Resident recruitment plan appeals to Oswego County employers

OSWEGO, N.Y. — Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow has kicked off his Resident Recruitment initiative to encourage employees who work in the county to live there.

The Resident Recruitment plan is a pamphlet that highlights the benefits that Oswego has to offer. Some of the benefits mentioned are the historic neighborhoods, attractions (movie theater, local businesses, museums), job opportunities and more.

Pamphlets have been distributed to the four major employers in Oswego County, including SUNY Oswego, Novelis, Exelon and Oswego Health. Mayor Barlow said that when he became mayor he toured these major employers, and they all expressed interest in having a resource that would showcase Oswego.

“They were all frustrated that the employees that they were hiring, or the employees that work there at the facility now, they were commuting in from Onondaga County and other municipalities and they weren’t living local,” said Barlow. “The organizations felt that they didn’t have the story or narrative or material to offer these people to convince them to live closer to where they work.”

The Mayor thinks that the largest selling points of the city are the residential sections.

“I think a lot of people are drawn to our neighborhoods,” said Barlow, “[They] really are quality neighborhoods with neighborhood parks nearby. People know their neighbors, and it just makes for a nice atmosphere.”

Barlow said that since he has taken office in the fall of 2015, there have been many changes to the city. He listed several things including waterfront improvement projects, increasing the funding for the summer concert series and farmers’ market, improving neighborhoods, allocating more resources to parks and making downtown more pedestrian friendly.

“All of these things are like another point on an application,” said Barlow. “When someone is thinking about where to live, they look at the surroundings, not just the house.”

Pamphlets have been distributed to the four major employers for new hires to their companies. They are also available in Oswego’s City Hall.