I think Mayor Duffy is great. A few years ago, in the bitter cold, as the switch to the Liberty Pole was being flipped on, Mayor Duffy told the onlookers that "This is the downtown of the future." Well, two or three years have passed, and I really do see an improvement in downtown, BUT it's been a relatively insignificant improvement. It's time to step it up, Mr. Mayor! Well we've come this far, now let's really see what we can do. You know that the potential is there, so let 'er rip!! Don't sell us short, or act out of desparation. Give Rochester the hustle and bustle it needs, but do it the right way!!

Four years ago, I watched at every debate as Mayoral candidate Robert Duffy campaigned, "Rochester is a jewel; it just needs to be dusted off." I told Mr. Duffy at every debate that ren square is the white elephant in the room. It must be put down. It is now four years later and any jewel that lies beneath downtown Rochester has yet to be dusted off!

Why did Mayor Duffy wait so long to stop ren square? I know the answer:
please read this letter from the Building Trades union:
www.box.net/shared/e5c0spt34o

It's called "Camapign Cash". Maggie got $800,000 from her people too. To say she would build ren square. Unions, building trades to be specific, fund campaigns. OK, but shouldn't they be concerned with what they build? Apparently not! They imply Harry Davis stopped ren square so now they have no work & won't support Harry's city council bid.

Yes, the albatross of ren square has finally bitten the dust but why did it take another four years for our city leadership to do this? Rochester has had an elected body of Democrats governing it for a long time now but I have witnessed our city be led by the Republicans of Monroe County, insisting that a $ 1/4 billion bus garage at Main & Clinton was the answer to bringing jobs & prosperity to our city.

Mayor Duffy sunk the fast ferry ASAP. There was no campaign cash there. Why did he not sink ren square, 1,000 fast ferries? Campaign cash is the answer. The unions funded Mayor Duffy to build ren square.
www.box.net/shared/e5c0spt34o

I know the building trades don't like me because they think I stopped ren square, all by myself! I wish. But my main concern now is bringing jobs to Rochester by using President Obama's High Speed Rail money - $116 million, if we do our job right. I want to make Rochester into a world-class city, not just another city with a bus garage. I know unions, I was a CWA member once. I know unions are about jobs. They will build anything anywhere anytime. It is the job of leaders to decide what to build and our leaders have failed us here. I want to work every day on city council to plan how to rebuild downtown Rochester and bring jobs to Rochester.

Voters, this is why ren square was not stopped for so long by two Mayors and many city councils. And why we may not see full citizen participation with our current list of business as usual candidates.

This past July, petitions were presented to the Board of Elections with about 1,700 signatures nominating me , Harry Davis for Mayor of Rochester. I want to thank all of those people who supported this effort. I declined this draft for the Mayor's office deciding instead to place all of our efforts to winning a seat on the Rochester City Council. I was criticized by City Newspaper for being too "persistent and passionate." It was said that "once he latches onto an idea, he never lets go." But the local media supported all of those who are responsible for the past four years! I say that endorsing the status quo is tantamount to having things remain the same. Rochester is in severe crisis with dwindling funds available and deserves critical introspection of where it is going. The future of the core of Rochester has been in a vacuum for too long. My position on Renaissance Square has been exactly the same since 2003. During that time, $20 million was wasted on ren square.


Mayor Duffy needs to bring intelligent advice to the development of downtown. I don�t think that moving a bus station 20 feet north is the way to plan a city. The Mayor must throw his weight behind the work of the 2008 vision plan of the Rochester Regional Community Design Center. It�s a comprehensive look at what we can do to make Rochester not just livable, but make it a shining model for the 21st century.

What is the Mayor doing to make certain that this vision becomes reality? I don't know but I want to workl with Mayor Duffy on this. And I can work with the Mayor! Just two weeks ago, I met with Mayor Duffy's office to work on a separate economic development idea. Yes, I CAN work with city government to bring jobs to Rochester, I CAN & DO work with Mayor Duffy RIGHT NOW!

On November 3, I say vote for me, Harry Davis, Working Families Party, 9E on the ballot for city council.

Also, please do a write-in vote for Harry Davis for Mayor of Rochester. Yes, I don't expect to be elected Mayor with a write-in but I do want Mayor Duffy to hire me to bring vision to downtown Rochester and a write-in vote for Harry will send this message. I want to tell you the voter, everyday, what is being done or not done to bring jobs to downtown Rochester. I will do so on my web site, Harry2009.com

We now must look past ren square and create jobs with an inter-modal transit and high speed rail at the Amtrak station with President Obama's $8 billion for high speed rail. We must rebuild Rochester into a world class city. Don't blow our second chance for jobs.

We must use the RRCDC 2008 Vision Plan. We can't design the rebirth of downtown Rochester without a plan that has everybody included. This week, it was announced that Midtown will have high end units for sale. No mixed! This is wrong!
We need a plan. I do not feel comfortable that downtown will change is a better direction with the current officeholders, and wanna bes inn the election. Remember, there is campaign cash to influence them! I am not supported by the Dem or Repub party so no one will tell me what to do. Only the voters!

btw, the above union letter from Frank Wirt was actually written by my friend, Clarke Conde, Editor of the Labor News. Do you know who Clarke was campaign manager for 3 years ago for Monroe County Exec? Andy Staintion! Yes, even Clarke knew the folly of ren square. We have talked about this for hours, including last night. Andy Stainton had a sole agenda of no ren square. Clarke totally agreed then!

High-speed rail is the biggest economic development for upstate in 150 years, since the Erie Canal.