M Focus on: Municipal Management
Pictured is “Daisies, Doodles and Lasers” by Filomena Jack. This vibrant mural was completed in 2021 and is located at 308 William St. (Photo provided by Community Arts of Elmira)
Elmira embraces creativity by becoming a city of murals By JUDE STRIEBY | The Municipal
What do Mark Twain, Tommy Hilfiger and Jeff Plate, the drummer for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, have in common? All three have the privilege of having been born in Elmira, N.Y. While those three may seem like an odd pairing, the list of famous people born in Elmira grows into a smorgasbord of known politicians, athletes, human rights advocates, military leaders, educators, inventors, Olympians and a vast mix of participants of the arts. Elmira has been the birthplace of people who go on to have all sorts of different careers — for instance, Burt Gillett, who directed the animated shorts “Silly Symphonies” for Disney in the 1930s, or Brian Douglas Williams, who is currently an anchor at MSNBC. Then, of course, there is Eileen Collins, the first female pilot and commander of a space shuttle, and Ernie Davis, a professional football player, who was the first African American recipient of the Heisman trophy in 1961. When so many different types of notable individuals come from one location, it’s only natural to wonder what is different about the 36 THE MUNICIPAL | DECEMBER 2021
area. On the surface, Elmira is a normal city with a population of 27,110. It is the county seat of Chemung County and is on the southern tier of New York state. Its motto is “Honoring the Past, Building the Future,” and it is nicknamed “The Queen City.” Recently, the city was awarded the New York Downtown Revitalization Initiative, one of only 10 given to cities whose downtowns were deemed ripe for development into vibrant areas to live and work. Construction has commenced, but building isn’t the only activity that’s happening. Looking closer brings one thing sharply into focus: Elmira is covered in art. Not figuratively, but quite
