December 30, 2011 at 3:25pm
I like Bob Duffy. Really, I do. I just don't think he was a particularly good mayor. That becomes increasingly clear to me with the passage of time.
I think Duffy's belief in his own core goodness cast a weird spell on the city. His sunny optimism and expertly honed empathy masked a deficiency of substance, a reactionary "go it alone" side - Zero Tolerance, the premature mayoral-control announcement, the hush-hush dismissal of former Police Chief David Moore - and a proficiency for double-talk that left everyone guessing where he stood on an issue on any given day.
And I'll never forgive him for running out on the school district. He positioned himself as the savior of city schools and then split when the big-leagues came knocking - piling yet another disappointment on people who generally don't have a lot of optimism about their prospects and their futures to begin with. He asked them to believe in him. And then he left.
That brings me to something I found on the City of Rochester's website yesterday. It's either a testimonial to the Duffy administration, or Duffy's prematurely published obituary. It's five paragraphs of loving devotion to our former mayor, followed by a compilation of Duffy speeches and Duffy-era documents.
"With hope, unity, and commitment as their guiding principles, the mayor and his team tapped into the community's enthusiasm to bring Rochester to a turning point."
Come on. You expect spin from the government, but this is the Tilt-O-Whirl after a bean burrito breakfast.
The write-up also gives Duffy credit for some suspect accomplishments. It says that, as chief of police, Duffy "significantly dropped the homicide rates in the city." Really? All by himself? He must be exhausted. And it fails to mention, of course, that violent crime and homicide rates were and are dropping everywhere - even in Duffy-less cities. How is that possible?
A page summarizing the Duffy administration and compiling Duffy-related material is perfectly acceptable. But spare us the hyperbole.
Seriously, when do we erect a statue to this guy?
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Comments for "St. Duffy, remembered" (6)
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b sarbane said on Dec. 30, 2011 at 3:57pm
Duffy already has the statute; its in his garage. He's just waiting for Cuomo to come to down to dedicate it.
Does the city hall spin include his killing the RenSq project, and with it over $100 million of investment in downtown and the creation of hundreds of construction jobs? Or his negotiation of a non-agreement with PaeTec so we now have a gaping, ugly hole in the ground instead of...anything?
The media in this town loved Duffy, just as it loved Bill Johnson before him. Neither could do any wrong while he served. Now looking back at both there is nothing there but vapor.
b sarbane said on Dec. 30, 2011 at 4:00pm
And btw, you might want to ask his fellow police officers, or the former Chief, or Maggie Brooks, or the RTS people, or the theatre crowd, or now Mike Green (yes, Mike Green) about his "core goodness". He had a nasty habit of putting knives in the backs of people who thought they could trust him and were relying on his support.
Samuel Felatano said on Dec. 30, 2011 at 8:07pm
Done anyone believe The Duffsters career is going to go any farther than fetching Starbucks and dry cleaning for the Governor? Do you think if the gov lands a DC gig he will bring The Duffster to operate the elevator and polish his shoes?
flowercityman said on Dec. 30, 2011 at 11:11pm
Chris, I give you a lot of credit for calling a spade a spade.
clint said on Dec. 31, 2011 at 6:07am
I agree with b sarbane! I believe that Bob Duffy, in retrospect, made Bill Johnson look like a genius as a leader. Johnson tried to do things, some, too aggressively, but he kept trying. Duffy talked about what he was going to do, then changed him mind as soon as he talked to the next person he talked to.
Here is my prediction...10 years of nothing of meaning at Midtown...and our downtown tax base continuing to erode, all thanks to Bob Duffy! He spoke of Mayoral control as "the hill he was prepared to die on"...then he left, and we died on the hill battling each other! He is the model of the meaning of the term "empty suit"
Jason O Rourke said on Jan. 03, 2012 at 10:49am
Duffy sure beats that other fiscal nightmare, Bill Johnson. Who is by far, the worst mayor our city ever had.
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