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Earlier this month, Mayor Joe Booan held his first town hall-style meeting to receive input from residents about improving the quality of life in Cooperstown.
The topic the mayor selected was “How Do We Improve Our Main Street?”
Booan proposed the meeting after the board of trustees failed to support a change in the display law suggested by Booan during the June board meeting.
Two merchants had attended the meeting and told the board that the requirement for a survey of their property to obtain an outdoor display permit was onerous.
The law requires merchants to demonstrate there is private property in front of their stores in order to display merchandise outside. The law says merchandise may not be displayed on public property. The fact is, many storefronts do not have any private property. In the case of some, the steps up to the doorway sit on the village-owned sidewalk. Booan made a motion to change the law, do away with the survey requirement and allow displays on public property.
According to the meeting minutes, Booan told the trustees it was ``an opportunity to be creative in supporting the business district.’’
To us, it sounded more like a political payback to the Main Street business community, which heavily supported Booan’s successful run for mayor in the March election.
During the town hall meeting, those same sentiments were heard again from merchants who complained that business is down considerably this season.
With the economy in its present state of recession, we’re not surprised business is off on Main Street. There are fewer visitors traveling to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. And those who arrive have less money to spend.
There is a direct correlation between Hall of Fame attendance and business activity on Main Street so it should not come as a surprise that things are slow. In the days of 400,000 visitors at the Hall of Fame, there were no complaints about business being off. Consequently, we have a hard time believing that simply putting stacks of t-shirts and trinkets on tables in front of stores is going to make the difference between a good and bad season.
Not only that, but at this point, by the time the board could change the law, the summer season would be over. A great deal of thought and work went into the current display law and it should not be changed on the whim of a mayor looking to repay political favors.
If a change is to be made, let it be one that is well thought out and meets the needs of the entire community.
We like NYSHA President Steve Elliott’s suggestion that a long-range vision for Main Street should be developed. The mayor and board should also keep in mind that Cooperstown’s business community stretches far beyond Main Street. There are many businesses located throughout the village, which are also trying to cope with today’s economy. The mayor should look for an opportunity to be creative in supporting the entire business community not just the business district.
And lastly, we believe public property is just that - public. It is not for the use of merchants who want to peddle their wares or landlords who want parking for their short-term rental tenants.
