Moore wants to return to politics

ONEIDA, N.Y. » Former Ward 5 councilor Don Moore is tossing his hat in the ring for Ward 6.

Moore, running as Democrat, served as Ward 5 councilor for five terms, with a stint as deputy mayor during those 10 years.

“What took me out of politics was that I retired from my old job and went into a new career,” Moore said. “I was a salesman up in Syracuse and went into being a corrections officer. So the hours changed and took me away from being able to do everything I could to serve the city.”

Moore has lived in Oneida since the 1980s and has been a part of the community through poli-

tics, a coach with Pop Warner, a mentor through the YMCA and more.

Moore said that just like the past, hewants to be able to provide whatever services the city and neighborhood needs.

“I always worked on issues with the people in the neighborhood. The junk vehicles, the urban blight areas, things that were personal to people,” he said. “Sometimes we forget these people are people. That they have issues. Sometimes we look over that and we feel our decisions are the final decisions and that’s not true. We’re in this together. Our constituents are the driving force behind us. They’re the ones who help us and we should consult them and let them.”

Some of the issues on the minds of constituents are downtown renovations, neighborhood problems and the drug epidemic, Moore said. “I’m part of a crisis intervention team they just formed in the county, which helps with many things, including the drug problem,” he said.

Moore said he cares about the community andwhat direction the city is going andwants to work to create a better city as councilor.

“One thing to attract people into the area is that you have to have a downtown that’s attractive,” Moore said. “I know speaking to our city planner that there’s some good things that are going to happen in our downtown. That’s a good way of attracting business and people into our area.” turned to find help,” Reeder said.

Cossette explained that the annual award dinner was established in 1893 to recognize individuals and groups who have made an impact on the community. Liberty Resources was founded right in Oneida in 1978, she said, and since then has worked with people in need of a variety of services. They started with 13 staff members serving less than 50 people annually. Today, Liberty Resources is headquartered in Syracuse, with locations throughout New York State, Texas, and Florida. They currently have more than 1,400 professional staff members who offer support services including assistance, counseling, shelter, and treat- ment to nearly 16,000 individuals and families.

Whether they are in domestic violence situations, recovering from addiction, suffering mental illness, or have needs of another kind, Liberty Resources is there for them. The Oneida area community is very fortunate to have a group like Liberty Resources here to lend a helping hand, Cossette said.

The event brought Liberty Resources vicepresident for disability services Steve Russell and divisional director of family services Sara Haag to the podium to give their own insights into the workings of the agency. Russell gave kudos to all of the invaluable staff members who make Liberty Resources the success it is, and recalled back to when their original location at 218 Liberty Street was one of the first to welcome individuals when the state institutions were being phased out.

A main mission is to improve citizenship and advance the rights of the most vulnerable of the communities they serve, and Russell said they couldn’t do that without the support of the community members.

“That would be impossible without the support of the communities,” he said. “In Oneida, we see that all the time. I just want to say thank you to the community for supporting our mission of improving lives and building futures.”

Haag offered a look at several “thank you” notes she had seen in her time with Liberty Resources, al l “precious reminders” of the breakthroughs they have made. Even with all of their successes, Liberty Resources is continuing to look for new ways to help people, especially the ones who feel they have been left out or might not be eligible for existing programs, she added.

“We are seeking to find gaps in services that we can fill,” Haag said. “We want to tell people they are not alone.”

Official proclamations were also shared from United States Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, New York State Sen. David Valesky and Assemblyman Bill Magee, and Oneida City Mayor Leo Matzke and Deputy Mayor Jim Chamberlain.

Haag said she appreciated the opportunity to come out and applaud the work of the people at Liberty Resources.

“Any time I get the chance to talk about this very talented team is a great time,” Haag said. “I am very proud and very honored to be here.”

Watch for the entire presentat ion coming soon on local public access channel PAC 99.