Gordon and McFarlin vie for City Ward 5 seat

Oct. 24--PLATTSBURGH -- Patrick McFarlin looks to defend his Ward 5 seat on the Plattsburgh City Common Council against challenger John Gordon.

McFarlin was appointed to the seat in February of 2018, replacing Becky Kasper, a Democrat, who had resigned.

Gordon, an independent, announced his campaign for the council seat in May.

Name: John Gordon

Age: 27

Party: Independent; Solidarity Party

Family: Partner, Quinn

Occupation: CVPH Outpatient Pharmacy Technician

Education: Bachelor's of independent studies with anthropology and psychology minors from SUNY Plattsburgh, 2015

Civic organizations: Plattsburgh Tenants' Association, chair; Coalition for Racial Equality and Plattsburgh Disability Rights Coalition member advisor

What are the most pressing issues in the city and how would you tackle them?

The unwanted development from Prime LLC; accessibility for disabled and elderly people; budgetary woes and financial uncertainty at the local, state and national level; keeping our community healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. These issues, and others, share a common thread of the lack of community input in local government. The current administration has consistently sidelined the community at large. As a community organizer, my political practice is centered around getting people involved and engaged in local government. The problems we face will not be solved by simply removing one set of people from office, replacing them with another set of people, and calling it a done deal. The problems we face will require community engagement and collaborative solutions that come from the bottom up. I will empower the Plattsburgh community to build the city we want to live in.

Name: Patrick J. McFarlin

Age: 35

Party: Democratic Party

Family: Wife, Renee; daughter, Aurelia

Occupation: Small Business Owner/Attorney specializing in representing children

Education: Bachelor's degree in business economics from LeHigh University, 2007; Juris Doctorate degree from Brooklyn Law School, 2010

Previous government experience: City of Plattsburgh Ward 5 councilor, 2.5 years

Civic organizations: North Country Chamber of Commerce

What are the most pressing issues in the city and how would you tackle them?

The city needs to promote and expand recreational activities available to the general public and do more to open up access to our natural assets. The stage down at the waterfront has been used to great effect even during the pandemic and the expansion of the Saranac River Trail will be a great addition to the city. The city needs a dog park and a playground down at the waterfront as well. These combined with the construction of a new farmers market and mitigation at the Bill Todd Water Treatment Plant will help the city leverage much more use and enjoyment of the waterfront for city residents. The city also needs to work on lowering barriers to small-scale development to help renovate our neighborhoods throughout the city. Pursuing a land value tax system, a land bank, and modernizing our zoning code would all be of great help in revitalizing the city and making more housing available to combat our severe housing shortage.

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