City and county officials in St. Lawrence County have launched an online petition drive to save Ogdensburg Correctional Facility.
They hope to replicate the success of the online petition that convinced Governor Paterson to halt his initiative for new license plates.
The petition, at
www.SaveOurPrison.com, is organized by Ogdensburg Mayor Bill Nelson and County Clerk Patty Ritchie with support from Sheriff Kevin Wells and other local leaders.
Governor Paterson's proposed budget calls for closing Ogdensburg Correctional by April, 2011, eliminating its 287 jobs.
"If there's one thing we showed with the earlier license plate petition, it's that Albany can be forced to back down when the public stands united against a bad decision," Ritchie said in a statement. "Once again, they have gone too far, threatening the livelihoods of families and pulling the run from beneath our entire county."
Mayor Nelson also announced a task force to preserve the prison, chaired by Chuck Kelly, General Manager of St. Lawrence County Newspapers.
Ogdensburg Councilor Nicholas Vaugh says he has signed the online petition. "The fight to protect Ogdensburg correction jobs is a fight for the very future of our city and the North Country," Vaugh said in a statement. "I urge all citizens across the North Country to join me, sign the petition, make your voice heard."
