Saturday, August 11, 2007

Democrat mayoral candidate William F. McConnell

City mayoral candidate shares some of his ideas
By MARK MARONEY mmaroney@sungazette.com
William F. McConnell
He’s slung steaks on a grill at a restaurant and was an environmental consultant for the nuclear power industry.City Democrat mayoral candidate William F. McConnell has a tapestry of diversity on his employment resume.On Monday, the 64-year-old, who has an Internet Web site sharing his ideas, told Williamsport Rotarians his media campaign — to be in full swing in coming weeks — will give potential voters a choice and better demonstrate his visions for the city’s future.A city resident since 1989, McConnell, owner of Cuts Fitness for Men, 135 W. Fourth St., a franchise devoted to men’s health, touched on the ideas he believes will be “dynamic proposals.”Among them will be the creation of an office building downtown for business development, retention and residential housing needs.“I call it Williamsport Office Park,” McConnell said following address to Rotary Club members, describing his plan as able to work because of market research done on corporate needs.“I believe there is a market for back office operations to provide services to major corporations,” he said.Back offices are smaller offices affiliated with large corporations based in bigger cities that can and do conduct business in the region, according to Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer Vincent Matteo, who was at the meeting.Asked to further explain his idea, McConnell said, “I believe we can use creative financing to bring a Class A commercial-residential building to downtown to recruit back office professionals.”Corporations based in nearby large cities could have smaller affiliated business branches here. These companies would pay livable wages and provide incentive for future growth, he said.McConnell said funding sources for the building, which he envisions could encompass eight to 10 floors, would be private-public partnerships using state and federal money. In terms of retaining a professional work force, McConnell touched on how vital it is to capture the college-educated and skilled-labor market, which is increasingly fleeing the region for better paying jobs elsewhere.Although educated and holding numerous educational degrees, McConnell said he is not among those in ivory towers unaccustomed to the travails of the working American family.He gave Rotarians a brief history of his father’s life and work ethic and how he ended up working in factories but never quit pursuing his education and better paying and more substantial jobs.“I know what it is like to have success and to be faced with defeat,” said McConnell, who has a science and library science background.“I know what it’s like to struggle for money,” he said, likening the city to a struggling individual looking for a better position in life.McConnell’s employment history includes working at the Hahnemann Hospital Medical School library in Philadelphia.In terms of city operations, McConnell already has gone on record saying he favors continuation of the position of Public Safety Director Michael Hudak Jr.McConnell also expressed no need for a bigger police force as a cure-all to the city’s crime issues, especially drug-related violence and criminal activities.After the meeting, McConnell steered conversation toward promoting the city’s positive images.He cited a 2006 survey indicating the city ranks 25th in safety among 380 its size in the U.S.McConnell said another proposal he would employ, if elected, is upgrading degraded and blighted housing and making codes inspection procedures more user-friendly.Although a Democrat, he acknowledged Mayor Mary B. Wolf’s efforts and how he could build on the platform that she established for the city’s future.“Williamsport is the heart of the northcentral Pennsylvania region and for the region to be strong the heart has to be strong,” he said.
Section: Posted: 7/24/2007

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