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Guest Column: Mayor Keith T. Pierce

“Moving toward a sewer system, and a decision to run for Mayor, after all”

ODESSA, December 27, 2016 -- I hope that you all enjoyed a very Merry Christmas and are excited about the new year to come. I was very happy with how the Christmas season unfolded in our little Village this year. Several of our local business owners have taken the initiative to promote our businesses this holiday season with our first annual small business day. Though the numbers were relatively small this year, they have already started planning for next year's event with the ultimate goal of adding a Christmas parade to the festivities.

Our annual tree lighting went off without a hitch as well with several participants braving the cold temperatures and rain to see the Village Christmas tree lit up in all its majestic glory! The Village also received over 60 letters to Santa this year, and each and every one received a reply letter from the jolly old fellow himself!

As we get closer and closer to the beginning of 2017, the anticipation for the changes to come for our village is immense. So many things have transpired since our last column its hard to know where to begin. Your Village Government has been hard at work, always trying to make life better for its residents and business owners. To that end, I am very proud to announce that many, many hurdles have been cleared in our effort to bring a sewer system to the Village of Odessa. Honestly, when we did our last installment to The Odessa File, I was pretty sure this long-awaited project would not be happening, but since then, through a lot of hard work, I now believe we will see the completion of this project within the next couple of years.

Our plan calls for a business district system to run along Main Street with all properties and businesses in that district to be connected. We have decided on this system to start because that is what we think we can afford at this time. The type of system we have chosen will be able to be added to in the future if that becomes feasible. As for right now, the business corridor is our greatest challenge and I believe holds the key to the future of Odessa. Without these infrastructure improvements for our business owners, I believe Odessa will just become another in a long list of small-town communities that just fade away over time. I don't want to see that happen. With these improvements, I don't only believe our present business owners will do better, but I also believe we can attract new business to our Village, including businesses like a car wash and laundromat to just name a couple. I know this is just a brief outline for what may be in store, but if you have any questions or concerns I encourage you all to attend a Village Board meeting or call Kristi at the Village offices and we will be sure to answer any and all questions you may have. And of course we will do our best to keep everyone informed as the process continues.

As I said above, these events have just seemed to fall together in the last few months. As many of you may know, I announced in our last installment that I had decided not to run for re-election this year. Because of the events of the last few months, I have reconsidered that decision and am announcing now that I will indeed run for reelection in March. This has not been an easy decision for me. At that time, it was apparent that the improvements we wanted to make for our citizens were not going to happen and it was my opinion that maybe it was time for someone with fresh ideas to take over and try something new. That has changed. The five years of hard work that the Village Board has put into this project has finally paid off and we all look forward to the challenges that lie ahead. As a Village Board, and the residents of our great Village, we will move forward and we will be an example to other small villages everywhere that change can happen and we can be in control of our future.

Another reason for my change of heart was because as of right now, at least one, maybe two of our long-time trustees may not run for re-election. That would mean three-fifths of our board would not be returning if I chose not to run. In my opinion, with the enormity of the work that lies ahead for the village, it's not the right time to make a wholesale change in the Village government. That is not because I think I am the only one that can complete this course we are on, but it would take at least several months for a new mayor to come up to speed on everything we have learned over the last five years and the contacts we have fostered. Now that the project looks as though it can actually happen, I want to see it through to completion.

With all of this information in mind, I am asking again for your support in the upcoming election. I am very humbled to have been elected to the office of Mayor of Odessa three times. I want at least one more. I want to finish what we have all started together. With your support we will do just that....together!

Keith T Pierce
Mayor
Village of Odessa

© The Odessa File 2016
Charles Haeffner
P.O. Box 365
Odessa, New York 14869

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