These are great posts and spell out clearly steps you should be taking.

People would much rather pay more and get great support, than pay a cut rate and get a bag of crap. Plus it has been my experience that clients that won't, or can't pay a decent rate will cause you the most problems.

 Being part-time is not a problem, but companies do want to know that you are a serious business, otherwise they will fear being burned. The days of people trusting amateur design and programming are rapidly ending.

 It's important to understand that websites are no longer static and they should be changing all of the time.

Being available when your client needs you is one of the most important lessons and competing in a bid situation is a reality for any public/governmental/non-profit, so you must have a good website yourself that showcases your talents. Goodluck.

Yeah I remeber it, it blew monkey chunks. Ten (is that your IQ?) and kibblesandtits sound like a Rotary member and a soccer mom. The sailboat race is just that, something that 9 out of ten people don't care about. It's not anything you can watch and follow.  Kibbles, just try and stage something, let us know what it is so we can laugh and laugh at your miserable failure. I'd love to know who you are, I probably know you and hate you.

Plattsburgh's police department does an excellent job. No one knows unless you've needed them how good they are.

Plattsburgh is becoming more attractive to creeps, can't fault the cops for that. They've done a good job keeping an undercover eye on the gangs gathered on porches on Oak Street.

The fact is that most every car stopped has a drunk, drugged or stank-fingered child buggerer at the wheel. This is Plattsburgh.

I was talking about the 2006 Mayor's Cup, it was $300,000 with $225,000 in corporate contributions and volunteers.  2007, last year, and 2008 this year, couldn't have been more than $50,000. total for both years. If there was more than that spent there needs to be a criminal investigation because both years have been a disaster.

The facts are all part of the public record, as submitted to the Mayor and Council following the end of the 2006 Festival.

My understanding is that the company that raised the money and ran the festival had built up a bevy of enemies whilst they did their jobs. That often happens when private business performs well, but ultimately lie in the hands of ignorant politicians. Typical Plattsburgh example of a failure to handle success.

An ultimate compliment about the old festival was that people would say, "Wow, this doesn't look like Plattsburgh!" Anyone that went to this year and last years festival had no problem realizing exactly where they were.

Unfortunately you are extremely ignorant, as is, and was, the City Council when it comes to understanding how the Mayor's Cup Land Festival worked. It was not from a huge financial investment from the City. While the evnt was well close to $300,000. to stage, .75 cents of every dollar spent was raised by private corporations. The City paid $35,000 in cash and $40,000 in overtime, What the City got back was an event worth attending. In addition the organizers coordinated 75 volunteers that contributed over 800 hours to make the event happen. In addition the organizers ran and funded all of the July 4th festivities including a parade with much more than firetrucks. There were marching bands, floats and specialty vehicles.

Learn your facts. While you scoff at the rich/poor division , you obviously don't know many of the downtown scumlords and inbred business owners that despise the poor and working people of this community.

The City Fire Department wastes more money in a week than the Mayor's Cup cost. Perhaps when the greedy unions get broken this city can rightfully allocate some money towards getting this festival back on track with professional organizers that have a vision to make the event something again. I don't fault Mayor Kasprzak one iota, this festival got sunk when Jack Stewart let the Council eliminate funding without ever one time going to anyone involved and asking "How can we make this happen". Not once, Bill Provost, Amy Valentine, Mike Drew, the whole crew of spineless and brainless miscreants are a disgrace to Plattsburgh.