Mitch Ford Don't Like Dem Niggers?

Yes, it's a dirty, hateful word. Which is what part of why this post at the Weekly Democrat is such a bombshell.

During the period of time that the screening committee for the City Democrats was meeting, Mr. Ford and I spent a lot of time together. Several times he initiated conversations with me regarding Kelley and her pursuit of the First Ward Common Council seat. Ford disliked her immensely. He was mad about some slight he felt was directed at him from Kelley.

He used swear words and racial slurs regarding her in conversations to me that he started. He called her the “N” word and "B" word, and other hateful, hurtful words. I cautioned him several times regarding his inappropriate language and use of racial slurs.

If this is true Mitch Ford needs to resign immediately. As much as I disagree with Bob's politics I just can't imagine he'd lie about something this serious.

Trevisani Sez: Boobies? What Boobies?

The OD has been on a roll the last few days, taking a closer look at some of our local "leaders" seeking elected office. Todays vict....er...subject is Dan Trevisani, who seems to be suffering from a severe case of political I-don't-remember-itis.

When Utica mayoral candidate Daniel Trevisani took out an ad Aug. 26 discussing his 1998 personal bankruptcy filing, the Democrat said he wanted to bring it to the public's attention before his opponent did.

"I'm running for a major office and I want people to know everything and anything about me," Trevisani said.

As the O-D looked deeper into the situation, Trevisani wouldn't give specific reasons for what led to his financial issues.

Apparently Mr. Trevisani wants people to know everything about him...except for the delightfully sordid details of what actually triggered his bankruptcy. Ironically, I think he could have spun this into a positive if he'd just been a bit more forthcoming about what sent him into a financial tailspin. Instead, he's chosen to play dumb. Well, I hope he's just playing.

Trevisani tried to start a Syracuse nightclub a decade ago, but discontinued his business certificate a day later. He then gave at least $10,000 and possibly as much as $25,000 to a friend who opened a strip club called USA Dream Girls at the same address at which Trevisani had listed his business.

Now, however, Trevisani denies knowing about any such place or how his friend invested his money.

"I should have paid more attention to it and I didn't," Trevisani said. "I made a mistake, and I don't want all this information out in the Utica newspaper."

Let me summarize: "I owned a strip club, but I don't remember owning it."

This is an amazing assertion considering the rumor that his love of boobies, or at least a particular pair of them, seems to be the reason for his falling out with long-time friend Tim Julian. Behold, my friends, the power of the boobies! Tremble before their awesome ability to fog men's minds.

Oh, and heres a tip for anyone going into politics: never, ever tell someone from a newspaper "I don't want this information in the newspaper". That's like throwing a juicy slab of steak in front of a pack of Rottweilers.

Common Council member David Roefaro, D-at-large, is endorsed by the Democratic Party and will face Trevisani in Tuesday's primary election.

Executive members of both the city and Oneida County Democratic committees have made calls to the O-D since the Aug. 26 Trevisani ad was published, asking when a story would be printed about Trevisani's bankruptcy. Among the leaders making calls were county Democratic Chair William Morris II and city Democratic Chair Mitchell Ford.

Help me out here. These were the guys that thought running convicted felon Frank Meola for mayor was a great idea, right?

"This, to me, is very irrelevant," Trevisani said. "It should be irrelevant on your capability on running the city. It could derail a very, very expensive campaign."

Tip number two: never, ever tell anyone that a scandal could cost you lots of money. That torpedoes the spin that you've undergone any kind of redemption and just makes you look self-absorbed and arrogant. It looks even worse when you've already built up a reputation for fiscal irresponsibility by declaring bankruptcy.

During interviews this week, Trevisani first discussed why he placed an advertisement in the O-D about his financial struggle.

"I made a mistake," he said Monday. "I had a hard time 10 years ago, I came out of it and I've been very successful since."

The 1998 decision to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy was a private decision, but something he said he's not ashamed about. Asked about what led to the bankruptcy or if he had credit card debt, Trevisani said, "I'm not even going to go there."

Bzzzt! Wrong answer. Here's how you do it: "Unfortunately, based on the advice of people I trusted I made a bad investment. Because I was too trusting I failed to pay enough attention to what they were doing and ended up involved in something I ultimately didn't want to be part of. It was a hard lesson, but one I've learned from."

See what I did there? Now you're a victim, not a perpetrator. That's how a politician needs to think, and it's no coincidence that it's also how a lawyer thinks. You can tell Trevisani almost gets it by his emphasis on "making a mistake", but he failed to offer up the spin that explained how someone else made him do it.

On Tuesday, the O-D learned from an anonymous caller about Trevisani's possible connections to an adult entertainment club called Dream Girls in Syracuse. An online search of Post-Standard archives turned up a 1997 business certificate in which Trevisani discontinued Trelco Company at 117 Bruce St., Syracuse...

During a second interview, Trevisani said he never operated a business on Bruce Street in Syracuse and said he has no knowledge of any company called Trelco.

"I have no knowledge of any business that Mr. Critelli did anywhere, to be honest with you," Trevisani said before suggesting the reporter speak with Critelli directly.

Argh! That's it. Game over. Dan Trevisani's run for mayor is now effectively over. Even if he wins the primary he's just handed his opponent all the ammunition he needs. It's impossible to spin this as anything but a bald-faced lie, and a poorly thought out lie at that.

Head on over and read the rest of the article, because it's a real gem. And like all good stories it has a hanging plotline that can drive a sequel- the mystery woman that was in the middle of this whole strip club mess that no one has been able to find.

Gold, my friends. Pure comedy gold.

Making Lemonade

WIBX sez:

One of Utica's mayoral candidates feels he's the victim of targeted vandalism attacks. Dan Trevasani, a democratic nominee in this September's primary, says around a dozen of his campaign signs throughout the city have been stolen or destroyed. He says the signs all depict American flags on the top, making the acts even more despicable. Trevasani says he's filed a police report with the Utica Department. A Lieutenant confirms the incidents are being investigated, but says there are no suspects at this time.

Frankly, I'm amazed that candidates haven't realized that sign vandalism is a golden political opportunity. You can buy a webcam for $10 that has full night-vision capability once you remove the plastic filter from in front of the imaging chip. Spend $20 and you can get one with night vision built in and an IR illuminator.

How much political mileage do you think you could get out of a video showing someone from an opponents campaign stealing your signs in the middle of the night?

Why Settle For The Lesser Evil?

While the Mayor's race in Utica isn't lacking for entertainment value it does have a dearth of anyone with new ideas.

The mayor's race is a mess. You have five candidates, and the more I think about it, they are all old faces. They have all been in bed together at one time or another. Sullivan doesn't stand a chance in the primary. Roefaro and Trevisani should be interesting but in the end I think Roefaro wins. Then you have Ed Hanna. What the hell is he doing?

In November I predict you will see Julian on the Rep. and Ind. lines, Roefaro on the Dem and Con lines, and "possibly" Hanna on the "for the people" line. That makes for a hard to call three way race. But does it really matter who wins that one? The more I think about it, I just "may" pull for Julian in that one. It becomes picking the one of the three evils; I'll stick with the one I know, and live to play another day.

Have any of these people articulated a vision of what their administration would do to make the city a better place? More importantly, have they shown even a hint of interest in breaking away from the business-as-usual attitude that is slowly driving the most productive residents out of the area?

Hmmmm....

The supporters of at least one candidate for Mayor of Utica have launched a new blog. And they're already posting the kind of juicy stuff I love.

How interesting it is to look at Tim Julian's financial disclosure reports. Under the individual donaters there are some interesting and familiar names (Democrats). Again, you will find some intersting names under the Corporate donors (i.e. L.B. Security - Dan La Bella President, and Nick La Bella - "The Best Dan Sherrif's" father). Interestingly enough, L.B. Security's donation was just given on 6/14/07.

Rob Palmieri, the one time Democratic mayoral candidate that vowed to run no matter what, and pledged that Julian was terrible for the city, has now given twice to Julian. Most recently on 7/2/07.

Now I'm confused because appearently Dan La Bella has a deal with Roefaro. La Bella is supposed to be the new Public Safety Commissioner if Roefaro gets elected. Is La Bella hedging his bets, or is he just an "unfaithful elected Democrat?"

What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to decieve. There is much more to come about the intertwined financials of the Republicrats. As they say..."Follow the money".

The only suggestion I would make is that the author provide a link to the financial disclosure report in question.

That said, I think it's pretty obvious that our local politicians are more interested in solidifying their positions as members of the political class than actually serving the ideological interests of any party, or most voters for that matter. There's little difference between the Republicans and Democrats when it comes to the cheerfully corrupt, tax-and-spend, get-mine-while-the-gettings-good attitude we see on a daily basis.