About Us

Welcome to a Better Municipal Blog

When we first considered discussing the idea of creating a blog dedicated to issues facing municipal governments in New York state, our first question was who would be interested in reading such a blog.  Indeed, in researching current blogs in this space, although we found quite a few created by law firms that relate tangentially to municipal issues, only two were dedicated solely to municipal issues.  More interestingly, none of these blogs showed any exchange or sharing of ideas and not one comment had been made by readers of any of the blogs.  In reviewing these other blogs, it became clear to us that the reason there were no comments was because the intent of those blogs was solely to transmit information, not necessarily exchange information.

A one-way exchange of ideas has its purpose in some settings, but given the unprecedented and enormously challenging issues facing the counties, cities, towns and villages in New York, we think the time has come to evolve.  To that end, we are attempting to create a vehicle whereby municipal leaders, and thought leaders in that field, have a resource not only to learn about recent developments in municipal law and the political theater surrounding that, but also to share their thoughts and experiences in this area.  This exchange could greatly assist municipal leaders in New York to chart a path to the future, which will surely look vastly different than today.  No one knows what the proposals from the governor’s State of the State message or budget presentation will bring, but many agree they will bring change, and a transformation of how government is operated in the state.

One final thought.  You may be thinking, can these people really create a better municipal blog? A good question and only time will tell.  But, we think that since the main contributors have significant municipal government experience – being a former county executive, deputy county executive, county attorney, county legislator, city attorney, town attorney, commissioner and city manager – we offer the unique perspective of a view from the outside with direct experience from the inside.  In other words, we have been in the trenches and know the pressures and challenges that go along with running a municipal government in New York.  So, give us a try and follow the blog for a while. Most importantly, engage in the discussion, share your thoughts and let us know what other topics you would find interesting.

About nymuniblog.com

This blog has been created by Harris Beach PLLC as a public service to foster discussion of important issues facing New York state municipalities and quasi-governmental agencies. It is designed specifically for thought leaders in the public and private sectors so they can share their views and ideas on a wide variety of government-related issues. Our authors have significant government experience, ranging from municipal corporation counsel to commissioners and executives at state regulatory agencies and authorities, to professionals who have served in the public sector as policy makers, top managers and elected officials. We welcome those who are interested in contributing articles, and we encourage comment. If you want to be an article contributor, please send us your resume and the topic or topics you would like to write about. We will review that material and let you know if we would be interested in your posting. If you want to comment on any of the topics posted to this blog, please review our comment policy for guidelines.