City of Cortland Mayor Brian Tobin. (Photo Source: Cortland Voice Photo Files).
Tobin is about a week away (Dec. 31) from wrapping up his tenure as the mayor of Cortland. He led the city for five terms, which equals 10 years in office.
Tobin, who is also the SUNY Cortland swimming/diving coach, said he preached three bullet points that he “adheres to his swimmers, and also the city (staff).”
“The first one is work ethic,” he said. “I always try to do things to the best of my ability, but you figure out how to give more. This has been important not just for the mayor’s role, but for the people on council.”
“The second point is being intrepid, (which is) the ability to be creative or innovative,” Tobin continued. “There have been a number of things that came across my desk that I had no clue about, but I had to learn about it. You learn patience with people to not just learn the facts, but also the opinions and to get different perspectives. You (found) ways to get things done with no path that was clear. It’s been a rewarding challenge.”
“The third and final one is being great teammates. Our ability to partner with each other is important,” Tobin concluded.
Tobin gave a collective thank you to the council members. He added that “we’ve disagreed with each other at times, but we worked through it.”
“You have supported what’s best for the city over politics,” Tobin said to the council on Tuesday. “You were all elected because you wanted to do something good for the community. We’ve made some challenging decisions (during the COVID-19 pandemic) to get us where we need to be.”
Tobin also thanked community organizers, community members, city department heads and others for work collaborations over the years.
Tobin’s final thank you went to the city residents who voted for him as their mayor in past elections.
“Your faith (in me) meant a good deal,” he said. “A lot of people help to make Cortland what it is.”
In closing of his speech, Tobin gave well wishes to mayor-elect Scott Steve and the new-look council for next year.
“When December of 2022 rolls around, the mayor-elect and council-elect will have a good year and continue to make Cortland a great place to live,” Tobin said. “There’s no doubt that Cortland is (also) one of the best places to raise a family.”
Council members as a whole Tuesday evening thanked Tobin for his service.
