Bill Corrigan addressed the Town of Forestport Board and community members on Wednesday, November 19, at a scheduled meeting at Forestport Town Hall.
Corrigan spoke in support of Supervisor Parker Snead and the current Town Board, and the recent direction of the town.
He said he has been involved with Forestport a long time and is impressed with its recent path.
Much of this is attributable to Supervisor Snead’s leadership, he said.
“He changed the whole community. It’s unbelievable,” Corrigan said.
Snead has infused the community with a can-do spirit that had been lacking, according to Corrigan.
Corrigan points to Forestport’s Twin Bridges, which had been closed for years due to disrepair, as an example of Snead’s ability to get things done.
“He saved the bridges. If he hadn’t saved the bridges, we would not have bridges today; and we would ever have them again—ever,” Corrigan said.
“Those bridges were a pain for New York State to think about, so they did not want them there. We are darn lucky that Mr. Snead did what he did,” he said.
This resulted in a nice, summer-long revitalization of the waterway area, Corrigan said.
“People were down there eating lunches at the picnic table, enjoying the pond, fishing. I haven’t seen that in years,” he said.
“The bridges were very exciting, and a lot of people have been talking about [them]. They’re good for the surrounding communities, as part of our township.”
Corrigan said the hamlets in the Town of Forestport need to continue to focus on the future, working little by little to make the township better.
“We’ve got some great things; we’ve got a great fire company, we’ve got great people in this area—a lot better than I think [many people] realize,” he said.
Corrigan spoke of the need for a good quality of life locally, the need to give future generations a reason to make homes in the area.
He said that many of the old-timers realize this, those that have lived their entire lives in Forestport.
“I have a long connection to the Town of Forestport. I know a lot of people here. They’re exceptional. We’re very lucky to have the people we have in Forestport, New York, and we don’t want to lose them,” Corrigan said.
Corrigan lauded Supervisor Snead’s efforts to make local government more efficient and to reduce its cost to taxpayers.
“He’s not interested in staying [in office permanently]. He did this for the town and for the people, not for himself. A lot of people think it’s all for Parker. It’s not for Parker,” Corrigan said.
Corrigan said that he has personally had the chance to give support to Snead on certain projects and is thankful for the opportunity.
“This man has made a difference—a big difference. Everyone should know that this Town Board made a big different this year. Whether or not [it was difficult], they helped cut the taxes. They approved them,” he said.
Corrigan said members of the community should not center on the negative so much, that they fail to notice all the good being done by Supervisor Snead and the Town Board.
“We have to be very careful what we say to these [elected] people, who are making a huge difference in our community. I am one-hundred-percent behind [Parker Snead],” he said.
Corrigan said his observations and comments are from the heart and not from any type of political ambition.
“I have no intention of winning anything or being anything in this town—outside of a loud mouth, which I will probably be very good at for the rest of my life,” he said.
Corrigan urged those that tend toward the negative to consider tempering their utterances.
“This town is great, please don’t be knocking it down all the time,” he said.