Democratic mayoral candidate John Tonello today outlined detailed plans to keep Elmira neighborhoods safe, boost citizen involvement, and commit to fully staffing the Elmira Police Department.

"People across the city tell me they're concerned about crime and keeping their neighborhoods safe," Tonello said. "As mayor, I want to help solve the problem with specific and very public actions."

Tonello said his efforts would center on community policing that improves communication and trust, brings police officers and citizens together to solve problems, and identifies ways to prevent crime in the first place. This includes a creative mix of car, foot and bike patrols; neighborhood meetings; and collaboration with the District Attorney's Neighborhood Justice program.

"This is not a quick-fix approach, but it is a coordinated approach," Tonello said. "The key is to better link police with our neighborhoods, efforts that prevent small crimes from spiraling into big crimes. To do that, we all need to work together."

Though public safety - police, fire, code and related services - already account for nearly half of the city's $26 million budget, Tonello said this is no time to consider police staff cuts. A recent stabbing and drive-by shooting on the Near Westside, and a persistent drug problem are just the latest examples of the need to maintain a strong police presence, he said.

"About a dozen officers will soon be eligible to retire, and losing 15 percent of the force at this critical time is simply not an option," Tonello said. "I'm committed to replacing each officer who retires so we maintain the force. I'm also committed to investing in training and efforts that help the new officers become neighborhood-savvy so they can pick up where the retirees leave off."

Tonello also said he would like to work with the police union to discuss shifting staffing resources to better cover evening hours, when crime activity is higher. To help, Tonello said he would commit the "first dollar" of new city revenue to funding expanded public safety efforts.

"If the city benefits from increased sales tax revenue, grants, or other new funding sources, I will ask the council to make police and public safety spending a priority."