Jackie Augustine

New Jersey

Contributor at Finger Lakes Times

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Articles

DOING THE WRITE THING: Hope from the Pope

4 days ago | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

When I walk my dogs, I am usually listening to Supreme Court oral arguments, or talking on the phone with family or friends, but then I got hooked on an audiobook. For more than 14 hours, I have listened to the autobiography of Pope Francis, a book aptly titled “Hope.”I grew up on State Street, just behind St. Francis de Sales. The window of my room looked out onto the parking spaces and windows of the sacristy.
DOING THE WRITE THING: Ideas: Old and new

2 weeks ago | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

The city of Geneva kicked off budget season a couple of weeks ago with the first of many workshops to allow City Council to learn about municipal finance and discuss policy priorities that will drive the tax levy (and corresponding tax rate) for 2026. I’d like to take some of what was said by councilors at that work session and connect the dots to real solutions they could implement if their words are sincere (which I am going to assume they are).
DOING THE WRITE THING: We need to talk

1 month ago | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

An old friend approached me with an inventory of things they were upset about in Geneva. They said their taxes are too high, there aren’t enough services provided, and the issues with police and parks have them worried that everything’s headed in the wrong direction.
DOING THE WRITE THING: Ontario County's first step

1 month ago | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

Acknowledging a problem is the first step to fixing it. For that reason, I was glad to read the guest appearance from the Ontario County ad hoc committee on housing (Finger Lakes Times, May 3). In the column, the CEO of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors said, “When homeownership is within reach for more residents, the entire community benefits.
DOING THE WRITE THING: What Geneva has lost

2 months ago | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

A few years ago, an unlikely partnership brought forward a great blessing into the world. Pope Francis and filmmaker and director Martin Scorsese collaborated on a project called “Stories of a Generation.” It’s currently available on Netflix, and although movie reviews are best left to other writers, please consider taking the time to watch this multi-part documentary.
DOING THE WRITE THING: We could be better

2 months ago | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

When we great each other with the pleasant “Hi, how are you?” we often receive a standard-issue reply (or give one in return) that might be genuine (maybe everyone is always “good, thanks”) or might be a way of dodging a bit of introspection we don’t want to engage in at the moment.
DOING THE WRITE THING: Different actions, different words

2 months ago | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

My previous column, on the need for Geneva to start following the law on redistricting before further reducing representation in this city, generated a lot of feedback which I am thankful for. What it also generated, which I wish were not the case, was a great deal of frustration and sense of futility about city government.
DOING THE WRITE THING: The incredible shrinking city

Mar 18, 2025 | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

Right before our eyes, but apparently unseen by this Republican City Council majority (and the people who voted for them), Geneva has been shrinking. And, much like the sci-fi thriller from the 1950s, they seem entirely perplexed by the consequences of that downsizing. The movie theater closed, along with Freihofer’s Bakery Outlet, Big Lots, two dollar stores, the downtown Rite Aid location, and more. These are large corporations deciding that small towns are not worth their effort.
DOING THE WRITE THING: Let the light in

Mar 4, 2025 | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

We’ve not been experiencing the brightest of days, and you know I’m not just talking about the weather. The long-held belief of many people that government is somehow out there, distant, doing things that aren’t really vital to our lives, wasteful, expendable, is coming home to roost. In fact, the federal government is not out there; it’s right here.
DOING THE WRITE THING: A quarter-century of 'progress'

Feb 18, 2025 | fltimes.com | Jackie Augustine

I was sworn in as a city councilor 25 years ago. Twenty-five years! Where does the time go? It’s hard to imagine that a teen mom, with a toddler in tow, renting a place at Geneva Garden apartments, could serve alongside the crew that’s in there now. In my view, the current close-mindedness is a loss for the city. I joined council with Alaine Espenscheid and Kay Cocola. That’s the most women ever elected to council.