Cheers and Jeers: April 28, 2008

April 28, 2008 04:27 am

— CHEERS: offered enthusiastically to the North Elba Town Council and Supervisor Roby Politi for bringing the workings of local government to the Shipman Youth Center with their board meeting last Tuesday. We agree with Politi that one of the roles of government is to get and keep young people interested and informed, because they are going to be running our communities one day. And we applaud the teens for sitting through the business of the Town Council, which can sometimes take patience and endurance even for older attendees.
JEERS: to people who seem to be overreacting to attempts on the state's part to see whether, at this favorable time, some services could be shared by the two community colleges serving the three counties in this region: Clinton and North Country community colleges. The Essex County Board of Supervisors broached the subject several weeks ago, and the Press-Republican editorially agreed: With both colleges having vacancies in their presidencies, now would be an ideal occasion for investigating whether there is anything to be gained by considering sharing services -- or even merging, though no one has seriously suggested that drastic step. Clinton has an acting president, Dr. Frederick Woodward, while it looks for a permanent one. North Country's president, Dr. Gail Rogers Rice, will retire this summer. While a full-blown merger may not work for many reasons, not the least of which is the vast geographical area served by the largely commuter schools, there may very well be areas in which they could cooperate to the benefit of taxpayers and students. For instance, what if a course were taught on one campus live and the other through "long-distance viewing?" That technology is very sophisticated these days. Why shouldn't that be considered in the interest of saving the money currently spent on offering two separate courses live? Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury), who leads a drive in the State Legislature to consolidate services throughout local governments to save money, responded to the Essex County suggestion by calling for a study on prospects between the two colleges. Are there possibilities for any level of combining services? Maybe, maybe not. But it's her responsibility to initiate the inquiry. The state will not make any eventual decision. The localities will. Little was simply following up on a local request. Yet the reaction from some elements at the colleges has not been favorable. These centers of enlightenment should not be defensive over a taxpayer-generated inquiry and should support any effort to render them better or more efficient.
CHEERS: to Livingood's in downtown Plattsburgh and Subway on Cornelia Street for participating in Dining Out for Life by donating 25 percent of their proceeds last Thursday to a fundraiser for the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York, which works to support people affected by AIDS and prevent new HIV infections. The event raises more than $3 million a year nationally. We wonder why more local eateries didn't participate this year.