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| About the Smugtown Beacon |
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Joe Morelle, district-maker extraordinaire: "Trying his best to look like Gary Cooper, super duper." |
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Proposed Redistricting Maps: Incumbency Shines Through
Friday, January 27, 2012 Who are the happiest men in the Rochester area today? A good guess might be our area’s state legislators -- at least those who represent parts of the city of Rochester. All three Assemblymembers and both Senators have received a late Christmas gift from the state leg. Now the only question is whether the governor will sign on.... Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks |
Will a challenger focus on Gantt this year? |
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Will Gantt Face a 2012 Challenge?
Wednesday January 25, 2012 Two years ago, Rochester City School Board Commissioner Van H. White attempted to take on Assemblymember David Gantt. The effort failed when a judge determined that White did not meet the residency requirement. But New York State’s Constitution has provided White -- and other potential candidates -- an opening in 2012. Does this mean Gantt will face a challenger?
Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks |
Downtown Syracuse: Armory Square is only one of its superior qualities. |
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Op-Ed Briefs: Even Syracuse has a Better Downtown than Rochester; Roch. Parents Union's Foolish Stand on Condoms 
Monday, January 23, 2012 Rochester, NY - In Downtown Rochester's seemingly endless struggle to re-invent itself, perhaps city leaders need look no further than 80 miles down the road, to the success Syracuse has found. The Rochester Parents Union (RPU) has officially announced it is against the distribution of condoms in City schools. It would seem the RPU advocates a conservative-religious position, rather than a pragmatic, non-judgmental approach. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 1 opinion posted |
Is Smugtown Unsustainable?
Friday January 20, 2012 All Rochesterians have now heard the news: Kodak has declared bankruptcy. But even before this news broke, accusations were flying regarding who or what has led to Kodak’s demise. The publisher of Forbes magazine, writing in the Wall Street Journal, points the finger at Smugtown: small-town thinking stifled innovation at Kodak. Does Smugtown smother innovation -- will it bring us all down, just like Kodak? Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks - 1 opinion posted |
...except for Presidential candidates, and a warm hearted people (photo of actual billboard in Manhattan). |
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A N.Y. Times Yankee in King Buffett's Court
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 Rochester, NY - Right off the bat, this article is no more about the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, than it is about Mark Twain. But what this article may be about is the unwanted presence of New York style arrogance in the Land of Milk and Honey. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 1 opinion posted |
Mitt Romney, revolutionary? |
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Why Monroe County Republicans Need Mitt Romney
Friday January 13, 2012 This may not be a good time to be a Democrat -- but Republicans are not really enjoying their salad days either. Despite a clear path to the nomination for Mitt Romney, conservatives are not yet on board. Depending on how these national divisions play out, they could pose long-term problems for local Republicans. For Monroe County Republicans, their hearts may be with other candidates, but in their heads, they should pray to the spirit of Joseph Smith that Mitt Romney has a good year.
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Aaron E. Wicks - 4 opinions posted |
Green: So, does someone want their knife back? |
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The Mike Green Saga: A Tale of Two Smugtowns
Wednesday January 11, 2012 For Mike Green, it has been the best of times and the worst of times. Nominated for a federal judgeship, he thought he had a lifetime appointment to a substantive job (with nice pay and benefits to boot). But as his nomination languished, the appointment turned into a curse: not acted on by the Senate and dropped by the Obama administration, Green is now out his judgeship and his former job as District Attorney. How did the best of times become the worst of times? Two distinctly different narratives could be told. Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks - 1 opinion posted |
Too easy to forget why we live here: Greater Rochester has numerous strengths; few drawbacks. |
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Can You Handle Some Good News?
Monday, January 2, 2012 Rochester, NY - Why is life so good in Greater Rochester, for the majority of its citizens? Well, the mayor that continues to surprise, Rochester Mayor Tom Richards, just announced he's on the side of city residents who would like to retain their constitutional right to vote for their school board. More broadly, Metro Rochester scores well in national surveys in terms of cost-of-living, short commute times, a solid housing market, and healthy job growth. But what are the intangibles that make life in Greater Rochester so appealing? Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 3 opinions posted |
Richards: "I know how to run things: cities, schools, whatever." |
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Mayoral Control Redux -- This Time The City Will Employ Expertise
Thursday December 29, 2011 Assemblymember David Gantt has announced he will reintroduce legislation establishing mayoral control of Rochester’s schools. This time City Hall is ready. Having learned several important lessons over the years, it promises to run the schools like it has run our fair city. God help us all. Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks - 1 opinion posted |
Machiavelli Morelle |
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With Friends Like These... The Curious Relationship of MCDC and Organized Labor
Wednesday December 21, 2011 Politics, the cliché goes, makes strange bedfellows. Politics also breeds cynical behavior in some. Put these tendencies together, and you have the only plausible explanation for a curious mailer that went out to voters in the 16th LD during this past election. If you think local Democrats and organized labor have an interesting relationship, read on.... Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks |
Can we accept a downtown that never again looks like this? |
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MCC Deals Another Blow to Downtown -- Big Deal?
Wednesday December 14, 2011 Add another wrinkle to the brow of Mayor Thomas Richards: first the PAETEC deal falls through, leaving a yawning hole in the center of the city; now, MCC has decided to pursue a city campus just outside of downtown. Despite Richards’ best efforts, the downtown area is becoming the Mayor’s Moby Dick -- an elusive opponent that seems to slip away at every turn. Should the Mayor seek other fish in the sea? Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks - 2 opinions posted |
This graphic was created for Long Island taxpayers, but the situation in Monroe County is nearly identical. |
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The Corruption of State and Local Government
Monday, December 5, 2011 Rochester, NY - It is so terribly easy (and justified) to negatively criticize our federal government, both the legislative and executive branches. All one needs to do is recall the recent dismal failure of the so-called Deficit Reduction Commission. Model U.N. 7th graders would've had more success than the buffoons that run Congress. The corruption to which I refer isn't a matter for prosecutors or law enforcement: No, this corruption speaks to a lack of logic, and, a failure to keep an eye on the bottom line, on the part of our alleged representatives in Albany--and governments in Monroe County. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 1 opinion posted |
As long as your bullying and hatred is clothed in religious cover, a bill in the Tennessee legislature will encode this discrimination in the law. |
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Op-Ed Briefs: It's Okay to Bully in Tennessee, as Long as One is Religious; Bob Duffy & Joe Morelle have No Clout in Albany
Monday, January 9, 2012 Rochester, NY - In the Volunteer State, Tennessee, a bill before the state legislature, if passed, would make it okay to bully gay and lesbian kids in school. Well, may I volunteer that this is one of the last gasps of Conservative-White-Christian America, hiding behind the 1st Amendment, only when their defense of same, suits their narrow, religiously bigoted attitudes. Lt. Governor Robert Duffy, along with his comrade, Assemblyman Joe Morelle, clearly have zero clout with Governor Andrew Cuomo when it comes to securing large state grants, the way Buffalo and NYC do. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 2 opinions posted |
The Republican Presidential nominee? Former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney. |
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Why Do the Media Hate Mitt Romney?
Saturday January 7, 2012 He’s handsome, successful and disciplined. He has campaigned for the presidency almost non-stop since 2007. He is a former businessman, he led the Salt Lake City Olympic committee and he is a former governor of Massachusetts. And yet with a huge campaign war chest, leads in virtually all state and national polls and a somewhat surprising -- but narrow -- victory in Iowa, the media are acting like Romney is on the verge of self-destruction. What is their problem?
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Aaron E. Wicks |
Jet Blue passengers trapped 7- hours at Hartford's Bradley International: Call 9-1-1 for false imprisonment? |
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The Unsustainable Aviation Model
Monday, December 12, 2011 Rochester, NY - Even though technically outlawed by the FAA, indefinite and inhumane tarmac delays that strand airline passengers for hours are merely a symptom of a far larger and equally evasive problem: Commercial airline travel in the U.S. is no longer functional. Can it be saved?
Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot |
Dumb & Dumber: Islam will rule the world only if ignorance rules the world (oh, no!). |
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The Arab Winter of Our Global Discontent
Monday, December 19, 2011 Rochester, NY - Much has been made of the alleged Arab Spring. And justifiably: It is always a good day when dictatorial regimes are toppled. But unless you've had your head buried in the sand, quasi-secular dictatorships are quickly being replaced with strong man, ultra-orthodox Islamic regimes. From Algeria putting a dagger through the heart of free speech, to the Muslim Brotherhood's usurping political power in Egypt, Spring 2012 may not seem so giddy in what we call the Middle East. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 1 opinion posted |
Former airport director Susan Walsh in her DWI mug shot (East Rochester Police). |
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The Scourge of Alcohol(ism)
Thursday, January 5, 2012 Rochester, NY - The former director of the Greater Rochester International Airport (GRIA), Susan Walsh, was arrested for DWI recently, in the early evening, in the Village of East Rochester. While it was locally a high profile arrest, DWI and the rampant use (and abuse) of alcohol is the great unspoken social epidemic of the modern age. How do I know? Because the only anti-alcohol public service announcements you'll ever see are the ones warning about the perils of driving while drunk. Good luck viewing one that instructs the viewer not to consume the "most harmful" drug in the world. Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 4 opinions posted |
Out-going Roch. Mayor Duffy swearing in current Mayor Tom Richards: Why are Democrats so afraid of Joe Morelle? |
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Best & Worst of 2011: Predictions for 2012
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Rochester, NY - Locally, 2011 was a wild ride for Smugtown residents. And our most entertaining politicos? Bob Duffy, Carl Carballada, in-coming Mayor Tom Richards, and a compliant, rubber stamp City Council, which succumbed to Joe Morelle's inexplicable charisma and intimidation. Morelle helped his minions circumvent the City Charter, so Richards wouldn't suffer the indignity of having to withstand a full election cycle. But both locally and nationally, our mayoral escapade wasn't the only notable story in Smugtown USA. And, what do you wish for in 2012? Read More ...
Christopher J. Wilmot - 3 opinions posted |
Will we ever grow up? |
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Bullying in America
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 This past week, Spencerport joined a national debate about bullying. The tragedy gives many of us pause, as we reflect on our own experiences -- either as participants or witnesses. It also causes this writer to ask: does bullying every really go away, or does it just change form as we age into adulthood? Read More ...
Aaron E. Wicks - 2 opinions posted |
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