Rochester's Mayor a Future Lieutenant Governor?

I had intended to write an entirely different post today, however as I turned on my local news, my next post just about wrote itself! Funny how things work out.

I confess, I am one of "those people" so often lamented in our society. I tend to be somewhat oblivious when it comes to politics - at least locally. Oh sure, I can tell you the concerns the region has, but when it comes to which politicians are saying what, I can seldom tell you. Admittedly, not a great thing.

Recently, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that he would be running for governor. Today the announcement came that he was selecting Rochester Mayor Robert (Bob) Duffy as his choice for Lieutenant Governor.

Mayor Duffy has been in the fore of Rochester news for several years. Born and raised in Rochester, Duffy served seven years as Chief of Police before being elected mayor in 2006. Re-elected in 2009, Mayor Duffy has lately been in the local news over his controversial push to begin mayoral control over the Rochester City School District. The city schools have their share of issues from truancy, low graduation rates, poor test scores, drugs, and violence. Pointing to vast improvements under mayoral control in other cities, Mayor Duffy has been pointing to this as a solution for some of these problems. He has met a lot of opposition from parents, the school board, and other citizens.

Despite this, there have also been many successful initiatives Mayor Duffy has led. He started the 311 call center, a toll-free number billed as "one call to City Hall." He began Clean Sweep, an annual city initiative to beautify neighborhoods. To involve the community in helping out high-crime areas, he helped begin programs such as Pastors on Patrol, gang-prevention program Pathways to Peace, and police-citizen coalition PAC-TAC (Police and Citizens Together Against Crime). He lowered city property taxes. Hell, don't take my word for all this - his website has a List of Accomplishments during his reign as mayor (not exactly humble, but hey, that's politics for you).

There is some concern that if elected, many of the initiatives started by Duffy may fall by the wayside, including mayoral control of schools, revitalization of downtown sites, and some of the aforementioned programs that have already been successful. Some Rochesterians support his decision whilst others are concerned that he will leave Rochester in the lurch.

So why is someone who usually doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to politics spending so much time talking about Bob Duffy? As a fellow Rochester native, I am interested to see how, if elected, how this might affect Western New York State. Having lived here my whole life, I am pretty much used to the rest of the country - the rest of the world even - seeming to think New York State is pretty much comprised of New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, and a very ambiguous term called "Upstate" which is used to describe pretty much everywhere else. To illustrate, here is the message most people get about New York State:



Hm, that's an awful lot of nonentity there. In reality, here are the correct names of the regions of New York:

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We who are lumped into the generic "Upstate" label are pretty much used to being disregarded not only by the rest of the country, but by our own state government. Many "Upstate" regions voice feelings of neglect on the part of the government. In some ways, I can understand the error: It would be foolish to ignore that New York City is a mecca of national and international business, culture, and history. At the same time, Western New York, the Finger Lakes, and many other "Upstate" regions have been suffering economically.

Despite its many wonderful qualities (including being rated #6 on the Places Rated Almanac Best Places to Live in America out of 379 communities in America), Rochester is a rust belt city with businesses - and young people - leaving in droves. Where's the help for us, and cities like ours? In fact, in March of 2009 some state senators motioned for a vote to divide New York, seceding "Upstate" as its own entity that can focus on its own unique needs. Some citizens agree wholeheartedly with this motion, such as Unshackle Upstate. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I think it illustrates a valid point: "Upstate" New Yorkers feel pretty darn neglected and are pretty miffed about it.

I'm not here to say the Cuomo/Duffy ticket is going to be a panacea for all of "Upstate's" woes - I may not be fully invested in politics, but I'm not that delusional. However I do think it would be interesting to see how having one of Rochester's native sons in such a position of power and how this may - or may not - ultimately lead to a closer understanding of the particular needs of this region.

Any other Rochesterians or New Yorkers out there? How do you feel Mayor Duffy's viewpoint could potentially affect government relations with "Upstate?"

Got My Eyases on You

I am hardly the expert as to Finger Lakes wildlife. In fact, most frequently my indications that interesting wildlife is in the area involve me pointing and shrieking "bunny!" with childlike glee. There are a few species here and there I am able to identify without consulting Audubon, including the occasional bird. Most commonly you'll see crows, robins, sparrows, even seagulls (which baffles me since we are nowhere near the sea) - but one of Rochester's prides is the Peregrine falcon.

Peregrines are native to regions other than the Finger Lakes, so what makes them so special to Rochester? In 1995 Kodak, whose headquarters is located in its hometown of Rochester, placed a nest box on their office building to simulate the cliff faces that Peregrines normally call home. It was not until 1998 that the first falcons nested, but ever since they have been sort of been sort of mini-celebrities - largely due to the web-cams that have been streaming live since then.

The Falcon-Cam is not just a gimmick but rather a quiet way to show the birds in their natural state. The Kodak falcons have become ambassadors for the species, with educational materials offered to teach kids or any other interested parties more about the Peregrine falcon.

Throughout the year, I confess the public tends to forget about the falcons - hey, they leave us alone, we leave them alone (well, with the exception of 24-hour surveillance. Anyway). But we get psyched out again come spring, when the babies hatch.



This is Beauty, the proud mama of these two little guys (who seem to be eagerly devouring a less fortunate feathered friend) who just hatched yesterday. As it turns out, a baby falcon is called an eyas. I learned something new today, how about you?

While the Kodak falcons are not as obviously a Rochester/Finger Lakes institution as some other things, the fact that we have this little habitat tucked up amongst the cityscape speaks to me as to the determination and innovation of Rochesterians to preserve wildlife by safely offering it a new habitat.

Lilacs Ahoy!

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, this blog is called Lilacs and Snowflakes. I chose that title based on two of the most common (though not always the most pleasant) features in the Finger Lakes region that I felt translated across cities, towns, and county borders. Thankfully, we seem to be done with snow for the time being (I hesitate to even commit that to print since just last weekend a few flakes were spotted to fall voernight) - just in time for the 2010 annual Lilac Festival!

The Lilac Festival is a ten-day event that takes place in the beginning of May. Located in Highland Park, the Lilac Festival is a sort of official herald of springtime in Monroe County. Highland Park is not only home to countless varieties of lilac bushes, but quite literally hundreds of other specimins of flora and fauna. I don't know about you, but to me there are few better ways to celebrate the reawakening of Nature than to take in its resplendant beauty.

"So there are a bunch of flowers? What's so special about that?" Well, you would-be pavers of paradise, there is a lot more to the Lilac Festival than just enjoying the lovely flowers: Enjoy parades? The event is opened by one featuring many local high schools, floats, and the crowning of the Lilac Fesitval Queen. Live music more your sort of thing? Take in the plethora national recording artists performing in one of the many outdoor arenas (this year's offerings include such artists as Sister Hazel, Vonda Shepard, Donna the Buffalo, and 10,000 Maniacs - sans Natalie Merchant). Want to support local business? There are rows upon rows of tents set up by local vendors peddling their wares - as well as local radio stations and local non-profits reaching out to the community. Worried about keeping the kiddies quiet? There are also performers with child-friendly entertainment. Feeling athletic? You can join the Lilac 10k, which will this year be joined by marathon runner Dick Bearsley. Oh, and did I mention all this is free?

In my post about Leaf & Bean, a coffee shop in Chili, I touched briefly on the unusual pronunciation of certain things here in the Finger Lakes. I feel obligated to include a local news segment featuring a fierce ongoing somewhat casual debate on the correct pronunciation of "lilac."



It has not been until developing my newly discovered love of my hometown that I have come to appreciate just how much national attention the Lilac Festival brings. In 2007, for example, Martha Stewart came to take in the gardens. While I myself was making my annual pilgrimage to Highland Park, I overheard a few people in the crosswalk discussing that they had come from out of town - one from another state (I can't remember where) and the other from England. It was even listed by the American Bus Association (no, I didn't make that up) amongst its Top 100 Destinations. I have heard say that this festival alone brings in a substantial amount of tourism, and looking at the variety of pleasures to pursue, it's not hard to see why.

Today was the opening day, but it will be running through May 23rd. If you find yourself in the Finger Lakes region in the beginning of May, come to Highland Park to stop and smell the lilacs.