These events keep the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. an active force through inspiring keynotes, a new mural, and a Day of Compassion.
Bill Johnson
Posted inNews & Opinion
New year, new City Council
City Council members Mary Lupien and Jose Peo haven’t previously served in elected offices.
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Them fighting Dems
Local Democrats have a golden opportunity this year. Can they stop squabbling long enough to take advantage?
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Final Question Bridge discussion: “Black males and the legal system”
The final discussion surrounding “Question Bridge: Black Males” at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center focused on black men and the legal system. The panelists were John Klofas, director of the Center for Public Safety Initiatives at RIT; former Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson; Van White, Rochester school board president; Mary Ann Wolfe, of the Rochester Area […]
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Lovely Warren: Rochester’s mother mayor
Technically, Lovely Warren ran against incumbent Tom Richards in last year’s mayoral race. But by making education the centerpiece of her campaign, Warren arguably ran against the Rochester City School District, too. Warren tapped into widespread disgust with years of poor graduation rates and shockingly low student achievement, especially among blacks and Latinos. And she […]
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Brooks endorses Lovely Warren for mayor
At first blush I didn’t see how Maggie Brooks’ endorsement could help Lovely Warren in her campaign for Rochester mayor. Many people believe that the county has turned its back on the city, so why would they listen to anything that the Republican county executive has to say? And Brooks’ administration has had some issues […]
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Campaign opener: scenes from the forum
It was a pretty typical election-campaign event, but the size of the audience was anything but typical. People packed City Hall’s spacious Council Chambers March 8 to hear three candidates for Rochester mayor — and one possible candidate — discuss campaign issues. There were people sitting on the floor, people standing several deep at the […]
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For the next mayor: big, tough problems
“Immense and perhaps intractable”: That’s how, in his recent State of the City address, Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson described his successor’s challenges. He could have as easily used the words “overwhelming and perhaps impossible.” Johnson is an optimist, though; and perhaps he wanted to provide a bit of hope for the candidates in this […]
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Questioning casinos
A December 16 panel discussion about what a casino in downtown Rochester might be like showed at least one thing: The issue is still in the forefront of many people’s minds. A crowd of well over 100 gathered at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center for the session, which was convened by Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson. […]
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After Johnson: a job description
You don’t see lawn signs up, and the election’s not until next fall, but Rochester’s campaign for mayor has already started. Candidates have begun raising money and lobbying political-party committee members. Before we start thinking about who we want, though, we ought to talk about what we want. What are the city’s challenges? What […]
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Maggie got it right
OK, let’s get this off our chests. When Bill Johnson ran for county executive last year, he told the truth: The county would have to raise property taxes. Maggie Brooks insisted that she wouldn’t do that. Bill Johnson lost the election. Maggie Brooks won. Taxes certainly weren’t the only issue in the campaign; […]
