Paul Barrett and Dave Bunnell are both transplants to the area. Paul moved here in ___ to serve as Publisher of the Finger Lakes Times, and Dave moved here in 2007 to retire. Since meeting each other in Geneva, Paul and Dave have had many conversations over the years about a wide variety of topics. They both loved the area, and believed that Geneva was in the virtual “cat bird seat” as awareness of the Finger Lakes’ wine industry continued to grow and mature.

Often they found themselves discussing, from essentially an “outsider” point of view, Geneva and its many positive attributes and, at least in their opinion, some serious concerns relating to its future prospects. As anyone familiar with Geneva might guess, these discussions often centered on municipal property taxes and related issues. Independently they both had many conversations with others over this same period about Geneva and both its positives and negatives.

Most certainly, opinions differed, but one thing seems clear: little or no progress has been made on City property taxes or other fundamental issues that cloud Geneva’s future. That’s why Paul and Dave decided to research relevant data, and present it to the public through a non-profit corporation they formed with John Hicks, a long-time area resident and force in Ontario County government. This group felt the need for action would be readily apparent, but specifically decided not to offer solutions. That, they believe, is the responsibility of an engaged voting public, community influencers and Geneva’s elected and appointed representatives.

Others have been involved, and a few have contributed funds to enable the research and other third-party help and assistance required. Without that financial support, this project would not have been possible. Whether or not readers agree that Geneva, as a City, is in trouble, this effort has been to inform, and no offense is intended. For those that think we’ve overlooked data that would paint a more positive picture for the City, we would simply say “hold those thoughts’ for the public discussions we hope will follow.