NYS Senator John Mannion Attend’s Fulton Common Council Meeting

FULTON – New York State Senator John Mannion made an appearance at last night’s Fulton Common Council meeting, Tuesday, January 3; making a brief statement during the public session portion of the meeting in support of the Counties of Oswego and Onondaga, which he now represents.

Mannion thanked the Council for their service and dedication to their community. A SUNY Oswego alumnus, career educator and life-long resident of the Central New York/Syracuse area, as well working in Oswego County during his graduate school years, Mannion asserted the importance of assisting those within their own communities.

“What got me into this game – the last eight years I was a teacher union president. I really value public education and see it as what many call the ‘Great Equalizer.’ So, I’m unapologetically pro-education and I represented teachers in that capacity. Now, in the New York State Senate – I’ve been in for two years and the bottom line is, I’m here to help…and there’s opportunities out there for me to be helpful,” Mannion said.

“Being in the majority, there are situations where I can help. And I do take great pride in being a pragmatic, upstate, moderate voice in that conference, which has to really happen for our best interests. There might be times where we do have someone from my office attend a meeting. We’re not here for any nefarious reasons, but sometimes it’s good to hear if there’s a big issue [and hear] what people have to say. And if you want us here, we’ll be here too, but certainly are here to just be a partner and making sure that the City of Fulton is the best it can be.”

Also discussed during public session was the need to reassess the City of Fulton’s Disaster Plan in light of the calamitous snow event that devastated Buffalo NY two weeks ago. Frank Castiglia spoke, addressing the need for a re-examination to their Emergency Disaster Plan, saying this type of event will eventually happen to Oswego County.

“During COVID, the state required us to have an emergency plan in place, which we had to revamp and put in place, but I think Buffalo reminds us of why we need to revisit it regularly and we need to make changes where necessary,” Mayor Deanna Michaels said. “So, I think its advantageous for us and it’s the right thing to do for us to sit down and say, does our plan make sense, and based on what we know happened in Buffalo, do we need to make changes accordingly to make sure we’re prepared? So, I think it’s worth revisiting.”

Last night’s actual meeting was brief, with Councilor Dan Farfaglia being elected and voted in as President of the Fulton Common Council. The Valley News was also designated as the official city newspaper for the 2023 year. All items on the agenda were unanimously passed. To view the full agenda, please click here.

All Fulton Common Council meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of every month, the next meeting to be held on January 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building’s second floor Common Council Chambers.