people in to the city, where they patronize the local shops that
support your tax base.  
The city has something to build on... compared to most Mohawk Valley towns... Schdy has promise.

I agree -- compared to other Mohawk Valley communities .. and also when compared to a number of other communities in the Northeastern  US.  

So move in and get skin in the game. It's hilarious how the tax capital of NYS looks better from afar.  If someone else is being slammed against the wall it's not so painful? Property resale values are plummeting because of 37 years of DEM over taxation. There is no new retail. There is no new housing. The arts are one leg of a stool and not enough for any renaissance. All the new facades were paid for by a regressive sales tax increase. Schenectady is headed for bankruptcy. The 1970's were the good old days. Boxy loves to rail against Wall St greed but when it comes to local political pigs he prefers to look the other way. They would Occupy Schenectady but no one wants to live there.

Quoted from Box A Rox

It may not seem like much, but it's a base... it draws people in to the city, where they patronize the local shops that support your tax base.  

The city has something to build on... compared to most Mohawk Valley towns... Schdy has promise.

Box, you're looking at the forest from afar....some of us live in the forest.

You're asking homeowners to be happy about the Downtown businesses which have systematically decimated the City and School taxbase. I can't do that.

When Downtown businesses receive grants, thousands upon thousands of taxpayer money AND get out of paying their fair share of the property and school tax they rightfully owe, I am not supporting that. My property and school taxes have tripled in one decade and you buying a cannoli is not helping any taxpayers in the City.

The best thing for the City would be for the metroplex to be abolished and all the tax-exempt businesses to pay their property and school taxes. That alone would generate millions to the City, would take the burden off the homeowners and we could get this City back on track.

Boxy is trying to help out now that the occupy movement is finished. Buying some apples at the Farmers Market does nothing. First fix Fulton County. Schenectady was going downhill in the 70's? Another joke. Now after 37 straight years of DEM "leadership" the City going bankrupt. Here's who is happy-foreclosure specialists, moving van companies and bankruptcy attorneys. The City taxpayers are done. No wonder there are 800 abandoned properties. You can't give away property. Values have fallen 40% in four years.

(yawn)  all the nayboobs do is bash and tear down their community ... how pathetic

Quoted from rachel72

Box, you're looking at the forest from afar....some of us live in the forest.

You're asking homeowners to be happy about the Downtown businesses which have systematically decimated the City and School taxbase. I can't do that.

When Downtown businesses receive grants, thousands upon thousands of taxpayer money AND get out of paying their fair share of the property and school tax they rightfully owe, I am not supporting that. My property and school taxes have tripled in one decade and you buying a cannoli is not helping any taxpayers in the City.

The best thing for the City would be for the metroplex to be abolished and all the tax-exempt businesses to pay their property and school taxes. That alone would generate millions to the City, would take the burden off the homeowners and we could get this City back on track.

OK, One More Time Rachel...

How is Schdy different from every other Mohawk Valley town?
Amsterdam?  Gloversville/Johnstown? Fonda? Canajoharie? Ilion?
In these towns:
~ Have a empty or almost empty downtown.
~ Once full of manufacturing, now all the jobs have left
~ Empty or abandoned homes, with sinking prices
~ High Taxes
~ Crime, drugs, welfare, blight
~ A growing city budget with a shrinking tax base

How is Schdy different...
~ Look at the pic above of your downtown.  You won't find that in any of these towns.
~ General Electric still has thousands of jobs, and just added a battery factory to it's list of jobs. The rest of these
towns have no major employer.  The largest employer in these towns is the Hospital or School district.
I'm sure these towns would love to have a facility like Proctors and an attractive downtown area.

Your complaints would apply to almost every city in the area, but you post like Schdy is the only city with problems.
You complain about your downtown businesses being tax exempt... YOU HAVE DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES?  
The rest of these cities don't.

I guess if you look at it that way...Always compare to the least common denominator, and things won't look that bad.  

Kinda like having cancer, and instead of treating the cancer with medicine, you buy yourself a $1000 three piece designer suit and get a $200 hair cut.  At least you can look better than the other cancer patients.

One more time Box-the other towns are not in a County that raised regressive sales tax to fund Metrograft to pay for free facade and PILOTS to DEM contributors. The same broken record from you. Property taxes are HIGHER, crime is HIGHER, resale values are LOWER than other Capital District cities. Compared to Illion? Compare apples to apples. How's Downtown Saratoga look without Metrograft? Right they have a college you mean like Union? You can buy shoes in Saratoga. They actually have stores and a two party democracy.

     The 70's Schenectady comment from DVR/SB/SG is one of his dumbest ever. It was really horrible when we had stores Downtown, GE employed 6X more people, didn't have to bolt lock your door and we had two party government. When you could sell property for a profit and someone other than a slumlord wanted to buy. And we had a qualified popular Mayor with majority support.

Who Pays for Proctors???
Schenectady residents???
With all the moaning on this board, you'd think that the dollars being pumped into downtown Schdy
and into Proctors actually came only from the residents of Schdy.

Much of the dollars subsidizing Schenectady IS STATE TAX  DOLLARS... MY TAX DOLLARS!

An example:
The Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation (DSIC) and Proctors Theater today announced the award of a
$200,000 grant from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal and the Housing Trust
Fund Corporation.  The State selected the Schenectady application for funding under the new Main Street Program
established to provide support for downtown renewal projects.
Half of the $200,000 grant will be utilized for the renovation of the former Carl Company, an essential component
of the expansion of Proctors.  The other half of funding will be utilized for a new program that will provide matching
grants to property and business owners willing to undertake first floor renovations for commercial space and as well
as funding for residential renovations on the upper floors.

MY TAX DOLLARS, and the dollars of other New York State residents are being spent to subsidies Schenectady residents.

So to all of you on this board that do nothing but complain about YOUR tax dollars being spent on Proctors...
On behalf of the rest of New York State Taxpayers I await your THANK YOU for our contribution to your city.

Quoted from Box A Rox

Taking,
I'm an outsider to your city.  I have little input except in that capacity.  I remember Schdy when I was a kid, as a
busy thriving area... but times change.
No city along the Mohawk Valley is what it was in it's heyday.  Almost all have suffered the same problems of
lost population, businesses and jobs.  
I used to work in Schenectady but avoid it's downtown.  Today I occasionally shop there in specialty stores
that offer something not found elsewhere.  Proctors, the Villa Italia,  Perreca's Bakery & Cafe, The Green Market,
and a few restaurants.  When passing by I will pull off 890, for some canolis, bread & pastry, or for a meal, or to
see a show at Proctors or shop at the Greenmarket.
It may not seem like much, but it's a base... it draws people in to the city, where they patronize the local shops that
support your tax base.  
The city has something to build on... compared to most Mohawk Valley towns... Schdy has promise.

While I agree with alot of your post, I think that there is alot of difference with this Mohawk valley city:
1. We are at the very beginning of the line. Closest to areas that are growing business. Malta, Colonie, Albany and now even Latham.  Without Metroplex.
2.  We are at the crossroads to Canada, Albany, Troy, Buffalo, Binghampton and NYC through roads, rail and water.
3.  We have the utility infrastructure to grow.  
4. We have public and private colleges.
5. We are 15 minutes from a major airport.

My point is that while similar, we are also in a better position.
The Metroplex money could have been utilized in a manor that was more fair and balanced, beneficial to all businesses of all types in Schenectady- such as promotion and advertisement or to help pay for the second track on the railway.

Grants should only be given occasionally. Money should be given in chunks as employment goals are met not up front. Loans should be with some nominal interest and only forgiven when there are extraordinary results.

The comparison to the Village of Ilion is hilarious and shows the lengths DEM cheer leaders will go to fail to make a point. The village slogan is "Where Tradition is Preserved-While Progress Is Achieved". 2 major differences there; Ilion actually preserves its tradition not knocks it down like Death Ray. Ilion also achieves progress without screwing the taxpayer. Ilion is the home of Remington Arms-America's oldest gun maker. No word if they are getting into the solar business.

Salami still has no response to the FACT that it was a REPUBLICAN who tore down Schenectady's historic train station ----  he/she is caught in yet another of his/her lies.

Oh and it was DEMOCRATS who saved Proctor's from being torn down -- Karen Johnson has played a major role over the years in garnering support to first keep it standing and then to restore and improve it.   If it had been up to Mayor Duci and the GOP in the 1970's Proctor's would have been torn down just like the historic theater that used to stand just east of the Methodist church on State Street .. or the historic train station .. or the historic building at the corner of State and Erie (now a parking lot) that Duci and the GOP had torn down.

OH -- and it was the GOP in the 1970's that allowed Jack-In-The-Box (now Burger King) to build its ugly building within the Stockade ---- and I could go on and on and on with examples of history destroyed by past GOP administrations in Schenectady.

Quoted from Box A Rox

The Schenectady Proctor's Theater was built in the 1920s as part of a chain of motion Picture and vaudeville theaters...
By the 1970s it had been reduced to showing porno movies...

There are some on this board, who long for the days when Proctors only brought pornographers  to Schenectady's
downtown.  Ah yes... those were the days.

they never left.......