Process: "First Mentor Meeting 02/15/2011" 02/16/11

On Tuesday, February 15, Ms. Shenk and I had our first mentor meeting.  In the WISE process each student must chose a teacher or someone involved in the school district that they believe will be a good mentor throughout the 16 duration of the WISE class.  Ms. Shenk is teacher at Ithaca High School.  This past fall semester, I was a student in Ms. Shenk's government class.  While in Ms. Shenk's government class, I felt she would be a great mentor throughout my WISE project.  Ms. Shenk not only knew about politics, she was also a member of Ithaca Common Council for six years.  Ms. Shenk will be able to mentor me through this process with personal experience.

At our first meeting, I told Ms. Shenk about All Politics Is Local, the novel I am reading by Tip O'Neill.  I filled her in about why I thought Tip O'Neill's book was interesting, and specific points he made that I agreed with or found interesting.  Ms.  Shenk told me that she has a book given to her when she was on Common Council, and that I would be more than welcome to read it.  I also filled Ms. Shenk in with my intentions to interview several public figures that are involved in the Waterfront Trails, she agreed this would be a good idea.  In my "2 Week Plan", I mentioned that I wanted to conduct a survey of the public, asking whether people knew about the Waterfront Trails, and if they did whether they believe they are a good or a bad thing.  Ms. Shenk gave me the idea that I should wait to conduct this survey until after I speak to one or two people that are involved with the Waterfront Trails.  She said that I could ask them if there was any information they wanted to know from the public.  If this is the case, I can conduct a survey that contains this information and would personally be involved with the Waterfront Trails.  This is a great idea in my opinion!  It incorporates both the interaction and research aspects I hope to gain from this project.

Process: 02/16/2011

Continuing from my "2 Week Plan", by the week of 02/28/11 I hope to have accomplished:

• Finish All Politics is Local by Tip O'Neill. (currently I am on page 70)
• Chose another novel to read by a politician (Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, or possibly a novel that Ms. Shenk will provide me with that she mentioned)
• Have set up an interview with city official involved in the Waterfront Trails.
• Collect public information about the Waterfront Trails (examine extensive map on at cayugawaterfronttrail.com)

Research: "Tip O'Neill and The Waterfront Trails" 02/15/2011

Tip O'Neill

• Member and Speaker of MA State Legislature (1947-1948, 1949-1952)
• U.S. House of Representatives (1952-1977)
• Speaker of House of Representative (1977-1987)

Tip O'Neill was born in Cambridge MA, in 1912 and died in 1994.  O'Neill was involved in politics since early on in his young adult life.  In 1952, O'Neill was elected to the House of Representatives where he remained through most of his political career until 1987.  Tip O'Neil has two novels, Man of the House and All Politics is Local.  





Waterfront Trails
Link to cayugawaterfronttrail.com, this is a very detailed and extensive map of the proposed Cayuga Waterfront Trails and also existing trails now.  I have no doubt this will map will be very useful numerous times throughout my WISE Project.

http://www.cayugawaterfronttrail.com/visit_map.php 
(Look under Experience The Trail:, and then click view in the section Locate a Trail and Get a Map.)





Works Cited:

"Locate the Waterfront Trail." Cayuga Waterfront Trail. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <http://www.cayugawaterfronttrail.com/visit_map.php>.

"ONEILL, Thomas Phillip, Jr. (Tip) - Biographical Information." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=o000098>.

"Tip O'Neill: Biography." Answers.com: Wiki Q&A Combined with Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Encyclopedias. Answers Corporation, 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <http://www.answers.com/topic/tip-o-neill>.







      

Reflection: "Tip O'Neill and Waterfront Trails" 02/15/10

"But there are some things about politics that never change: giving your word, and keeping it still is the bedrock.  Loyalty to your party, faithfulness to your constituents and keeping your head..." - Tip O'Neill "All Politics is Local"

Tip O'Neill, was an interesting man.  I have started his novel, All Politics is Local, and have read to page fifty so far.  I am enjoying his book a lot.  Tip O'Neill is a man who believes principals are "values combined with instincts" (Introduction, xi).  Each section in All Politics is Local is an anecdote that highlights underlying morals that Tip O'Neill believes a good politician follows.  An aspect about politics that has always intrigued me is; what are they?  How do you know what a "good", or a "bad" politician is?  Tip O'Neill's book is about the fundamentals of politics, and I find myself agreeing with much of his experienced advice.

"Asking is the most important part of a campaign.  It's amazing to me how many politicians forget that."  (Pg. 8)
 
Tip O'Neill appears an intuitive man, he presents his notions with a knowingness that convinces me that though there is not a written law of what a politician is, there are principals that a politician knows to follow if they are a good one.  I'm looking forward to continuing Mr. O'Neill's book.





The Waterfront Trails continue to be a issue that I am working to become involved in.  Though I have not physically conducted any interviews or taken a survey, I am currently very confident in the process I have worked out for continuing my research.  Today, Ms. Shenk (my mentor in the WISE Program), and I had our first mentor meeting.  After discussing with her how I believed I would move forward from here she helped me reach an effective and interactive path for my WISE project.

"2-week Plan" 02/05/2011

For the following two weeks I plan too:

• Read All Politics is Local by Tip O'Neil, and reflect on his view of politics and compare and contrast them to my own.

• Acquire public brochures and or plans on the Waterfront Trails and gain a fully developed idea of what the Waterfront Trails are and how the process will be executed.  I think doing a survey of the public would be a good idea too, to get a sense of who actually knows about the Waterfront Trails, and whether they believe they are a good or bad idea.

"Dear Reader" 02/05/2011

Dear Reader,

My WISE project is an experience I have been anxiously awaiting.  As I have continued through this first semester, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what my project would be.  I came to the conclusion that I want to become involved in local politics.  I discovered my interest in politics after I was matched with a Political career after an extensive survey I took during my junior year for a Career and College Prep class.  I have researched several careers in this field and have been extremely intrigued by more than a few of them, particularly a Political Press Secretary.  I am embracing this opportunity to explore my possible career path, and a passion of mine.

In this journey I hope to become involved in a local issue on an intimate level.  Currently, I plan on advocating for the advancement of the Waterfront Trails around Cayuga Lake.  I want to interview several people who are involved in the trails, including but not limited too:  Rick Manning, Carolyn Peterson, and the owner of Puddle Dockers.  I want to be very knowledgeable on the subject and take measures to advocate for my position within the community.

I made a self realization with this project that I will be going out of my comfort level several times.  However, I know all these things I will do in this project (such as interviewing people, conducting survey's, keeping specific deadlines and appointments) are things that would be expected of me on a daily basis if I do pursue a career in politics.  I think this is a time better than any to go out my comfort zone, explore, and work on goals I have for myself.  I am looking forward to the next 16 weeks, the trials and tribulations.  Enjoy!

-Audra