" I would just like to point out that the newly elected Chairman of the Young Leader's conference is my son. Michael Frame is currently working at SUNY Binghamton as their Director of Federal Relations, but was previously employed by the MDA in Syracuse where he was instrumental in founding the Under 40 Summit and advised in the starting of IGNITE. Although not a product of Auburn Schools he did much of his growing up here when he was with me on weekends and he graduated from CCC before transferring to Cornell. "

" It was announced on Tuesday that NYS First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer is creating a Young Leaders Congress(YLC). The YLC will be a group of dedicated young professionals appointed to build upon the I Live New York initiative.

The release said that she is hoping that the answer to some of the state's problems will best be addressed with the help and forward thinking of young professionals.

I think it's great that young professionals are being called upon to voice their opinions and ideas on topics that will determine our ability to stay in this region. Things like taxes, jobs, the economy all will be brought up as a result of the YLC.

I hope that the result of the YLC isn't just more ideas thrown on to the table. If there is a viable way to counteract these issues then by all means I hope that it is able to be instituted and doesn't get held up in political red tape.

I Live New York was started in May 07 to bring together young professionals throughout the state to be part of a solution.

Here in CNY, IGNITE is starting a similar campaign called Live, Work IGNITE "It's not where you live. It's what you make of it". With it we hope to get across the importance of young professionals being involved in the community and creating the future that they want to see here.

For more information on either of these initiatives:
http://www.ny.gov/governor/firstlady/iliveny/index.html
www.ignite-cny.org

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Harkins "

" FOCUS THE NATION

Today a movement is going on throughout the country. Colleges, universities, grade schools and high schools are all participating in a movement called Focus the Nation.

Focus the Nation is a grassroots program that has gained the attention of presidential hopeful Barack Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and California governor Arnold Schwarznegger among many other politicians and more locally Mayor of Syracuse, Matt Driscoll.

The point is to encourage discussion and education on the topic of global warming and global warming solutions.

By holding these national events, they are creating much needed press about the program and support for their movement.

There are a number of young professionals working to help make this happen and the massive participation from the nation's schools just shows the great future young professionals that are coming up through the ranks.

I am so excited to learn about this and do believe that the work they are doing will make a huge impact in the fight against global warming.

Locally, there is an event today from noon to 1pm at the Cayuga Community College, Institute for the Application of Geospacial Technology. They will be holding a brown bag lunch panel discussion on global warming.

Last night, Auburn Public Theater was host to the live 2% Solution Webcast. Focus the Nation was hoping for 10,000 viewings of the 2% Solution. I'm glad that we here in Auburn could be one of them.

For more information on this movement, check out the website: www.focusthenation.org

-Harkins "

" MY BEST

It's that time of year again. When we here at The Citizen sort through hundreds of ballot entries to determine the top businesses and services according to our readers votes.

Since I am unable to participate in the official voting, I'm going to put my choices out there for my favorite Best of the Region places.

If after reading this you are inspired to cast your vote, go to www.auburnpub.com/bestoftheregion

Without further ado and in no particular order:

Connies - Best Tex-Mex Ever!

Auburn Public Theater - Best Programming - love the Tuesday night Jam.

Parker's - I'm in love with their Tomato soup!

Long Point State Park/Long Point Winery - (Rte. 90 Aurora) Great place for a picnic, wine tasting and fun afternoon and a super nice drive to get there.

Fillmore Glen - Great place to go hiking or spend an afternoon.

Seward House - By far my favorite museum. Not only does it hold many memories (I spent a number of years in high school volunteering there with the Living History Players), but every time I go there I find something new.

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge - Best place to see something really cool. (Last time I was there, I saw what I think was a Great Blue Heron and a ton of baby geese!)

Three Bears and Me - Best homemade candy, cheesecakes, and Christmas cookies.

Doug's Market - Best place for "penny" candy.

Downtown Auburn Mile - A great family event!

Market Street Park - Favorite place to eat lunch outside while downtown.

The Citizen - Best local newspaper!

Farmer's Market - Best place for locally grown produce!

There you have it. A condensed version of just some of my Best of the Region favorite things.

Now, tell me, what are yours?

-Harkins






"

" I haven't posted in a while. Surely, some of you have noticed my non-posting as of late. No, I didn't get sick like I felt like I was going to, but I did have a very busy week nonetheless.

More importantly though, I thought that since I didn't have anything "good" to blog about I wouldn't just put up random posts. But, after reading a recent blog post from Seth Godin, I may have been wrong.

He writes: "Just say it

Don't let the words get in the way. If you're writing online, forget everything you were tortured by in high school English class. You're not trying to win any awards or get an A. You're just trying to be real, to make a point, to write something worth reading.

So just say it."

And I will....starting tomorrow. :)


-Harkins

"

" THE MONDAY BLUES

There are some days that despite your best attempts, you just can't get the right wording or a viable idea. Is it just me or are they more prevalent on Mondays?

I fear my problem may partly lie with the sickness that has been traveling through the building as of late. While I'm still hoping that I'll be spared and that my runny nose and scratchy throat are a product of the cold dry air. The evidence to the contrary is mounting.

Nevertheless, when your ideas and creative abilities are an essential part of your work, having an "off day" can be hazardous.

To spark some ideas, I usually toss around my rubber band ball. Unfortunately it's a little bit lost at the moment.

What are somethings that you do (at work or on a break) that help get you motivated and spark your creativity?


-Harkins




"

" TODAY

Did anyone see the light this morning? It was beautiful. Just the way the sunlight was casting shadows and illuminating buildings. I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. (Which, by the way, is bad for downtown driving or for that matter, driving in general.)

I think it has something to do with the angle of the sun this time of year or something, but today things just looked different.

Today things look exciting.

On another note, congratulations to the AMH Maternity Ward! I'm glad to see that lawmakers have also "seen the light" and are willing to invest in such an important part of our community!

It's a good day!

-Harkins :) "

" PARKING

Did you know that according to Autodata Corp. there were 1,680,348 new vehicles sold in 2007. I wonder how many vehicles there are on the road in the United States vs. the amount of public parking spaces there are to accommodate them.

I bet it's probably something like 100 to 1 or something crazy like that. And I wonder if that ratio gets any better (or worse) in a small community like Auburn.

Did you also know that 191.1 million barrels of gas will only last the US 19.83 days. Thats it! If you calculate that out, in 1 year, we will use 3,517,473,524 barrels of gasoline assuming of course that we stay on our current level of consumption.

How much gas do we use locally in a year just running to the grocery store every couple of days?

So if some of us complain about parking, and some of us complain about gas prices, and some of us complain about the environmental impact of these machines (which could be another blog post unto itself), then why are we buying 1.6 million of them a year?!

Truth is, we've spread out, and we're convinced we need our cars to get from point A to point B. We can't just walk down the street for groceries. Not only would it take too long to get there but we'd probably get hit by the maniac drivers in the parking lot.

When we are out on the road, there may be a number of parking spots, but none of them are convenient unless we can park right in front of the entrance to our destination.

Cars, gas, parking. It will always be an issue while we are dependent on them for transportation. Unfortunately, this isn't a new problem. I think we do have some answers or rather alternatives (drive less, live closer to your place of work, use other forms of transportation - bicycle, walking, public transportation, carpool)but those don't fit into too many people's lifestyle.

Or maybe it's more that no one has convinced us that in some cases, they do.

-Harkins

"

" In downtown Syracuse their are a lot of lots and parking garages.....Auburn downtown has very little of that. That's why i see parking problems in the future. Of course, that being said, it wopuld be a very nice problem to have. "

" Syracuse has seen some parking problems as their downtown housing stock has increased. However, there's no indication at all that it's deterring people from moving downtown. My subjective observation is that, in Syracuse, if you build downtown housing the buyers will come. There's no reason to think Auburn will be any different (except at a smaller scale of course). "

" I agree, but I foresee parking problems. "

" What’s something that you learned by experience that helped you grow in your career? Good Question. One thing I learned was that if I had a complaint about a subject I should voice it but, at the same time I should also bring my ideas for a solution to the problem. Too many people complain about things without having a solution to give.

As far as exit polls on election nights or polls in general, I tend to ignore them. Why, because people can lie and often do. The pollster can spin the poll so it reflects their opinion or the questions can be worded in such a way as to influence the out come of the poll from the beginning. I would prefer that the news use no polls on elections and simply go with what the real vote totals are when they come in. This way me might avoid future Florida's. I also tend to look at expert opinion in this way too.

As for the snow I like it too. I no longer ski, to expensive both financially and physically. But, I do like chucking a snowball at my Grandchildren now and then. Plus I get some great exercise throwing the stuff. But, come April first it can melt, I will be ready for spring and fresh air.

As for renewed interest in residential opportunities downtown. If it does not cost the tax payer anything go for it. If cutting some governmental red tape is needed I would be for that too, because I think government has set up to many restrictions on people today. If a community can't grow and change then it is destined to die. "

" DOWNTOWN HOUSING

There is an article in today's paper about the Stardust Foundation creating a creative corridor in downtown Auburn. Part of what Stardust envisions is a renewed interest in residential opportunities downtown.

I think this is great! My friends and I have had a number of conversations about what downtown living could mean for the young professionals in the area. A move like this is key to creating an atmosphere downtown where young people (and everyone) want to go.

I know there are probably a number of obstacles associated with a project like this, but in my opinion it's more than worth it.

-Harkins


"

" AFTER SCHOOL

I like to think that I’m good at what I do. After all, I’m still doing what I do.

Lately, I’ve been reading a number of marketing and innovation blogs. The writers are inspiring, make great points, and create a new ways of thinking of traditional things. Each time I read these posts, I think about how much I have yet to learn. That’s very exciting for me. It can also be a bit daunting when you think about all the stuff that you don’t know.

That’s ok though. I’m really enjoying learning more and more as I go and I think I’ll be a better business woman for it. I think there are a lot of things that you can’t learn in school and you just need the experience for.

Then again, it took experience for me to learn that I didn’t know everything. I think that’s something that most young professionals deal with as they transition from college to career.

What’s something that you learned by experience that helped you grow in your career?

-Harkins

Have a great weekend! I'll try to post over the weekend but I'll be traveling so it may be hit or miss. If not, check back on Monday! "

" THE DIRTY WORD

As much as I love the snow, I have to say I really enjoyed myself with the unseasonably warm temps this week. I opened windows (my second floor apartment gets much too stuffy to not open windows when the mercury rises). I wore a fun dress and blinded everyone with my proud to be pale skin. I took a walk and spread some general warm weather cheer.

Now that the holidays are over, the anticipation for spring and sunny weather is all around us. It is my firm belief that even though people complain about snow through December 31st it’s still fun and somewhat “ok” through the holidays. Once January 1st hits, snow is transformed into the enemy, a word dirtier than some of the worst profanity out there.

Me, I love snow. And I’m proud to say it, snow, snow, snoooooow. I go sledding, make snow angels and snowmen, snowball fights are practically a daily occurrence, and I offer to clean off others cars so I can play just a little more.
But I have to confess that the smell of that spring-like air almost tricked me. I almost wished for no more snow this year.
But what fun would that be?
-Harkins :)



On another note:
The youth may not have been heralded in the NH Primary like they were in Iowa, but they were still there. If you take a look at the NH exit polls (http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/epolls/index.html#val=NHREP)
14% of those who voted Republican were 18-29 yrs of age and 18% of those who voted Democrat were 18-29 yrs of age.

In Iowa entrance polls (http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#IA)
11% of Republicans were 17-29 yrs of age and 22% of Democrats were 17-29 yrs of age.

I still think this is a great year for youth to be involved the elections. The candidates are much more accessible in this election than ever before with MySpace and Facebook. It's really opening up an opportunity for America's youth to be involved and start discussions and to learn more about the candidates. "

" not all youth will vote ,and they don't always follow a predictable path ,that's what happened in New Hamphire and polls that said some else was going to win it hands down--they waited for it to happen and then blamed it on the little old ladies that voted -instead of the young set that was to carry Obama to victory --had to blame someone didn't they!!! "

" From an older non-pro, we had the power too. Vietnam just ended, Nixon resigned and Jimmy Carter (a come from no where/no name politician)won the presidency. During his term in office unemployment went up to over 10% and mortgage rates reached into the teens in percentage (13,14,15 and up). He too ran on the "TIME FOR CHANGE" ticket. So before you decide change is all you want you might want to look back and see what change did when we voted in a no name with little experience before. Or you young pro job may be a No-Pro job. Just do your homework and know where a politician stands before you cast your ballet. Then get out and vote. "

" WE HAVE THE POWER

Does anyone else remember that song “We’ve got the power”?
Every time I read an article about the candidates and the primaries, I have this song in my head.

Where it came from – I don’t know. If you recall this song, by a band called Whitehouse – ironically enough, that lyric was kind of electric. It reverberated through your ears. Maybe an echo is the correct way to describe it. And since I don’t know the rest of the words, that’s just what keeps going over and over and over.

It got me thinking though, we do have the power.

There has been a lot of focus on America’s youth in this election. The growth of social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace have changed the way candidates campaign. There was a huge turnout of under 25’s at the Iowa caucus as well as 25-29yr olds. Candidates are making campaign shifts to appeal to the young voters.

More importantly however, young voters are interested. They are looking for political information and are getting involved. And, the media, the canidates, the country is eager to hear what the young voters have to say and how they are going to vote.

I think the young voters are looking to make a change, whatever that might be. This is the best time to do that. We can dictate what our future can be by who we vote into office. We’ve got the power, it’s time to start using it.

-Harkins



P.S. For some mid-afternoon fun here are the lyrics to "We’ve got the power" by Whitehouse, in case you are interested.

“Nothing can stop us
When we stand as one
When we come together
And we take on
We got it we got it we got it now
We got the power get ready to go
We stand united the energy flows
We got the power our moment has come
Nothing can stop us
When we stand as one”


"

" Your the young pro, so can we also have an old non-pro's view of the county? Not say this view would be negative or even different from yours. But, it might be interesting to see the difference. "

" I hope that you SEE all the county ,not just the center part -most of all take a road trip around and see things that are already here "

" Hey Jess! Congrats on the new blog. See you Tuesday!. "

" The Young Pro wrote on Jan 7, 2008 12:43 PM:
Hello.
Welcome.
Happy New Year!

My name is Jessica Harkins and I am the Marketing and Innovation Leader here at The Citizen. I am a young professional who came back to live and work in Cayuga County. (Gasp!) You may have thought that young professionals in CNY were an urban legend. A great tale made by our regions leaders to instill hope and promote good things. Wrong. We exist. In fact, there are many of us all over the area trying to make a change, helping to shape the future, and working to see our dreams come true.

Now, you may be thinking that I sound a bit rehearsed on the young professional topic. I’d have to say that I am. One of the things that I am most involved in is IGNITE. IGNITE is a young professional organization dedicated to providing a place for young professionals to network, learn and interact with other YP’s. We hope that through our efforts we can help YP’s be more involved in the community and invested in the region.

I intend for this blog to be from the point of view of a young professional (me) living and working in Cayuga County on topics ranging from daily life to local government. What I don’t intend is to make this blog a bunch of shameless plugs for IGNITE. There are many other places that you can find out information about what events and projects we are working on. (www.ignite-cny.org, www.myspace.com/ignite-cny) Not that the occasional event plug may or may not come through, but I’ll try to keep the majority of my posts propaganda free.

So, all in all, I hope to blog about issues concerning YP’s, life’s daily trials and tribulations, some of the great things that CNY has to offer, and I hope to have some fun while doing it.

- Harkins J "