Recent Comments
Re: “For Louise Slaughter's seat: Joe Morelle”
If Morelle is the candidate the GOP will beat him like a drum over his ties to Shelly Silver. They'll also use the Crothers case (and others) to portray *themselves* as the real champions of women. You think a blue wave will overcome all that in Monroe County? Good luck.
One of the things most people don't know about Louise is that she was not only beloved by Democrats, but also by many suburban GOP women for being stalwart on women's rights issues. Many of them supported her, and so, in many cases, so did the men in their lives. Morelle doesn't bring that.
Re: “People of color much worse off here, report says”
This is hugely important. Its authorship by Ed Doherty, especially, should grab the community's attention. Doherty's reputation, perhaps unfairly, took a hit for his involvement with the Fast Ferry. And I personally locked horns with him over the subway tunnel -- something I didn't relish doing. But Doherty is without question one of the best people in Rochester public life of recent decades, and anything with his name on it merits attention.
Isn't it extraordinary that anyone has to point this out: "We have a belief that Rochester is a community that excels -- and that's not true." At one time, it was, and Rochester was notoriously smug about it. But that hasn't really been the case for at least a half-dozen years, perhaps longer. It must be frustrating for folks like Doherty and the Foundation, who want to move things forward, that they're still at the stage of having to splash cold water in people's faces to wake them up to the fact that their mindset is a decade or two out of date.
Re: “Planting the seed”
Great piece, Jeremy. I'm glad to see this happening in Rochester, and most of all that people are taking the initiative at the grassroots (so to speak) and just asking City Hall to get out of their way. It seems like, in the past, it was more the Rochester way for people with an idea to take it to City Hall and ask the City to start a program.
Folks interested in urban farming would definitely enjoy a visit to Buffalo to see the Massachusetts Avenue Project on the West Side and Wilson Farm on the East Side.
Re: “To reach city's potential, rethink what is possible”
I appreciate City posting this piece. There are some important ideas here that merit serious consideration, but also some hard truths about Rochester politics.
My first exposure to Rochester politics was a quarter-century ago, when I worked for the president of the Monroe County legislature before the Democrats lost the majority. Unfortunately, I had a front-row seat to the decline and fall of the Democratic Party in Monroe County, and it remains a shadow of the party operation it once was. That decline coincided with the economic decline of Rochester and Monroe County. As Rachel says, some political leaders have done little more than manage decline. Others, sadly, fight like animals over the scraps of what's left. I've seen them with my own eyes, baring their teeth and snarling at each other. It's truly disgusting.
Rochester urgently needs a new generation of leadership with high competence, a vision for the community's future, a plan to get there, and a willingness to take smart risks along the way. Call it a "third way," if you will. What's especially appealing about Rachel Barnhart's piece here is that she's not only clearly putting herself on that path, but also inviting others to join her in walking it.
Re: “Barnhart says big tax cut will lead to more prosperous city”
So arguably Rochester's most incompetent mayor ever responds her challenger's policy-focused campaign announcement with a dismissive insult? That says a lot about the current state of Rochester politics: dysfunction, factionalization, and pettiness.
I'm glad there is a candidate who is trying to rise above that and find ways to move the city forward.
Re: “Sheppard, former police chief, considers mayor run”
The fact that prominent African-Americans are not only leaving the Warren camp, but also are not aligning with Sheppard speaks volumes about their viability as incumbent and prospective challenger, respectively. Rochester has never been well-served by either identity or factional politics, and in 2017 I hope that Rochester voters take the opportunity to rise above both.
Re: “For Louise Slaughter's seat: Joe Morelle”
Wait, isn't the name of this publication "City"? Yet you gave the two *city* candidates only a cursory glance. The way you used Wilt as an opportunity to ignore both Rachel Barnhart and Adam McFadden is astonishing and facile.