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?

Photoshop Phunnies Phodder

"I told you it was on!"

"Pwned! OMFG! LOLrsk8tz!"

"See, I told you Arcuri saved all this stuff on tape."

I lub anonymous emailers. Click through for the full size version. I welcome any other suggestions for possible captions.

Ten Million Questions

A poster in the OD's Storychat brought up a great question in response to the Common Council putting the kibosh on the new parking area for the County Office Building. What happened to the $10 million the city received over a year ago for a new multi-level parking garage in the same area?

MAYOR TIM JULIAN TODAY ANNOUNCED RECEIPT OF OVER 10 MILLION DOLLARS FROM BOTH FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO BE APPLIED TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PARKING GARAGE IN DOWNTOWN UTICA.

THE PARKING GARAGE IS NEEDED TO ALLEVIATE EXISTING PARKING CONCERNS IN DOWNTOWN UTICA. THE PROPOSED PARKING GARAGE WILL SERVICE OWNERS AND TENANTS FOR SUCH BUILDINGS AS ADIRONDACK BANK, CITY CENTER BUILDING, THE ONEIDA COUNTY COURTHOUSE, THE ONEIDA COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING AS WELL AS THE STATE OFFICE BLDG.

MAYOR JULIAN STATE, "ONCE THIS PARKING GARAGE IS COMPLETED IT WILL GREATLY INCREASE THE VALUE OF MANY OF OUR BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN UTICA. WITH THIS ADDITIONAL PARKING, IT WILL BE MUCH EASIER TO ATTRACT TENANTS AND/OR PURCHASERS FOR BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN UTICA."

I hope the money isn't just sitting in an account somewhere, since I was under the impression that grant monies had to be used for their specified purpose within a limited amount of time.

Not to worry. I'm sure the money didn't just...vanish.

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.

The Diddler Strikes!

It's been a busy day for the moderator of the O-D's Storychat forum. The story on Ed Hanna's search for a new home in Utica has created an explosion of snark, some of which has been gut-bustingly funny. Sadly, most of the really hysterical posts have been removed because they crossed over into personal attacks. The O-D doesn't really have any another option, since it's a clear violation of their terms of service, but it's still a shame they were tossed into the digital dustbin.

Another issue has been bubbling under the surface of the discussion, but I haven't seen anyone come right out and name names yet: Hanna isn't the only Mayor accused of diddling his staff. "Utica315" in particular, who I have a sneaking suspicion is Larry Tanoury Jr., has been deflecting criticism of Hanna's after-hours activities by hinting around about other Mayoral shenanigans. That's cool with me, since I think an elected official that violates his vows of marriage is just as likely to violate his oath of office.

Update:

As for Julian's people who keep mentioning this "allegation"; maybe it's time that we release the fact that there is another (very similar) "allegation" against Julian right now. He may not be accused of harrassment, but I think the evidence would show that he is in effect paying (with raises) for sexual favors. Why doesn't the media report that?

This is a serious charge that goes beyond accusing someone of infidelity, something I don't think "Utica315" appreciates. Abusing the powers of your office to reward a subordinate for sexual favors is a crime. Cheating on your wife isn't.

Update: Sweet Jumpin' Jeebus, this comment thread with "Utica315" just keeps getting better:

"Maybe the media hasn't reported it because it’s NOT true. Julian has no suits or allegations against him. Check your facts."

No suits? Not true? Maybe YOU should check your facts! There is a suit, and NO I'm not who you all think I am. Just simply check the facts and see how much money this "suit" has already cost city taxpayers in defense costs.

Maybe the reason you haven't heard about it is because the Plaintiff in this case has class and doesn't see it fit to run to the media with the allegations. The circumstances surrounding the case ruined a young man's life. If it was me I would be telling the whole world what really happened. I guess he is more of a man than I am.

I think we just saw Larry Tanoury Jr. deny that he was Larry Tanoury Jr. while saying the lawsuit by Larry Tanoury Jr. against the city of Utica is costing the city money. But that's okay, because Larry Tanoury Jr. is a classy guy. And he's most definitely not Larry Tanoury Jr., but if he was his life was ruined. Oh, and Larry Tanoury Jr. is more of a man than he is, because he's definitely not Larry Tanoury Jr..

Got that?

Update: Ack! Who should appear in the thread but....Larry Tanoury Jr.! It's a miracle! Seriously, go over and read the entire thread. It's a hoot.

Update: A reader asks if it's wise to accuse someone of being Larry Tanoury Jr. after the person in question just accused a public official of committing a heinous crime. I suppose I'll find out, won't I?

Update: Wait, it might not be Larry Jr. after all. I'm nominating this one for "Epic Thread" status.

It Practically Writes Itself

So, is this why they call him the Tool Man?

Mayor Tim Julian will make a cameo appearance Friday in the Players of Utica production "The Full Monty."

The show takes place at 8 p.m. at Utica College's Strebel Auditorium.

Tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors and $8 for students.

Julian is a candidate in the city's fall mayoral race.

Thank the Lord above that there isn't an equal time provision for stage productions. I shudder at the thought of Ed Hanna whipping out his wing-wang on stage. He probably shudders at the thought of exposing himself in public as well.

But I suspect we're shuddering for different reasons.

If You Build It, They Will Come

Strikeslip has some thoughts on the proposed Varick Street development plan in Utica.

It is good that city leaders are thinking of ways to improve city life, particularly on Varick Street which is developing as a center of social activity of sorts. Certainly the creation of off-street parking and wireless internet will enhance the street as a destination.

But actually closing Varick Street is a bad idea.

While wanting to make Varick Street a destination, city leaders must be careful not to destroy its function as an important traffic artery. If that function is destroyed, it may actually make Varick Street less desirable as a destination because of the complications in getting to, from, and around there. And planting trees in the middle of the closed off portion of Varick Street will create a barrier effect, visually cutting the remainder of the street off from the Finish Line Shops area on the other side of Court Street, essentially dividing the neighborhood into two areas that will be less able to support each other.

I'm not nearly as optimistic about this proposal as he is, and that's saying a lot. I think it's another example of Utica's inane Tinkerbell approach to development, as in "If we all wish hard enough, it'll work!"

Dreams can, indeed, come true, but you don't spend millions of tax dollars on a development program built on good vibes and happy thoughts. Unfortunately, Utica has a track record of doing exactly that. Boston Store, anyone? Hotel Utica? The Shoppes Downtown? Hope VI? All grandiose projects, fueled by millions of dollars in public funds, that turned into embarrassing public failures.

Does Varick Street have the potential to be more than a bar district? You bet it does, and that's why the city needs to take a step back and build a solid plan for the area instead of throwing money at it. The citizens of the city are rightly skeptical of yet another pie-in-the-sky development fiasco. They need to be won over with a well documented strategy for development that features a detailed cost/benefit analysis, benchmarks for success, an integrated marketing plan, and, most importantly, a detailed write-up of who's accountable for every part of the projects success.

Oh, and every elected official that's even remotely involved with this idea should be forced to watch the monorail episode of the Simpsons. That would go a long way toward making sure Varick Street doesn't turn into an even more expensive version of the Worlds Largest Watering Can at the Zoo.

The Usual Suspects

It says a lot about a city when the candidates for mayor can compare notes on who has the more impressive rap sheet.

When city voters go to the polls this fall, they may be choosing between two mayoral candidates who've both had brushes with the law.

But several residents interviewed Friday said the candidates' stand on city issues is more important than past troubles. And both Republican Mayor Tim Julian and Democratic Common Councilman Frank Meola, D-4, said they would not raise the opposing candidate's prior arrest as an election issue.

The Observer-Dispatch and other media outlets have reported in the past on the arrests -- both at the time they occurred and subsequently when both men ran for political office.

•In 1995, state police charged Julian with felony criminal possession of stolen property while investigating two men who were selling stolen tools. Julian eventually pleaded down to a violation - the equivalent of a parking ticket - and paid a $250 fine.

As a violation, the file on the case is closed by statute. Julian said he didn't know the tools were stolen.

•In 2000, Meola and 25 other people were identified as participating in a Utica-based shoplifting ring that authorities said fenced more than $35 million worth of retail goods from stores in an 11-county area. Meola pleaded guilty to fourth-degree conspiracy, a felony.

Meola served no jail time for the offense and was placed on five years probation, but that ended after about two years because he'd complied with all the conditions of his sentence.

So there you have it. Tim "The Tool Man" Julian and Frank "Stickyfingers" Meola in a felonious face-off for the future of Utica. God help us all.

What I'd really like to see is an article taking a detailed look at what exactly happened in both cases, since there's a notable dearth of information on the subject. In Julian's case, as the O-D article points out, the same investigation that lead to his felony arrest also netted GOP Chairman Wayne Brooks. Oh, and they were both cuffed and processed by a relatively obscure state police major by the name of C. Allen Pylman.

Let that sink in. I'll wait.

Ready?

Now that you've had some time to think about it I suspect you're just as curious as I am about what happened back in 1995. Sadly, the O-D doesn't provide any background by reprinting contemporary articles from the time of the arrests, which leaves a lot of questions unanswered and would, nudge, nudge, make for a great follow-up article. Who was the guy with the stolen tools? Where did he get them from? How did Brooks and Julian end up buying them? What did they buy and how much did they pay? How were they able to plead a felony arrest down to, amazingly, a violation?

These are all questions that I'm sure have very interesting answers.

Speaking of interesting answers, here's Mr. Meola explaining why being part of an organized crime ring shouldn't impact his chances of election:

Meola said his arrest is in the past and that he trusts voters will recognize how he's fought to improve the city.

"I've acknowledged what I did was wrong. Many good people, day-to-day, make mistakes," Meola said. "I hope we move on and don't dwell on the past. We all make mistakes and learn from them."

I'm a good person. I've made mistakes. But I think my lapsed inspection sticker kinda pales in comparison to a guy that was allegedly moving millions of dollars in stolen merchandise.

Again, the O-D doesn't provide any real background for the story and leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Considering both these guys want to be Mayor of the city, a position that brings with it control of millions of dollars, I'd sure like to know more about the actual case. What exactly was Mr. Meola's position within the crime ring? How long was he part of it? How much stolen merchandise did he actually handle? Which stores did Mr. Meola and his partners in crime steal from? Did he pay restitution to the merchants he ripped off? Did the crime ring he was part of have any ties to established organized crime families?

These are all questions that need to be answered, and I hope the O-D is up to the task. Both Julian and Meola need to be held accountable for their criminal activity, and writing off either incident as a "youthful indiscretion" is the worst kind of white washing. These guys were grown ups, not kids. Voters need to see the full picture of what they were involved in if they're going to make an informed choice this fall.

To be honest, I'm more uncomfortable with the idea of Mr. Meola holding any kind of elective office than Julian. And believe me, that's damning Julian with faint praise. Frank Meola was part of an organized group that ripped off people for millions of dollars. He was in deep, he was in for an extended period of time, and he was quite literally living a life of crime. Is it beyond the pale that his relationship with his former conspirators didn't end in 2000?