Touchy subjects
Lawmakers
at the June 4 meeting of the Monroe
County Legislature’s Ways & Means committee went out of their way to be
mean to one another. As noted in this week’s cover story (“The tobacco trick,”
page 10), tempers flared between Democrats demanding hard data on the county’s
finances and Republican legislators, particularly committee chair Jack Driscoll
of Henrietta.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But the first fireworks were
launched over a tangential subject: the future site of Monroe Community College’s Damon City Campus and the Advanced Technology Education Center (ATEC) MCC plans to build somewhere downtown later this decade. Funds for the
combined ATEC/Damon center are included in the county’s budget for future
projects, but the location listed in the budget is Brighton, not Rochester.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย As City noted in an editorial that hit the streets the same day
(“Develop this!” June 4), Republicans — specifically, County Executive Jack
Doyle — have raised the possibility of locating ATEC/Damon on the college’s
Brighton campus, rather than downtown. Top local Dems strongly oppose that
idea, as they consider the college’s presence a key to revitalizing the city’s
blighted center.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Representatives of the county
administration pointed out, quite reasonably, that Brighton is listed as the
location because the project would also include upgrades to buildings on MCC’s
suburban campus — regardless of where ATEC/Damon ends up.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Yet the subject prompted one Dem to
mention the Sibley Building as a possible location for ATEC/Damon, and the
proverbial poop subsequently hit the fan.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Driscoll openly questioned why the
county would invest in a building owned by people who “can’t pay their taxes.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย That prompted Democratic Legislator
Chris Wilmot, a part-owner of the Sibley Building, to ask Driscoll “You want a
permanent enemy? Because I’m right here.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “I’m just repeating what I read in
the paper,” Driscoll said. As City reported
in a May 14 cover story, “Big debt downtown,” Sibley’s owners (a partnership
formed by the Wilmot family’s Wilmorite, Inc. real estate development and
management company), owe over $4 million in back taxes, late fees, and related
payments.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Wilmot, who had not initially raised
the issue, disclosed his financial interest in the property and demanded an apology
from Driscoll for engaging in a personal attack. Driscoll said he was unaware
that Wilmot was involved with the Wilmorite property, and again stated that he
was only repeating what he’d read in the paper. Wilmot grudgingly accepted what
he considered “half an apology.”
Springtime
fields of brown
As
the legislative season in Albany winds down, the Rochester Business Alliance is making a last-ditch plea for
progress on “brownfields” legislation.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Brownfields are abandoned,
more-or-less contaminated industrial and commercial sites, a commonplace of
Rust Belt cities. The sites may not be immediately lethal, but they still must
be cleaned up before any redevelopment can proceed. Rochester is home to many
brownfields, in locations as different as old factory grounds in the city’s
northwest quadrant and odd pockets of the lower Genesee River gorge.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “The lack of state action on
brownfields hurts local governments when these properties are not redeveloped,”
said RBA head Thomas Mooney recently in a prepared statement. “It is the
leading factor contributing to urban sprawl.” RBA is working on this issue in
coalition with groups statewide, including the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and
the New York Bankers Association.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The coalition, deploring the fact
that “New York is the only industrial state in the Northeast or Midwest that
does not have a statutorily defined brownfields clean-up program,” is pushing
for a compromise. Right now, various state Assemblymembers, Senators, Governor
George Pataki, and lobby groups are standing behind one or more competing
brownfields bills. As with the state Superfund program for toxic site clean-up,
debate revolves around how stringent the clean-up standards will be, and how
the public and private sector will share the clean-up costs.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Trouble is, the debate has gone on
so long that advocates on all sides are just wishing something will happen.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Take Val Washington, a native
Rochesterian who heads the Albany based group Environmental Advocates. The key
right now, says Washington, is “getting a brownfields bill where everybody
knows the process.” With such a bill in place, she says, everyone will at least
know the rules, and that in itself may open the door to progress.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Washington agrees with Mooney and
RBA about the role of brownfields in creating sprawl. But in her view, things
are especially bad within city limits. She notes, for example, that brownfields
take up around 40 percent of the land in Buffalo.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Rochester’s not quite in Buffalo’s
league in that respect, Washington says. But Schenectady, she says, has around
300 brownfield sites, averaging one-quarter acre. This configuration, which is
not unknown in Rochester, make comprehensive clean-up that much harder — and
appropriate legislation that much more necessary.
The other Toronto linkages
On
June 10, the Province of Ontario’s highest court okayed gay marriage by rewriting an official definition of marriage to
read: “the voluntary union for life of two
persons to the exclusion of all others” [emphasis added]. The same day,
longtime partners Michael Stark and Michael Leshner were married in a Toronto
courtroom. According to the Toronto Star,
the court said that “denying gays and lesbians the ability to marry offends
their dignity, discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, and violates
their equality rights under the [Canadian] Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The court also ordered that marriage
certificates be issued to two other same-sex couples whose marriages took place
in Toronto in 2001 but had not been legally recognized. So Stark and Leshner
don’t technically qualify for first-place honors. But Canada surely deserves
kudos for becoming the third nation, after the Netherlands and Belgium, to
recognize gay marriage.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Not that there aren’t
countercurrents. Days after the ruling, 250 social conservatives protested
outside the Toronto courthouse, according to a Star report. “You cannot invade the hallowed sanctity of
marriage… which is between one man and one woman,” one religious leader
said. “They should stop reading the Bible and start reading the Charter of
Rights,” Leshner responded. (Meanwhile, the US, gripped by superstition and
political reaction, inches backward — with rare exceptions, like Vermont’s
civil-union law or Rochester’s extension of spousal benefits to partners of
gays and lesbians who work for the city.)
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley reacted quickly to the good news
from the north. Said director Chuck Bowen in a prepared statement: “One of the
couples [in Toronto] said that ‘today is the death of homophobia in the
courtroom as we’ve known it.’ Unfortunately it’s in Canada and not here… We’re
close to Toronto, and with the new ferry coming, with a two-hour commute, that
will make it tempting for same-sex couples to move to Canada… I hope New York
will take this under consideration.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย We couldn’t help notice a tiny
difference between news coverage on each end of the planned ferry route. When
breaking the story, the Democrat and
Chronicle ran with an AP shot of Stark and Leshner right after the
ceremony; the couple posed shoulder to shoulder, holding wine glasses and
chastely toasting their future. The Star,
though, ran a shot of the men just millimeters from lip-lock. Can the political
distance between two longtime national partners be measured by photo selection?
Tax-cutters
strike again
Last
week the US House of Representatives, under the ineffable sway of Tom DeLay
(R-Texas), passed an $82 billion tax cut
bill that was to be a repair-job extending the newly-increased child tax
credit to the working poor. The vote was 224-201, with 10 not voting.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The increased child credit accounted
for only $3.5 billion of the bill, however. As news reports put it, the
remainder of the $82 billion went to “middle and higher income families.” That
is, in the view of critics, more goodies for those who need them less or least,
under the guise of “economic stimulus.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย How did our local House delegation
stack up? Democrat Louise Slaughter voted against the bill. Republican Tom
Reynolds, the bill’s sponsor, cast an enthusiastic yes. The LA Times quoted him: “This bill will
achieve even greater parity and fairness in the tax code.” The other local
Republicans, Amo Houghton and Jim Walsh, also voted yes.
Seeking
blessed community
Led
by California-based Rabbi Michael Lerner, the Tikkun Community held a four day “teach-in on Middle East peace”
early this month in Washington, DC. Like several other new peace-and-justice
groups grounded in the American Jewish tradition, Tikkun offers a rational yet
spiritual program to oppose organizational and state terror, end the massive
human-rights violations against a people under occupation, and dispel the
hopelessness that attends an inadequate “road map” (already widely known as the
cul-de-sac).
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Longtime peace activist Jim Berger,
a native Brightonian who lives in Wayne County, was one Upstater who attended
the conference. The centerpiece of the event, he says, was a “Resolution for
Middle East Peace” that the Tikkun Community wrote for presentation to members
of Congress.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Among other things, the resolution
calls for the “return of Israel to its pre-1967 borders, with minor border
modifications mutually agreed upon,” “a politically viable Palestinian state in
all of the pre-1967 West Bank and Gaza including East Jerusalem,” “an
international Truth and Reconciliation Commission” modeled on the one in
post-apartheid South Africa, and “an international fund to provide reparations
for Palestinians and to resettle Palestinian refugees in the new Palestinian
state, and to provide reparations for Israelis who fled from persecution in
Arab lands, and to resettle Israeli settlers within the pre-1967 borders of
Israel.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Underlying this political agenda is
the Tikkun philosophy, grounded in expansive spirituality, ecology, and
non-violence. (For the nuances, see “Tikkun: repairing worlds, transforming
spirits, making waves,” City Newspaper,
March 13-19, 2002; or visit www.tikkun.org.)
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Berger says he and others spent one
day visiting Congressional offices to drop off materials and make personal
contact. Senators Schumer and Clinton, he says, didn’t appear in person, but
their staffers listened to the message. A few members of Congress did respond
more directly and favorably, though. Chief among them, says Berger, was
Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who gave a lengthy interview to Tikkun magazine last year. Kucinich,
says Berger, “got us in the door [and] spoke a couple of times to us.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The conferees, says Berger, also
heard talks by leading public intellectuals and activists like Harvard’s Cornel
West, author Jonathan Schell, and Global Exchange director Medea Benjamin.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Next comes the home front. Berger
says some local people who’ve formed a Tikkun group will meet Sunday, June 22,
5:30 p.m., in a Corn Hill home. For details, contact Berger at 244-2415 or by
e-mail: mij49@hotmail.com.
Flag
this vote
On
June 3, the US House of Representatives voted 300-125 (with eight not voting)
in favor of a bill “proposing an amendment to the Constitution… authorizing the
Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the [US] flag.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Known popularly as the “flag-burning” law, the measure could
result in a weakened First Amendment. Symbolic speech could be criminalized and
restricted in a strange and frightening way.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย So how did the local delegation line
up? Along party as well as ideological lines. Representatives Amo Houghton, Tom
Reynolds, and Jim Walsh, all Republicans, voted yes. Rep. Louise Slaughter, a
Democrat, voted no.
This article appears in Jun 18-24, 2003.
