At least that is the accusation from Mayor Roefaro in today's Utica Daily News.
To some extent, I agree with him. This bias comes through as an Anti-Utica Bias but sometimes is more overtly anti-Italian, as in the OD article about "snickering" over dropped vowels, and OD's seeming fixation on 50 year old "Sin City" events. And, yes, there seems to be a double standard where New Hartford is concerned (although that may finally be changing). The bias is wrong, and it hinders regional progress.
That said, the Mayor cannot convincingly play the "bias" card to cover up the shenanigans over the Labella appointment. The law was violated. Several layers of government and several bureaucrats were complicit.
It's important for the public to know these things and the newspaper's job to report them.
There are plenty Americans of Italian descent in the Utica area that are upset over l'affaire Labella. The mayor's claim of bias to cover up his own lack of accountability is not only irresponsible but is a poor reflection on Utica and others who share his ethnic heritage.
3 comments:
The Mayor of Utica was definitely outwitted when he appeared on the radio show. The Mayor’s true naiveté emerged as the show’s host and his badgering staff had a field day leading him into an area of controversial and provocative subject matters. The amusing portion of the audio clip was when the Mayor willingly followed their lead and embellished how the local newspaper was attacking his political appointees. The Mayor drew a comparison to the recent appointments that the New Hartford Town Supervisor made to fill their Chief of Staff and Town Attorney positions. What the Mayor failed to mention was that New Hartford’s new Town Supervisor did not elect to break the law to make these appointments. There is a difference between making quid pro quo political appointments and violating the Civil Service Law to stack the administration’s deck with a boyhood friend. The Mayor tells his interviewers that he is a very caring person and desires want he deems as best for the City of Utica. However in this case, perhaps a professional City Manager or City Administrator is needed to serve this administration as the Mayor’s personal political expert would be in the best interest of the City.
It is unfortunate for those who are of Irish decent. Donna Donovan has used the newspaper as her "bully-pulpit" for her own causes and that of her husband and son who is an example of what youth should not be.
Whatever our ethnic backgrounds are...be they Irish, Polish, Italian, African - American, Samoan, etc., we all need to be treated fairly and equitably.
There is a bias in reporting and too, a bias in hiring. The Town of New Hartford is a perfect example in their absolute failure in hiring not one female or minority for their police force. Why? Chief Raymond Philo prefers the "family and friends" plan.
The plain truth is that the Mayor does have difficulty with language and thinking skills. This does not have anything to do with his ethnicity and those who comment on it are not anti Italian. The OD's references to the past crime investigations are more of an excuse to blow its own horn as a prize winning paper. Those investigations were also, in fact, a key part of Utica's history and ushered in significant change, particularly political. They contributed to the end of the Elefante era. I don't think historical accounting and recollection is harmful in any significant way. Camplaints of the Roefaro type are more of the lame excuse type so common to politicians and pc types.
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