Going door to door is the best way to get to know your constituents.  It also gives you the opportunity to connect with people you’ve known in a different capacity — sometimes many years ago. 

A few weeks ago I was walking up a driveway and saw a name that sounded familiar.  John (I’ve left out his last name for privacy reasons) opened the door.  I introduced myself and asked if we traded beer memorabilia over 30 years ago. 

Sure enough we did and John asked me if I wanted to see his collection.  He had all kinds of trays, draft knobs, old bottles in packaging that looked like it just came from the grocery store and a bunch of other stuff.  His collection was in a league far superior to mine.

I spent about 30 minutes with John and felt like a kid in a candy store.  A lot of his collection had pre-prohibition items and it was all Rochester-based breweries.  He even had a Dickens Beer can (a product Genesee  made for a really short time), something I had only seen in pictures.

It was great to see him and talk about old times. Moments like this are one of my favorite parts of campaigning and I thank the voters for the honor of  allowing me to serve them in this capacity.

I had the chance to catch up with an old friend of mine, Ron Good earlier this summer.  The occasion was the annual legislators and supervisor’s lunch. 

I first met Ron in the summer of 1985 while we were both volunteering on a political campaign. At the time I had no idea I was talking to a living piece of Rochester history.

Ron was a pleasant man.  We made small talk and each went our separate ways. 

Later that summer, someone suggested that I read the book, The Remaking of a City, Rochester 1964-1984, written by Lou Buttino and Mark Hare. The book chronicled the changes in Rochester from the period just before the race riots to 1985.

I was always interested in history and given that I had just completed my internship in Assemblyman Roger Robach’s Albany office, this book really captured my attention.

Many of the people in the book were people who were still active in government, or were people I remembered from television while I was growing up. 

One of the people the book mentioned was Ron Good — he was the first African-American elected to the Rochester City Council and one of the first African-Americans elected to the Monroe County Legislature. 

I had the opportunity to  work with Ron on several projects later in my career.  He is warm, gracious and a real class act. He is a man of tremendous achievement in and out of politics. I have great respect for him and consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to know and I consider him a dear friend.

Unfortunately I don’t get to see Ron as much as I would like, but when I do it is always a special occasion.

It was a great game. The Yankees won 5-3 and Andy Pettite and Roy Halladay were the starting pitchers. We stayed overnight at the Delta Chelsea, I picked a cheaper hotel when we went to Toronto 2 years ago and it smelled like an ash tray. Jimmy still talks about that place.

I found this picture from last year’s trip, Jimmy wouldn’t cooperate for a photo this year so this is the best I could do. We left bright and early and I was back knocking on doors Wednesday night.

Jilly’s Law is named after Jill Cahill, a Syracuse woman who was viciously attacked by her husband Jeff, striking her more than seven times with a baseball bat and nearly killing her because she planned to divorce him. While her attacker was on bail, she was granted an order of protection, forcing Jeff to stay away from Jill and their children. Shortly after his release from prison, however, Jeff began to research ways to poison his wife. After stealing potassium cyanide from a local company, he entered the hospital where his wife was staying and, posed as a janitor, proceeded to poison and kill Jill Cahill.

“Domestic violence is very much a reality all over the nation,” said Legislator Valerio. “And because an alarming percentage of murder victims are killed by someone who is close them, it is necessary that the courts consider whether the perpetrator may continue to be a threat to the victim or the community, not simply whether he is likely to fail to appear in court.”

Had the New York courts granting Jeff Cahill’s bail been permitted to consider the safety of his victim, the nature of his offense, and the impact on the victim, they may have been able to protect Jill from her husband’s second attack. Instead, as dictated by New York State law, the pre- and post-indictment courts handling the case are currently only allowed to consider whether the defendant is likely to appear in court – and this is determined by community ties, criminal record, and whether he or she has failed to appear in court previously.

“Jilly’s Law has the potential to protect scores of men and women in the New York,” said Legislator McCann. “This piece of legislation will give the courts a much-needed wider scope of criteria, ultimately allowing them to make a more informed decision when setting bail for defendants such as Jeff Cahill.”

Jilly’s Law will expand the bail criteria in domestic violence cases to include violations of court orders, history of threats, violence against a victim, orders of protection previously held against the individual, and the violent nature of the alleged crime. The bills, which have been introduced in the Senate (S.1401) and the Assembly (A.3035), have yet to be voted upon during this session.

This can result in serious injuries to children if they are involved in an accident. The Deputies involved in the checks take a 38 hour course before they work on these events.
As a parent of two children, it was a little unsettling to learn that due to the number of car seat manufacturers, car makers and car models, it is very likely at one time or another we had our seats installed improperly. Even if you buy the top of the line seats, which we did, their effectiveness is limited if the are not installed properly.

Again, I would like to thank all of those involved in this event.

“Our team is certified to provide the proper precautions to ensure safety for the families of our community,” said Sheriff O’Flynn. “Through this effort, Legislator McCann is continuing his commitment to public safety for the residents of Monroe County.”

Nationally certified technicians will be available to help parents inspect their current child safety seats to ensure that they are safe and properly installed.

Safety seat checks are done by appointment only and space is limited. To reserve a time, please call 753-4387 Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

It’s an annual tradition.  A neighborhood event where kids march and ride their bikes and residents sit out in front of their houses with friends and family. 

Legislator Jeff McCann and his son David at the Grandview Beach Parade

Here’s a picture of me walking with my son David.  My older son Jimmy went to walk in the Irondequoit Parade with my wife.  Jimmy will be upset when I tell him David and I met Brian Gionta, the NHL star from Greece.

I’ll be off to Grace and Truth Sports Park for the Spirit of America 4th of July celebration a little later. 

Have a great holiday!

County Legislator Jeff McCann, his son Jimmy, and campaign volunteers before the Barnard Parade

Just got back from the Barnard Parade, here is the crew that went out with me, that’s my oldest son Jimmy standing in front of the banner with the football.

The Barnard Parade has been a tradition forever.  I grew up on Willis Avenue  and lived on Stonewood Avenue for 14 years, so I’ve been going for years.

It was a great night.  I saw a bunch of people I haven’t seen in a while and had a great time.

I wish the people at the Fire Department success with this major fundraising effort and am keeping my fingers crossed that they get two more nights of weather like tonight.

On Father’s Day I was out collecting signatures.  My father – in – law and mother – in – law were coming over for dinner and to watch the kids so Kristin and I could go to the Tom Jones concert — a rare night out for us without the kids.

I had a good afternoon, a lot of people were home and they were all very pleasant.  I was looking for my last signature to finish off my sheet.  I rang the door bell at one house and was greet by a mother and her two young sons.  The younger boy was very talkative and while his mother was signing I asked him how old he and his brother were.  He said 3 and 7.   

I told him I had two sons 3 and 7 and I showed them the family picture on my campaign brochure and told him they were Jimmy and David.  The younger boy said, “I’ve seen David before, at school.”  I was a little skeptical, but his mother asked me if David attended the day care he attends.  I said yes and when I went to pick David up the little boy came up to me and said hi.  They are actually in the same room.

I’ve gotten used to being known as Jimmy’s dad, but I find it ironic that the first time I was recognized as David’s dad outside of his school was on Father’s Day.  It really is a small world.

Legislator McCann with Jackie Bartell and his wife Kristin at the Youth Advocate Awards Ceremony

Last Thursday night was the Willie W. Lightfoot Youth Advocate and Young Citizen of the Year Award’s Ceremony at the Monroe Community Hospital.  I nominated 5 exceptional young people, Cameron Knowles, Ashley Marshall, Remy Moss, Joellen Burger and Alexis Leonard, for this prestigious award.  I congratulate and thank these students and their families for their outstanding contributions to our community.

I also nominated Greece resident Jackie Bartell for the Youth Advocate of the Year Award.  Jackie is a teacher at the East Irondequoit Early Childhood Center (EIECC), a Monroe #1 BOCES integrated preschool program.  I’ve known Jackie since September of last year – but I’ve know of Jackie since last July.  She is an exceptional teacher and her ability to reach kids with special needs has earned her a well-deserved reputation among parents and the local special education community.

This week will mark the second anniversary of our youngest son’s autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. As you can imagine, this diagnosis changed our lives.  Almost immediately we were faced with difficult choices we felt unprepared to make.  We had to choose the type of treatment for David, interview service providers and eventually select a preschool program that best fit his needs.

We toured a number of programs and kept on hearing wonderful things about the EIECC in general and Jackie Bartell in particular.  We are grateful that the Spencerport School District agreed to place David in this program and fortunate to have him placed in Jackie’s class.

Kristin and I have seen Jackie in action in the classroom as parent helpers.  She is an exceptionally talented teacher who makes a difference in the lives of her students and their families everyday.  David’s progress has been remarkable.  While he still has a long way to go, we feel blessed to have a person like Jackie Bartell leading the team of dedicated professionals working with David.

Jackie has helped hundreds of children on the autism spectrum and their families.  She is an outstanding person and very deserving of this special recognition.