Do we pull the lever for the new guy? That will thrust us into the scary unknown. We simply don't know what damage some of these people will be capable of if given the chance.
OR
Do we pull the lever for the incumbent, or the appointed successor? That will give us the comfort of predictability. We know we will get more of the same.
Is more of the same what we want? If it is, we can expect more things like:
- violation of environmental laws, followed by approval of a Consent Order with no deliberation, followed by hiring of engineers by an "inside group" of wrongdoers also with no deliberation.
- trashing public sensibilities while public officials surround themselves with opulence.
- closing streets for the convenience of government officials.
- an economic development agency advertising a site as 'shovel ready' when it lacked an essential permit, and blowing the opportunity of our lifetimes.
- the promised "world-class" research facility, Griffiss Institute, that produced no research, but made one very highly paid official before it was turned into an incubator.
- a lease of prime economic-development land to the State for a Homeland Security Training Center with little deliberation, NO benchmarks for State performance, no real State financial commitment, and almost no activity.
- the promised Center for Brownfield Studies in Downtown Utica that turned out to be smoke and mirrors.
- the promised State Data Center that never came.
- abandoning an airport that was perfectly maintained and sized for this area and squandering federal funds to duplicate what we already had.
- losing scheduled air passenger service while smaller metro areas (Binghamton, Elmira, Ithaca) manage to retain theirs.
- Urban Sprawl.
- Storm water problems . . . traffic congestion.
- closed door meetings, 7AM meetings, secret meetings.
- an unheard of 18 year deal, sky high salary, bending the rules, and unusual circumstances surrounding the hiring of a local police chief.
- burying rubble in public parks with little or no public discussion.
- carving up public parks with fences for special interest groups without neighborhood input.
- conviction of an innocent man.
- loss of a long-enjoyed summer festival.
- loss of Utica's greatest asset and giving it to people who have not paid for it.
- Countless lost manufacturing jobs.
- Lost professional hockey, lost professional baseball ... loss of a NASCAR Opportunity.
- Loss of 85,000 people . . . your children, your friends, your neighbors . . . and no end in sight
Are you comfortable with more of the same? . . . or are you ready to take a chance?