Brian Tobin Joins X101 For An Interview On His Run For Ward 1 in City

Mike Eves: Good morning, it’s Mike Eves here on X101 Always Classic. In the studio is Brian Tobin, and uh he’s running for Ward 1 in the City of Cortland. Brian, good morning. Welcome to the studio.

Brian Tobin: Good morning. Thank you for having me.

Mike Eves: Yes, of course. Uh we’ve got a few questions here, Brian, so we’ll dig right into it. Um first off, why did you choose to run? Obviously, you’re the the former mayor, but yeah, why do you why did you uh decide to go and run for Ward 1 Councilperson?

Brian Tobin: Well, chose to get out of being an elected office, um spending more time with my wife and kids and other pursuits, doing well with my day job, but I’ve been following along in terms of the city’s finances, and I started having some issues and some questions. When I started diving a little deeper this past spring, I found out that, hey, some of these issues and concerns I had were well-founded, and I have the knowledge and experience that I can bring to the table. Can really help make sure that we’re guiding the city appropriately.

Mike Eves: Right, right. So, um, say you are elected there, what’s your biggest priority day one, would you say, when you’re in office?

Brian Tobin: Well, there are some steps that are going to need to be taken. One of the biggest things would be having an RFP for an auditing firm. So every year the city has to have an audit, and now for the past four years, including this one, the city has been late on the audit. When you’re late on the audit, then you don’t have good numbers when you’re planning the next year’s budget. It also negatively impacts the city’s bond rating, and these are issues that are currently occurring that need to change. Having a good understanding of the city finances and planning appropriately are crucial.

Mike Eves: Okay. And so what are some of that, of course, that’s a that’s a pretty large issue. So, but what are some of the other issues um facing our area?

Brian Tobin: Well, we’ve seen an increase in the unhoused population, and unfortunately, the nonprofits have been shouldering a lot of the burden. Last year, the Grace Space did a wonderful job of providing people with a place to go and an opportunity to seek resources. Unfortunately, they can’t do that again. Rural Health Institute has stepped forward and as a nonprofit, they’re looking at purchasing a building and having a place where people can go. Um I’m a member of a service organization, we’ve dedicated funds to help this out, and I think it’s time that the city actually contributes to the solution instead of just talking about it.

Mike Eves: Right, right. Um, and our last question here, of course, Brian Tobin, he’s running for uh Ward 1 um Councilperson in the City of Cortland. Um our last question, Brian, what can you bring to the table as opposed to your opponent? I know you’ve talked about some of your experience with a financial background, but what are some of the other um what else can you bring?

Brian Tobin: Well, it’s interesting because I’ve seen and I’ve heard him say that he’s not a numbers guy, and I’ve had that experience. I’m ready to jump in and do the work on the numbers. He also talked about the condition of our parks, they’re in great shape. That’s something else that we paid a lot of attention to when I was in office. And he also mentioned Parker School, and we had a plan for Parker School that kind of fell by the wayside, and it’s time for there to be a good public discussion about what we are going to do with that school when the school district is done with it. Now, it could go a lot of different ways, but it should be something that the community benefits from.

Mike Eves: Right, right. Um, Brian, we’re almost out of time here, but uh what else? Any any last um regards or anything you want to say before we’re we wrap this up?

Brian Tobin: So, there’s another two years in terms of the current term. This is a special election in the First and the Fifth Ward. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Tom Conlon a little bit. I think he would be an excellent person on the Council as well, and I would look forward to working with the Mayor and the rest of Council to make sure we’re making decisions that are in the best interest of everybody.

Mike Eves: Awesome. Hey, Brian, thanks so much for joining us. That’s Brian Tobin. He’s running for Ward 1 Councilperson in the City of Cortland. For X101 Always Classic, I’m Mike Eves.