Roch-a-Cha Rant

The 2006 Roch-a-Cha Rant Endorsements

In last Sunday's Democrat & Chronical, despite a headline encouraging reform in Albany, our local fishwrap endorsed incumbents almost exclusively. Sure, we have some quality representatives in Albany, but the fact is that reform starts by throwing out those who stand in the way of it. After becoming thoroughly disgusted by the lackadaisical effort put forth by the editors of the D&C, I realized that as always, if you want something done right, do it yourself. Therefore, below are my Roch-a-Cha Rant Political Endorsements for the 2006 General Election.

Governor
Eliot Spitzer (D, I, WF) - While I was unsure whether I would support Spitzer or Tom Suozzi in the Democratic Primary for Governor, the choice is crystal-clear now. Spitzer is a leader, he proved himself to be the finest Attorney General this state has ever seen and he will bring integrity to the Governor's office.

Comptroller
H. Carl McCall (D, Write-In) - My previous post explained why I cannot support Alan Hevesi in this race. My update on the post briefly explained why I cannot support J. Christopher Callaghan or Julia Willebrand. While John J. Cain's experience is a plus, his Libertarian ideals are far out-of-touch with reality. The only other remaining candidate, Willie Cotton, is the Socialist Workers candidate and I only support anarchy in the UK. Thus, let us turn back the clock to the previous NYS Comptroller, let's recall H. Carl McCall.

Attorney General
Rachel Treichler (G) - After being thoroughly disappointed by the Democratic Primary for Attorney General, in which Andrew Cuomo won on name recognition alone, I found the only other candidate who supports liberal ideals and actually has some legal experience. Treichler is a Harvard-educated Green who lives in the Finger Lakes region and is very active in Steuben County. Cuomo will likely win this election, and he'll probably make a decent AG, but he was not the best Democrat for the job and he is sorely lacking in experience. Jeannine Pirro had so many skeletons in her closet and they're now all out in the open. She is a joke. The Socialist Workers candidate doesn't even have a law degree and you already know how I feel about Libertarians.

US Senator
Howie Hawkins (G) - This is another election where the best Democrat did not win the Primary. Hilary Clinton should be punished like every other member of Congress who supported the "War". While Clinton has done many good things for the State, she chose the wrong path and refuses to admit her mistake. John Kerry lost the Presidency for that, she should lose her Senate seat. John Spencer is in the mold of a typical Republican, and that does not represent the views of the average New Yorker. Howie Hawkins is the ONLY true progressive in this race. He supports an end to the war, universal healthcare, renewable energy, living wages, repealing the Patriot Act, etc.

State Supreme Court Justice
Stephen Lindley (D, I, WF), Terrence Brown-Steiner (D), Clark Zimmermann (D) - Judges are elected to uphold the law and interpret in a manner which the people demand. Elect the Democrats because we've seen what happens when Republicans get a hold of our justice system.

Representative - 25th District
Dan Maffei (D, WF) - Maffei is against the war, for stem cell research, for health care reform, for enhancing Social Security, and against No Child Left Behind. He's also a qualified individual. Jim Walsh voted for the Iraq war - throw him out!

Representative - 26th District
Morton Wexler (D, Write-In) - I cannot in good conscience recommend voting for Jack Davis. The man is not fit to represent his district and he is far from a progressive. Of course, he's better than incumbent Tom Reynolds who believes that keeping a Republican child predator in office is more important than protecting teenage House pages. Wexler is a good Mayor, and I bet he'd make a fine Representative.

Representative - 28th District
Louise Slaughter (D, I, WF) - While I may agree with her on every issue, she is our most senior Representative and among the most fashionable women on Capitol Hill. Furthermore, she is one of the brave few who opposed the war in Iraq. For this alone, she deserves our support.

Representative - 29th District
Eric Massa (D, WF) - I've said it many times before and I'll say it again, John Randy Kuhl is an embarrassment to this region. He is an awful politician, an awful speaker, and an awful human being. Eric Massa is a rising star in the Democratic Party and he takes the correct stance on nearly every issue.

State Senator - 54th District
Michael Nozzolio (R, C, I) - Unopposed and he brings home the bacon.

State Senator - 55th District
Eugene Saltzberg (D) - Jim Alesi is an egomaniac. Whether he's fighting the Town of Perinton to block properly zoned commerical development next to his home or whether he's fighting the Town of Middlesex to move a town road just so he can have exclusive lakefront access at his summer home. We cannot allow such people to govern our state.

State Senator - 56th District
Joseph Robach (R, C, I, WF) - One of our most popular elected officials, he earned my respect when he stood up for the City of Rochester on the Senate floor and when he stood against Sheldon Silver in the Assembly.

State Senator - 57th District
George Maziarz (R, I, C) - His opponent Christopher Srock is woefully incapable of serving in the Senate. Maziarz has done some good for his district and his is not a name you hear in a negative light.

State Assembly - 130th District
Daniel West (D, WF) - Joe Errigo is one of the most partisan, anti-urban elected officials we have today. Dan West has the right ideas and the quality experience we need to create change in Albany.

State Assembly - 131st District
John Ferlicca (R, C, I) - Despite being a Republican, and despite living in god-awful Chili, Ferlicca has some good ideas and a thirst for change. Susan John has never been a strong leader and has made some poor decisions over the years. Ferlicca is married to an African-American woman, so he is clearly more open-minded than the average Republican.

State Assembly - 132nd District
Joseph Morelle (D) - The Chairman of the local Democratic party and our most powerful Assemblyman, Morelle has the best interests of Rochester at heart and his influential position will bring continued benefits to his district.

State Assembly - 133rd District
Wade Norwood (D, Write-In) - I can't understand why Daryl Porter did not primary David Gantt, the ineffectual, contentious, racist, do-nothing elder statesman of our State delegation. I can only suspect that he gave in to the idea of "party unity". Since he did not challenge Gantt, we are left with Carlos Coker, a brave young man who may some day grow up to be the next Republican mayoral candidate to be annihilated on Election Day. I support the man who should have been Mayor, Wade Norwood, as a write-in candidate for his former boss' job. Norwood combines Gantt's few strengths with a demeanor worthy of higher office.
State Assembly - 134th District
Philip Fedele (D) - Ever heard of Bill Reilich, me neither, which is pretty pathetic for an incumbent. We need leaders, not followers, to represent us.

State Assembly - 135th District
David Koon (D, I, WF) - Want to know how a Democrat can stay in power for so long in such a Republican-dominated district? By being an excellent representative who is both responsive to his constituents and true to his beliefs. Koon is a man of integrity and vision, and one of the few members of the Assembly who can point to real tangible successes in his life. Koon was one of the brave few who stood up to Speaker Silver, which makes him one of the incumbents friendly to reform in Albany. Plus, he'd make a heck of a County Executive.

posted by Man About Town @ 8:03 AM Comments: 6

Dems Should Throw Hevesi Under the Bus

It may come as a shock to some people, but I am a rather reasonable person most of the time. While I have some wild and crazy ideas and I tend to lean far left on most issues, I consider myself to be very open-minded and I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong. That's why it should not surprise anyone when I say that, locally and statewide, Democrats should call for Alan Hevesi's resignation.

Let me preface that by saying that Hevesi has done a fine job as State Comptroller. He has greatly strengthened the State pension fund, which was certainly a challenge in the years following 9/11. He also strengthened local pension funds and exposed serious flaws in public authorities across New York State. He worked with Attorney General Spitzer to punish evil corporations that were robbing the public and he allocated funds to spur investment in the upstate economy. Certainly, based on those credentials, Alan Hevesi merits re-election. However, there is more to a man than the deeds that he does while in the public eye, and Hevesi's wrongdoings with State taxpayer dollars are simply unacceptable.

As much as I hate to admit it, the Republicans are 100% right about this. Mr. Hevesi's job was to protect the State against fraud and abuse, and yet he was committing those same violations on a daily basis. If he did indeed know that it was wrong to use a state employee to chauffeur his disabled wife around town (and how could he not know?), than this is not only unethical but borderline illegal. It is good to see that there are Democrats out there willing to take a strong stand against this type of behavior. Also encouraging is soon-to-be-Governor Spitzer's remarks that he is reconsidering his endorsement of Hevesi. But time is running short.

If Democrats are indeed the party of ethics and morals as we are claiming across the nation, than we must sacrifice a sure-thing election and ask him to step down. He has served us well as Comptroller and for that he can be saluted, but there is no good reason for Hevesi to continue on as Comptroller of New York State. He abused the power of his position and harmed all New Yorkers in the process. He violated our trust and insulted all of us. Other than his incredibly pretentious-sounding name, I know scant little about J. Christopher Callaghan, Hevesi's Republican opponent. But he is an upstater and he is Irish, so how bad can he be?

UPDATE: After watching last night's debate between Hevesi and Callaghan, I am not sure that I will be able to cast a vote in this race. It was quite evident that Hevesi is the better candidate, but the fact remains that he compromised his credibility by his dumb actions. Callaghan did not impress me as someone worthy of holding statewide office. He looked more like a high school science teacher than one of the most powerful officials in the state. There are other candidates in this race, and being of a liberal mindset, I should recommend that you consider voting for Brooklynite Julia Willebrand of the Green Party. But she really does not have the credentials or relevant experience necessary for this position. The other viable option is Libertarian John J. Cain, a former Zoning and Planning Board member from Rockland County with experience in worker's compensation issues.

posted by Man About Town @ 8:00 AM Comments: 3

Revitalize This Building, Please!

There has been much hubbub this week surrounding Renaissance Square and its potential effect on downtown. Specifically, there are uncertainties regarding what effect it will have on the downtown housing market. As you probably know, downtown Rochester is increasingly becoming a mixed-use 24-hour neighborhood as hundreds of units of new housing have been added in recent years with hundreds more planned or under development. One of the main selling points of Renaissance Square has been its potential to spur additional development at/on underutilized buildings/land surrounding it. I support that claim, and believe it will lead to the development of potentially hundreds of units of student housing within walking distance of the new MCC campus.

The St Paul Quarter, the neighborhood most affected by any spinoff residential development, is already a hotspot for housing. The 2006 Rochester Downtown Development Corporation Downtown Housing Survey found that 99% of market rate units in the Quarter are occupied, making it the most competitive market in the Center City. Throw in all that Ren Square will provide, and the Quarter becomes all that more attractive to developers and their potential tenants. Thing is, there are very few opportunities left in the neighborhood for loft conversion as almost all floors of all buildings in our former Garment District have been converted to apartments or office space already. However, anyone walking along St Paul may not realize the vibrancy that exists in the neighborhood because they see one prominent building as glaring proof that we haven't yet "made it."

The Journal-American Building at the southeast corner of St Paul and Andrews streets is a large brown building used as a office/warehouse for the Cook Iron Store Company, or CISCO for short. This building was previously home to the Rochester Journal-American newspaper, a Hearst publication that was one of three major dailies of its time. CISCO has owned the building for a whopping 70 years now and is a very successful wholesale construction supply company. I can only guess as to what has happened to the internal integrity of this building over the years, but on the outside you can easily imagine a wonderful mixed-use building bringing life and energy to this highly important intersection.

Sadly though, while CISCO has prospered over the years into one of our area's leading construction supply companies, they have neglected the exterior of this fine old building. Windows in the building are either boarded up or have been altered to be much smaller and less transparent than intended. While it is probably unintentional, the current state of the building gives a big "up-yours" to the happening neighborhood that has grown up around it. While I would hate to cause harm to a solid Rochester-based company, it is time to rescue the Journal-American Building from its current sorry state. This is a prime opportunity for any developer looking to seize upon the momentum generated by Renaissance Square. The City should do whatever it can to sweeten the deal for CISCO by arranging quality space, tax breaks, and other incentives to retain them as an employer while allowing this gem of a building to take its place among downtown Rochester's great revitalized buildings.

Note: the pictures are taken from SignWall, a very cool little blog that I have added to my links. If I can get my lazy ass to take some better pictures of the building, I will post them here.

posted by Man About Town @ 12:49 PM Comments: 0

Your Man's Take on the Ren Square Design

Last night, your Man About Town was in full effect at the public unveiling of the "final" Renaissance Square design at the Clarion Riverside Hotel. No, I was not that dashing older gentleman at the front of the room. That was Moshe Safdie, the world famous architect for our city's most 'wow' development since God created the High Falls. But as Safdie pointed out, I should be wary of 'wow' as the true value of architecture is not in the initial reaction, but in the lasting effect it has on a city and its people. I think most any reasonable person will agree that this project will have an extremely positive lasting effect on Rochester, and quite a bit of 'wow' as well.

I was very worried heading into the event with all of the talk about cutting elements of the design in order to stick to the $230 million price tag. The situation was eeriliy reminiscent of Frontier Field opening without a roof, Blue Cross Arena opening without a videoboard, or Paetec Park opening with a trailer for a box office. If we're going to spend gobs of money on on a major public facility, can we please get it right the first time?!!?!?! Those fears were calmed quickly as a cool and confident Moshe Safdie took the stage to review the project. Firstly, none of the major elements of the complex have been eliminated or downsized. The bus station will accommodate the same number of buses, the Broadway roadhouse theater will still be 2,800 seats, and the MCC campus will still be large enough to accommodate an expansion of program offerings (and students).

Secondly, no "essential" features were cut from the design. The main change from the last design was the removal of a curved glass ceiling over the MCC courtyard. While that would have been a 'wow', it would have also further isolated the complex from the street life on Main Street. Now, the courtyard will be open to the air and open to the street. The other noticeable change is the slight downsizing of the black box theater from 500 seats to 200. If that works for the arts community, that works for me.

Finally, the designs speak for themselves. Below are a couple of pictures taken from WHAM-TV; I assume the entire presentation will be available on the Renaissance Square web site in the near future.

The glass-enclosed lobby of the Performing Arts Center is truly a gem. In geekspeak, it is simple yet elegant; in Rochester-ese, it's freaking sweet. This design brings abundant light and energy to what is now a dark and dreary corner of downtown. Another cool rendering is one that was not available online - the view from Stone Street looking north to the "urban room" or main entrance to the complex. The extensive use of glass gives the impression that Stone Street continues along its former axis north towards Andrews Street, and the design allows pedestrians to make that movement once again - through Renaissance Square. This will make Stone Street a very cool little street with Albert Paley's Genesee Passage to the south and Renaissance Square to the north. Maybe a restaurateur will make a go of it at the former Stone Street Grill.

No design is perfect of course. I am not wild about the use of red brick on the two front buildings as seen in the Main Street elevation. These buildings, as they are presented above, are far too similar to the buildings found on the drab and unexciting RIT campus. While I can appreciate the desire to blend the new buildings in with their surroundings, I would have preferred a stone exterior to echo the Granite or Alliance Buildings. Hopefully the renderings do not do these buildings justice. My other criticism is of the MCC library/computing center (fourth picture). I hope that the final design encloses these rooms in glass as I'm sure students would prefer not to be disturbed by the inevitable yelling, laughing, etc. of the bus patrons and general public milling around just two floors below. This would be an excellent concept in a fully academic structure, but in a public building such as this, it could have a negative impact on the learning experience of MCC students.

All in all, I came away from the presentation thoroughly impressed. My criticisms are minor while my support for this project remains undeterred. While I still believe that the mid-sized theater must be built on the site of the McCurdy Building at Midtown Plaza if we are going to maximize the public benefit of these projects; that is another battle for another time. Demolition for Renaissance Square should begin in earnest this Spring and construction should be complete by Fall 2010. Those four years can't come soon enough, for me, for you, and for our city.

posted by Man About Town @ 11:48 AM Comments: 8

Hockey Resumes in Rochester Tonight!

The greatest sport on the planet returns to Rochester tonight with the start of the Rochester Americans' 51st season of AHL hockey. I hope most of you are already planning on coming to the Blue Cross Arena at least once this season. While Rochester has achieved the monikers of Baseball City USA and SoccerTown USA, this really is a hockey town. No matter how the Amerks play on the ice, they're guaranteed to have a decent and passionate crowd in the stands. We are consistently among the tops in minor league hockey attendance and this year promises to be no different. Plus, our area has produced three current NHLers (Brian Gionta, Marty Reasoner, and Rory Fitzpatrick) and three current AHLers (Stephen Gionta, Ryan Callahan, and Chris Collins).

While the majority of players on this year's Amerks roster are either rookies or new to the team, the Amerks return a number of top-notch crowd-pleasing players like Daniel Paille, Stefan Meyer, Clarke MacArthur, and Greg Jacina. Among the newcomers are future stars Marek Zagrapan, Drew Stafford, and Andrej Sekera. Finally, the goaltending is likely to be much improved over last year with the arrival of former NHLer Craig Anderson and prospect Adam Dennis. While they are not expected to contend for the Calder Cup this year, the 2006-07 Rochester Americans promise to bring plenty of excitement to the Flower City this winter and with the world of talent they possess, they may very well surprise us all.

If you are a casual fan or a newcomer to Rochester, I suggest that you attend a game against one of our arch-rivals to get a good taste for Amerk hockey. The Amerks' most hated foe is the Syracuse Crunch and those games are the most spirited as hundreds of hapless Crunch fans make the trip down the Thruway every game proudly displaying the world's worst team logo. Another fierce rivalry is with another upstate team, the Binghamton Senators. This rivalry stems from many years ago when the Binghamton Whalers/Rangers were among our most hated opponents. Another rivalry which has held over for years is with the Hershey Bears, the oldest team in the league and last year's Calder Cup champions. The other rivalry I recommend is a relatively new one, with the Manitoba Moose. In recent years, the Moose have consistently been among the top teams in the league and they have taken Rochester out of the playoffs on multiple occasions. For more info, check out the Amerks website.

Hope to "see" you all at the arena tonight and all season long.

UPDATE: It was a very successful weekend for these young Amerks as they went 2-0 outscoring their opponents 12-3. Next home game is this Friday (10/13) against Binghamton - be there or be lame.

posted by Man About Town @ 12:05 PM Comments: 3

"Alternate Reality Randy" Strikes Again

As if we didn't already know how dumb Randy Kuhl is, he now claims that the Federal Government's response to Hurricane Katrina was a model of efficiency. This comes not long after he claimed that things are getting better in Iraq. I'm not as heated about the Reynolds-Davis race, although I'm quietly hoping for a Davis upset. While Reynolds has his faults, he is not nearly as embarrassing to this region as John Randy Kuhl. I just realized Kuhl's initials are JRK; apparently even his parents knew he was going to be a JeRK.

Check out the following link to see the video excerpt from yesterday's Kuhl-Massa debate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDKztvgDvfg.

UPDATE: I happened to drive through much of Ontario County this weekend and came across endless vistas of Massa signs and not a single Kuhl sign. Maybe some of the folks from RochesterTurning went around knocking them over. Just joking, but in all seriousness, the lack of Kuhl signs is a very good sign for our region.

posted by Man About Town @ 9:22 AM Comments: 1

Do Soulless Suburban Office Buildings Limit Creativity?

In the news today, Current Communications cut the ribbon on their brand new office building in Henrietta. The company, which has grown from 2 local employees in 2003 to about 100 today, expects to add 180 new jobs over the next five years. Hopefully that is a conservative estimate and they actually add many more jobs to our vibrant telecom cluster. That is great news and I don't want to discredit it, however, a quick look at the building that they're moving into depresses me. It is a bland, architecturally worthless structure in a sea of bland, archtecturally worthless structures. As a community, we should demand better from our local developers.

The vast majority of buildings constructed in the suburbs are soulless and ugly. Take a look at the following pictures and see if you can guess where they are located and, for a bonus, who designed/built them. If you can, you are a remarkable human being.

A. B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

If you guessed A: Henrietta, B: East Rochester, C: Gates, D: Victor, E: Henrietta, and F: Canandaigua; you're correct! If you answered that a gerbil designed and/or built these buildings, surprisingly, you're wrong (though a gerbil probably could have). It blows my mind that these pathetic attempts at workplaces are what passes for quality these days. Don't employers want to harness the creative energy of their workforce? Do employers believe that their workers pull into the vast parking lots at these buildings and find inspiration? Do the "architects" of these sad jokes think that putting an arched awning on a shoebox creates a monument to innovation? Look, I don't want to over-generalize things. I admit that there are some good examples of office design in the suburbs, notably at Canal Ponds Business Park in Greece or Brighton Meadows Business Park in Brighton. Even then though, while the buildings themselves are attractive, bold, or in some way unique, they are still surrounded by an ocean of parking and rarely connected to the sidewalk or transit system and are not within walkable distance of, well, anything.

I understand why these structures are becoming the norm for office space in the area. They're cheap, quick, and easy to build and they're equally cheap, quick, and easy to demolish. This allows flexibility on the part of employers to downsize and/or expand at the same location. In theory this flexibility is a good thing. But what does it say about our economy that companies do not want to make a permanent investment? Gone are the days when companies looking to make a name for themselves here put up a new structure downtown for all the world to see. Nope, instead some of the area's best-known companies (Constellation Brands, PaeTec, Verizon Wireless, Paychex, etc.) make their home at sterile, uninspiring, nondescript suburban office parks. Have you ever tried to navigate through some of these parks? All of the buildings look alike and there are no sidewalks to get from the parking lot to the building. Is that really the environment we want for our employers, their workers, and their visitors?

It seems that COMIDA's answer to that is a resounding yes. COMIDA never misses an opportunity to throw money at a company making a move from downtown to the suburbs. Even if that company is only going to add five jobs and is not threatening to leave the county at all. Thus, the City of Rochester loses tax base while Perinton, Henrietta, or elsewhere in the county gains. Just this past month, COMIDA approved funds for Merrill Lynch to move their offices from the Chase Tower downtown (and other locations across the county) to a new 45,000 square foot structure to be built in the Route 96 corridor of Perinton. Shouldn't a global financial services firm that is looking to centralize their operations in one of America's great cities locate those new offices in the highly-visible downtown area of that city, not in what will undoubtedly be a bland, architecturally worthless structure barely visible from the road out of town?

This community needs to wake up. We are starving our center city and creating drab, uninspiring suburbs with no sense of place at all. Any of the buildings pictured above could be located in any Rochester suburb. However, the Bausch & Lomb Building, Clinton Square, the First Federal Building; those structures can only be located in one place - downtown. While suburban workers have to walk to the parking lot, hop in their car, and go to Applebees or Burger King; only downtown can workers get out of their cubicles and walk - to a variety of restaurants, to parks and scenic vistas, to lunchtime concerts, etc. It is the unique ability of downtown Rochester to mass large numbers of workers together that helps to foster the creativity that the Rochester area is so known for. Let's begin to take pride in our once-great city, America's First Boomtown, the Young Lion of the West, the Flour City, the Flower City. If we don't do it soon, this city and region will be nothing more than a graveyard of bad decisions, and worthless structures.

posted by Man About Town @ 8:31 AM Comments: 9