Doyle versus the city

Although the county-executive election is only four months
away, this super-important race is getting off to a quiet start. We have, however,
already seen the themes of the Republican campaign: crime, taxes, and fear of
the residents and the problems of the city.

                  Outgoing
County Exec Jack Doyle laid it all out for us last week, in his final State of
the County address.

                  I’ve
said this before: To me, Doyle is one of the great disappointments in the
recent history of local elected officials. Bright, talented, possessing
leadership qualities that few people have, he could have led Monroe County
forward. He could have helped us face tough challenges.

                  And,
most important, he could have brought this diverse, divided community together.
Until we overcome the walls that separate us — geographic, economic, racial
— we’ll continue to slide backward. More and more, Monroe County is a
collection of separate, competing communities.

                  Right
to the end, though, Doyle is feeding that separateness. In last week’s speech,
after citing the accomplishments of his administration (some legit, some
clearly not), Doyle began his drumbeat of fear. Crime. Crime. Crime. Failing
schools. Decaying city.

                  There
is crime in the city, to be sure. And failing schools. And there are strong,
stable neighborhoods and successful schools. And a downtown that continues to
nourish entertainment and the arts.

                  The
city’s problems are real. But Doyle’s hint that there are simple, Rudy-Giuliani
solutions does a disservice to all of us.

                  “We
can rebuild Rochester,” he said, “but we need to focus on concrete solutions
rather than simply seeking to export the city’s problems to other areas of our
community.” Export the problems? Somebody’s going to export crime from the city
to the county? It’s hard not to look between the lines here, and substitute
“people” — specifically, “poor people” for “problems.”

                  “Monroe
County through the sales tax has provided over $1 billion over the past decade
to the City of Rochester and its residents,” said Doyle. You’d think that city
residents were inhabitants of a Third World country, providing none of that
sales tax themselves. And just as part of the sales tax goes to “the city and
its residents,” so also does it go to Pittsford and its residents, Greece and
its residents, Webster and its residents. Fairport schools. Gates-Chili
schools. Irondequoit schools.

                  Maybe
Maggie Brooks won’t mimic Doyle’s suburbs-versus-city theme in her campaign for
County Exec.

                  Maybe
she’ll tell us what she’ll do to solve the county’s serious budget problem,
which mushroomed on Doyle’s watch. Maybe she’ll tell us how Monroe County can
reverse its decline and prosper while its 19 towns, nine villages, one
town-village, and major city continue to compete with one another for residents
and economic development.

                  Maybe
this will be a campaign of vision, not fear. Based on what I heard in Doyle’s
speech last week, I doubt it.

                  The
Republican Party has a lot more money to spend to spend on this campaign than
the Democrats do. My hunch is, the Republicans will throw that money into
well-crafted television messages based on fear and division.

                  Maybe
voters will reject a message of fear. Maybe voters recognize the depth of the
county’s problems, and the causes, and will vote for hope and progress.

                  I
hope so. But I’m worried. Increasingly, the Community of Monroe is a
“community” in name only.

Mayor Doyle?

Well, well, well. The latest news is that Jack Doyle might
run for mayor in 2005. Some folks are pooh-poohing the idea: Doyle wouldn’t
have a chance in the heavily Democratic city, right? And the Republican Party
isn’t stupid.

                  Right
on the second. Too early to tell on the first. One of my favorite sparring
partners, transit authority chief Bill Nojay, told City’s Chris Busby
last week that he thinks Doyle could win. Said Nojay: “I have two words for
you: Rudy Giuliani. You come up with a candidate that maybe not consciously, but
subconsciously evokes the image of a management style of Rudy Giuliani, that
person is gonna win in the City of Rochester.”

                  Could
Doyle convince city residents that he could solve our crime, tax-base, and
school problems? Maybe. Maybe.

                  One
thing’s for sure: The Republicans would love a chance to run both the
city and the county. All those contracts to award! Previous Republican
candidates haven’t stood a chance. Doyle? Maybe. Maybe.

This article appears in Jul 9-15, 2003.