Barbara Blanchard, a woman who spent a quarter-century working to make Schenectady a better place in which to work and live, both as a member of the City Council and as a private citizen, passed away Thursday after a long illness. She was 67.
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
She was a strong supporter of transparency in government. The reason we have the "live coverage" of the workings of the council at their Committee meetings was because of Barbara working long and hard to get TV coverage of those Committee meetings. With her understanding of the importance of maintaining the historical requirements of City Hall she worked closely with TW to find a way to have these meetings televised. She also worked with OSM to make sure they were available to the people via the internet for on demand playback.
I learned more about how government in our city really works via these meetings. What became clear was not everyone was behind her on opening this up to the people but that did not stop her.
I will always remember her for this. She was a true inspiration to me. Her motivation was heartfelt. She loved this city and it showed in all she did.
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