Troy City Council At-Large candidate Billie-Jean Greene is giving back one-third of her salary

Don’t forget that today’s the day we go Over the Edge to raise money for the Special Olympics of NY. Folks will be rappelling down the side of the Crowne Plaza Hotel all day, so come on down.

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A friend of mine, Billie-Jean Greene, is running for City Council as an At-Large representative.

I do know and have known other people running for political office, but Billie-Jean is the only one that I’ve actually gone out of my way to help, mostly through distribution of lit and spreading word of mouth.

Why? Because she actually wants to help. She doesn’t have any lofty political aspirations or strange ulterior motives, which is rare for city politics. She simply loves the city, loves her neighborhood, and wants to make it better.

I’ve always been baffled by the ugliness of city politics, with miscreants and ne’er-do-wells using under-handed tactics all to become King of S*** Mountain. Not to mention recent events over the course of the last year, including a voter fraud scandal which if I were any of the involved parties I’d be ashamed to show my face in public let alone openly laugh about it.

The Council doesn’t need new blood, it needs a blood transfusion.

So I’m glad that there’s somebody running who’s running because they want to see some improvement and is earnest in their approach to it. I know her, and I’m willing to throw my support behind her even though she’s a REPUBLICAN!!!!.

She’s now sweetened the pot, so to speak, by promising if elected to give one-third of her Council Salary back to the City.

The full press release is below.

For Immediate Release

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GREENE TO RETURN PORTION OF HER COUNCIL PAY

Billie Jean Greene, Republican-Conservative-Independence parties’ endorsed candidate for an At-Large Council position for the City of Troy, announced today that after being elected she will be giving back $5,000, or 1/3rd of her pay, per year as City Councilwoman.

“In an economic climate of rising prices and fixed incomes, it is important that elected representatives of the people take the lead on financial issues. If elected I will give back the $5,000 specifically to help retire the city debt.”

“As a consequence of bankrupt economic policies of the past, the citizens of Troy are still saddled with over $60 million in debt. This is about as much as the entire operating budget for the city for a year. This year we will pay almost $6 million towards this debt. We bleed out $2.4 million alone in payment towards the interest.

“The $5,000 I will be giving back will go to the principal of the debt. This small gesture directly benefits all taxpayers in Troy.”

Billie Jean Greene has been meeting with voters by going door to door and visiting people in their homes and at social gatherings. Her message of fiscal responsibility is one that many find that they can support across party lines.

“We always need to remember that for every dollar we spend or borrow as a city, someone has to be taxed. This means their hard-earned money is taken away from them and they are a little less free to do what they want with it. Too often representatives forget this simple fact: they are spending other people’s money.”

The burden of taxation is one of the items that people are bringing up as Billie Jean meets them. “High taxation is having an enormous impact on our citizens, especially the senior citizens who are on fixed incomes.”, Greene said.

“My focus on the council will be simple. We must maintain fiscal discipline as a first priority. Second, we must encourage business development to broaden our tax base. Third, we must encourage voluntary efforts and civic participation to improve the quality of life in Troy.”

Election day is Tuesday, November 8.

Her campaign website is www.team-billie-jean.com