Bud Taylor begins "real retirement"
Harold "Bud" Taylor, the gentleman statesman of Warren County, is stepping down from the EDC Warren County Board having completed his term on EDC to begin "real retirement."
Taylor, 78, also recently stepped down as chairman of the Warren-Washington Counties Industrial Development Agency board and president of the Crandall Park Beautification Committee, wrapping up four decades of local government and community leadership.
"It was fun working with all the movers and shakers in Glens Falls," Taylor said at his final EDC Warren County board meeting on Feb. 27.
Taylor has long had a reputation for tact and wit, even in the midst of controversy.
"We really do appreciate all the time and effort you have given us and guidance," said EDC Warren County Chairwoman Arleen Girard.
Taylor, a retired insurance agency owner, served 20 years on the Glens Falls Planning Board (appointed by then Mayor Ed Bartholomew), eight years as city 3rd Ward councilman, and eight years as 3rd Ward supervisor.
He retired from elected office at the end of 2015, but continued to serve in volunteer roles.
As president of Crandall Park Beautification Committee, he spearheaded a number of park improvement projects, including the concert shell, a new field house, and a fountain, among others, and he initiated the annual Independence Day Glens Falls Symphony pops concert at the park.
Taylor also has served as president of the Open Door mission board and on the boards of the Glens Falls Civic Center Foundation and Warren-Hamilton Counties Community Action Agency, and he was a Little League coach.
In 2011, Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce presented Taylor its annual J. Walter Juckett Award, recognizing community service.
"He will be an observer now," said EDC Warren County President Edward Bartholomew.
"You won't be far. We'll know where to find you," Girard said.
"You won't be able to find me," Taylor quipped.
Best wishes to Bud and his wife Pat.
In other Warren County economic development, business and quality of life news:
Creative Economy
The "Creative Economy" employs 47,282 people in the Capital Region, making it the fourth largest employment sector in the eight-county region of the state's economic development system, according to new statistics from the Alliance for the Creative Economy.
"It's bigger than higher education. It's bigger than construction," said Maureen Sager, project director for the Alliance, at a presentation Feb. 27 at The Hyde Collection art museum in Glens Falls.
The Alliance is a support organization for those who work in artistic and cultural endeavors, such as media, visual arts, performing arts,
museums, design, culinary agriculture and artisanal restaurants.
"The Alliance has a long-term goal of increasing employment in the sector to 150,000 people," said Tom Lloyd of Adirondack Studios in Argyle.
"This industry is growing and there are resources out there," said Andrew Kennedy, of the Center for Economic Growth, one of 22 companies and organizations that fund the Alliance, up from six when the Alliance was established.
The Alliance is developing a strategy to address three topics in the coming year: freelancer support, regional creative economy branding, and collaborative cultural heritage promotion.
A little over half of those who work in the sector in the Capital Region are freelancers, a higher concentration of freelancers than in New York City or Boston.
