New 5th Ward Councilor Bill Myer hopes to Improve Oswego’s Income Base

By Jose Hernandez

OSWEGO – New 5th Ward Councilor Bill Myer has high hopes for what the new Common Council can accomplish. Believing a diverse council will lead to better results, Myer hopes political lines won’t matter in addressing local issues.

“I think it’s going to be a lot different from the councils in the past. It’s a split council this year: we got 3 Democrats, 2 Republicans, and a couple of Independents. I think it’s a good mix,” said Myer.

“This past election has brought in a very diverse council, not only in age, but also in expertise. We all have the same ideas, but different views. When you look at the details, there are different ways to get to the same goals. I think the discussions are going to be good,” said Myer.

Sworn in with other council members, Myer was elected Vice President, with John Fizgibbons elected President.

After talking to other council members, Myer is sure that they will work well together. “We all seem to be on the same page, looking out for citizens,” said Myer.

The Mayor, Robert Corradino, gave a presentation on what life would be like as a Common Councilor.

This action by the Mayor could instill hope in Oswego that the Common Council will work together more than they ever have before.

A major concern for Myer is people on fixed incomes through retirement or injury. Myer was a prominent community leader during the reassessment, which saw some residents experience an increase.

“After the reevaluation, most people’s taxes went up. The taxes may not have gone up a lot, but if you look at National Grid, they were going to implement 3 years of raises. Now we’re going through the Sewer and Water. It only seems like a little here and a little there, but all those littles add up when you’re on a fixed income,” said Myer.

While younger residents may be able to offset the new increases by working more hours, people on fixed incomes cannot call Social Security and ask for more shifts. “My main concern is making sure people don’t get pushed out of their homes,” said Myer.

Myer was frequently at the Common Council hearing concerning the reassessment. He rallied the community, gathered signatures, and ‘fought the good fight’. While the reassessment went through regardless, Myer still learned about public services during this.

Myer found that, in a situation like this, public hearings should be held before an action is taken.

The reassessment was implemented, and residents had no choice but to adapt.

“Oswego doesn’t have the income base that we used to,” said Myer, “ we had things like Hammermill and Papertronics, they were bigger companies. They really helped with the tax base in Oswego.”

All the incremental increases in cost are not being offset by what people can earn in Oswego.

Novelis and the Nuclear Plants are 2 of the only private businesses in the area. While the county offers decent-paying jobs, they still rely on taxes to pay its workers.

Tourism has been a focus of local government, but Myer believes it shouldn’t be as big a priority as attracting more private businesses to the area.

“The draw for Tourism is limited. There are a lot of cities on Lake Ontario that have what we have, the lake. “ The only thing we have that other cities have is the lake; we get fishermen 6 weeks a year,” said Myer. “The Speedway used to be a big draw, and that’s fallen off. We have the Fort, and that draws some people, but a limited amount. We don’t have Six Flags as they do in Buffalo. The draw for tourism is limited. We need to shift our sights to bring in business. Something like Micron to increase the income base.”

Oswego residents were able to voice their concerns, but after the assessment was put in place, there is a question about how much they can actually do.

“My feeling is that we need to have more public hearings before we get into things like the reevaluation. We had a public hearing, but the problem was that it was after the fact,” said Myer. Following the School District’s community meetings, Myer hopes to host monthly meetings with his ward to discuss upcoming plans.

The intention of these meetings is so that not only can the 5th Ward hear consistently from Myer, but the 5th Ward can consistently be heard by Myer.

The meeting is planned to be open to all Oswego residents, even those outside the 5th Ward. There is currently no venue in place, but Myer hopes to establish one by March.

It is planned to be at the same time and place every month.

Myer has lived at W 5th Street all his life and is a proud lifelong Oswegonian.

Myer spent his summer going door to door, even though he was running unopposed, to learn what locals’ concerns were.

Concerns included roads and sidewalks, as well as keeping Oswego affordable for the people who currently live here.

“For me, keeping the city affordable is a huge concern. It’s also important to keep as many services as possible while trying to keep things affordable,” said Myer.

Myer worked in the Oswego School District for 32 years and was eventually the head mechanic.

He started out as a mechanic. Mechanics have to sub in for bus drivers, so he also drove buses and worked as an aid on buses.

After working as a warehouse coordinator and head mechanic, Myer then retired and was elected to the School Board.

An opening for Transportation Supervisor came up, so Myer stepped down to fill it.

Myer decided to retire at 55 after watching his father work until he was 67, and wanted to enjoy his life with his health while he still could.

Although in retirement, he saw an opportunity to help the community by practicing responsible spending through thorough project research.

Seeing a position opening, Myer’s wife told Myer he should run.

Although elected unopposed, Myer hopes to parlay community support into a better state of living for Oswego residents.

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