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The mission

Bring in city funding

Funnel available city money to ​where we need it most, to our ​underserved neighborhoods.

access to community services

Help homeowners offset the cost of ​repairs and turn renters into local ​homeowners.

invest in our parks

Increase health equity in nearby ​neighborhoods and create recreation ​destinations for the future.

CITY GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY

Share progress with our residents to ​build the support we need for a better ​Olean.

BRING BACK INDUSTRY

Make our city desirable for the ​future of the green economy.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Create a community that is ​safe and inclusive for all people.

Call to Serve

Hi, I’m Clarissa Spiller Ivan and I’m running for City Council Ward 3 in Olean. I am a sixth-generation Ward 3 ​resident and I choose to raise my family here.

In 2021, a deadly shooting occurred in South Olean. I was so angry with this murder that happened in my ​childhood neighborhood. Stray bullets marred houses only one block from my home, on a street where my ​newborn son lay sleeping. I knew right then that this murder had to be a catalyst for positive change.

This wasn't the first time I felt called to work on improving underserved neighborhoods. After the tragedy of ​9/11, I felt compelled to get civically involved and joined an intensive community service program called ​AmeriCorps, a sister program to the Peace Corps. During my Americorps years, I worked in the areas of disaster ​relief, public safety, the environment, homeland security, and education. My team worked with non-profit ​organizations, tutored students in public schools, and built trails for various national and state parks.

It was here that I gained valuable civic leadership skills while giving back to American communities. I saw ​firsthand the impact that positive change can have on small communities and their residents. I learned that ​strengthening communities makes them better places to live and brings new opportunities for the future.

South Olean needs that kind of positive change because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I will bring ​to City Council the same energy and understanding that led me through Americorps. As a budding grant writer ​and social justice advocate, I want to bring available city funds and community services to our underserved ​South Olean neighborhoods.

For years, safety issues, poor infrastructure, and overall appearance have fractured our sense of community. ​Abandoned homes litter our neighborhoods. And let's be honest: even with its recent repaving, Green Street ​isn't green. South Olean is in desperate need of attention.

Making South Olean’s infrastructure a priority on the city’s agenda would increase safety for all Olean residents. ​An understanding of available community services and grants can help our homeowners offset the cost of ​repairs and make it possible for renters to become local first-time homeowners.

Investing in Franchot Park would not only increase the health of nearby neighborhoods but also make it a ​recreation destination for the future. This would be an economic benefit for the city as a whole. Our city has ​done a great job updating its parks but we need to keep that momentum going by investing in our most utilized ​parks that receive the least amount of funding. Even something as simple as neighborhood beautification can ​increase the quality of life for residents.

I understand what we are up against because I was raised on South 3rd Street and I live here now. Ward 3 ​deserves an energized leader who is willing to put in the work. Never in recent memory has a South Olean native ​been elected to represent the whole of Ward 3 on City Council. I am ready to change this. I am that candidate. ​Together we can create a safer and healthier South Olean.

As a Council member, I will work for the greatest good of this city and face pressing challenges head-on. I will be ​a persistent idealist for this community. Vote for me, Clarissa Spiller Ivan for City Council Ward 3 on November ​8th, 2022. Real change starts here!

ready to put me to work?

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