Page Fifty-Two 

04 JANUARY 2006

The following is the offering from those Feel-Good-We're-All-Happy-Campers folks at WHAM-13.  Remember?  This is the media outlet which is the darling of the suburban set and other locals who are loathe to admit realities which are unsettling, unpleasant or in the least bit not 'nice'.

The Mayor And The Ferry Evan Dawson (Rochester, NY) 1/03/06 -  In the gray winter, the massive fast ferry sits tied up, vacant and weighing down city finances. In  48 hours we should know if Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy will support using more public money to shore up the ferry. Mayor Duffy said, "We are really pushing a pretty hectic schedule... (it’s a) very difficult decision, but we have to decide, and whatever way we go, it has to be the best for everybody." Duffy conferred with the company managing the ferry and said it was a productive conversation. But the new mayor said he still has a lot to learn about the ferry, and his decision on whether or not to support it could go down to the final hours on Thursday.  What is becoming clear is that Duffy is not confident the ferry can ever make a profit--and his decision will hinge largely on how he feels he can save the most money for taxpayers. Ferry supporters are optimistic about one thing -- Duffy told City Council President Lois Geiss that he wants to change the rules so he can appoint business leaders to the ferry board.  Supporters hope that's a sign he still has faith in the vessel.

Well, you have to give these guys credit for their feeble and futile support of the ferry even in light of all the signs the ferry is doomed.  WHAM-13 is trying to spark a hint of the optimistic but it's far too little and way too late.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: much of the Rochester area embraces the belief of "Tell me what I want to hear and you're a genius.  Tell me what I DON'T want to hear and you're an idiot".  There are too many locals who'll ignore unwanted bad news and only listen to or read the happy stuff.  That's where WHAM-13 comes in.

Ignorance is bliss.

"(Mayor Duffy says) he wants to understand it better.."

What's to understand?  There's insufficient demand for the ferry in the amount needed to sustain the operation.  That's all that needs to be understood.

If he means he needs to figure out the best way to soften the blow and minimize the financial devastation which is about to ensue, there's no reason to beat around the bush.  The 'needs to understand it better' line has been used for over a month now and it's getting stale.  Time to come up with another smokescreen to hide the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring.

It's as if we Huddled Masses weren't supposed to suspect there's a lot of frenetic activity and posturing going on behind closed doors.  Frankly, from my perspective, there's not ENOUGH time and energy going on behind closed doors.  If these local 'leaders' have to put in 16-hour days 7 days a week to get this thing settled, those are the breaks.  Local industries don't seem to mind demanding THEIR employees give up personal time for the benefit of the company; what makes these Elitists think they're exempt from doing the same?

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CARLOS ORTIZ staff photographer Mayor Robert Duffy spoke at a Rotary Club luncheon Tuesday at the Memorial Art Gallery. $11.5M ferry question still unanswered City Council delays decision on whether to borrow more Brian Sharp Staff writer (January 4, 2006) — The fate of the high-speed ferry will remain undecided until at least next week as city leaders said Tuesday they again were postponing a decision on whether to borrow another $11.5 million for the ship. City Council President Lois Giess said she offered Mayor Robert Duffy more time, and Duffy said he gladly took it. "We are just going through that process of learning, understanding it," Duffy said. "I'm not trying to signal anything to anybody. ... I certainly understand the urgency." The money is needed to ensure a full season for the Rochester-to-Toronto ferry, which exhausted its reserves after a midseason startup in 2005. City Council was poised to act on the $11.5 million proposal last month, then Duffy asked for a postponement until he took office. The council went ahead with legislation authorizing the ferry board to borrow the money but not until Thursday or later. The date had been perceived as a deadline, furthered by a statement attached to the legislation noting a "firm commitment" to call a special council meeting today or Thursday to appoint members to the ferry board if Duffy agreed to go forward. "It was never set in stone," Giess said, adding later: "I know we have a critical time frame. I don't think a few more days jeopardizes that time frame." But City Councilman Benjamin Douglas, who serves as ferry board president, said further delay puts the project in further jeopardy, particularly when it comes to marketing the ship in Canada. A lack of marketing was partly blamed for low ridership and multimillion-dollar losses. (Bull.) What's at stake The high-speed ferry's 2006 season. Mayor Robert Duffy wants more time to weigh a decision on borrowing another $11.5 million for the ship. Supporters worry delay weakens the project's chances to succeed but the ship won't get a chance at its first full season without the mayor's backing. Would you like to say something to Mayor Duffy before he announces a decision on the fast ferry? We've set up a new community discussion board at DemocratandChronicle.com. Click on the "Fast Ferry" icon on the homepage and sign in. Once you have a password you'll be able to comment in any discussion on the site. "It is a little frustrating to then find that opportunity is again slipping through our fingers," Douglas said, and to those who minimize the significance of Tuesday's decision: "They don't understand. They don't understand the urgency." The city backed a $40 million loan and created Rochester Ferry Co., which then bought the ship last February. Rochester Ferry hired Bay Ferries Great Lakes LLC to manage the ship. Service began June 30 and continued into last month. However, the first year financial report showed $10 million in losses, with Bay Ferries still owed $2 million of that total. Maintaining the ship and skeleton crew will cost another $430,000 this month alone. "We urgently need to have a decision in a timely fashion if we are going to be successful," said Douglas, who agreed to hold off until next week. "If Mayor Duffy is not ready to move forward ... we should give him that time. This project cannot go forward without the support of the mayor." Duffy had maintained as late as Tuesday afternoon that he was prepared to make a decision by week's end. Instead, he will take the time for sessions with Giess, Douglas and Bay Ferries' leadership, among others. "We will not unnecessarily delay anything," he said. Duffy will go to Albany today for Gov. George Pataki's State of the State address but does not plan to lobby for state tourism dollars for the ferry while there. That work will come soon enough, however, as Duffy said he plans to make monthly trips to the capital to lobby for increased state aid to Rochester. BDSHARP@DemocratandChronicle.com

"Duffy said he plans to make monthly trips to the capital to lobby for increased state aid to Rochester."

Frankly, as a New Yorker, I'd say Rochester hasn't shown very wise use of the State money it's already received.  When this area sinks state-funded cash in an ill-conceived, ill-executed and half-baked idea like a 'fast ferry' to Toronto, if I were Pataki, I'd tell Rochester to get bent.  "Don't be pissing away your allowance on crap then come whining that you need cash.  You guys got state assistance and blew it; if you hadn't wasted it on some get-rich-quick scheme you wouldn't be needing another cash infusion now.  No dice.  Make do with what you've got."

'Punishing' Rochester?  Hardly.  A lesson in fiscal responsibility, maybe.  But turning down a monthly sob story from the Mayor of Rochester isn't the same as turning a deaf ear to the problems the city and area faces.  The $26 million shortfall the city faces would have easily been covered by not building a $16 million ferry terminal or buying a dying ferry business for $40 million.  Is Albany supposed to feel sorry for the blind ambition of some local ferry supporters?

Hey NYC and Long Island?  What do you guys think about your tax dollars going to support some Upstate exercise in non-reality?  Do you feel you should bail out a city which is being pounded by job losses, escalating poverty and crime, unchecked sprawl and a crumbling infrastructure -- yet goes ahead and throws away money in an unnecessary and redundant toy?  Didn't think so.

Possibly without realizing it, the Rochester area has managed to provide years of ammunition for Downstate politicians to point to as reasons why Upstate doesn't deserve the extra cash it receives.

Well done, guys.  So much for dispelling the theory of Upstaters as clueless hicks whose backwater incompetence only takes from -- not contributes to -- the prosperity of New York State.  If not for the disproportionate amount of Downstate-funded state coffers, the ferry project would have never gotten off the ground.  How could it?  There simply wouldn't have been the easy access to the amount of cash needed to even build the terminal as the Upstate New York economy is in shambles.

Locals need to remember they receive more money from Albany than they pay in... Downstate pays in more than it receives back.  When locals are blowing air about how NYC is sucking THEIR tax dollars, they should also consider that without the Golden Goose of Downstate, Monroe County would resemble South Central Los Angeles within a year.

Hell, without the support of Toronto, Rochester can't so much as break even on a ferry boat operation.  It bears asking: Who needs who more?  NYC and Toronto sure don't need Rochester's support.  When the Mayor of Rochester plans on making monthly trips to Albany asking for handouts, it's not too difficult to see where the charity case lies.

As local conservative wags are quick to slam 'welfare people' for draining their pocketbooks, they need to remind themselves that it's THEIR community which is being seen as a 'welfare community' by the rest of the state in need of state money in order to survive.  Don't think so?

Try bailing yourselves out without state help.  "You losers really need to get off your butts, make your own money and pay for your own way."

Isn't that what local 'welfare people' are being told?  Double-standard hypocrisy.  It's a Rochester area tradition.

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"The ferry, after all, has been the victim of half-baked decision-making from the get-go — starting with grandiose plans of the first owners, Canadian American Transportation Systems, and extending to the city's own overly optimistic prospectus last year."

Well, I'M impressed and if I didn't know better, I'd say someone from the D&C has been reading this cyber-tirade from the wording and theme they printed.

Flattered if they did, not surprised if they didn't.

Here's a late-night fit of madness.  Tom Golisano wouldn't be musing about coming to the ferry's rescue at the last minute... sealing his hometown's vote in a possible gubernatorial run, would he?

The very thought of such a public display of 'generosity' makes my stomach churn... not to mention the question of not-so-subtle vote buying.  Hopefully he'll have the good taste to keep his chequebook pocketed and his mouth shut.

That WOULD be a real change of pace for him.  There's no twit quite like a flamboyant twit.

Meanwhile, later that same day, the cheerleaders change the words:

Mayor's Decision On Ferry Delayed (Rochester, NY) 1/03/06 - There won't be any official decisions made this week on the future of Rochester's fast ferry. Rochester City Council member and Ferry Board President Ben Douglas told 13WHAM's sister station 1180 AM that new Mayor Bob Duffy has a lot on his plate while making the transition into City Hall. "We've told Mayor Duffy that we're flexible enough to push at least the meeting off that we had scheduled for this week, off into next week," he said. Duffy said he's pleased with the Council's flexibility and that he still hasn't made up his mind on whether or not he'll support a $11.5 million bond to keep the ferry afloat. Duffy conferred with the company that manages the ferry and said it was a productive conversation. But the new mayor said he still has a lot to learn about the operation. (Duffy conferred with the company managing the ferry and said it was a productive conversation. But the new mayor said he still has a lot to learn about the ferry, and his decision on whether or not to support it could go down to the final hours on Thursday.)   What is becoming clear is that Duffy is not confident the ferry can ever make a profit and his decision will hinge largely on how he feels he can save the most money for taxpayers. What is becoming clear is that Duffy is not confident the ferry can ever make a profit--and his decision will hinge largely on how he feels he can save the most money for taxpayers.   Ferry supporters are optimistic that Duffy told Rochester's City Council President Lois Geiss that he wants to change the rules so he can appoint business leaders to the ferry board. (Ferry supporters are optimistic about one thing -- Duffy told City Council President Lois Geiss that he wants to change the rules so he can appoint business leaders to the ferry board.) Supporters hope that's a sign he still has faith in the vessel. (Supporters hope that's a sign he still has faith in the vessel.) However, Douglas also said that every delay jeopardizes the ferry project.

"WHAM-13 is less of a 'news' outlet than it is a team of televised cheerleaders.  The above announcement of a decision within 48 hours was posted after other local media had published news of the postponement.  Obviously, getting a positive ray of hope thrown out on the net is more important than getting factual and timely news out to the public.  That's not 'news'; that's a blatant pep rally."

It's called The Switcheroo.  The text in parentheses is taken from today's earlier WHAM-13 blurb as posted on this website.  See how the references to ferry supporters have been tactfully left in and the line emphasizing the urgency of the request was added?  WHAM-13 journalistic tardiness, back-pedaling and reader-nudging has been duly noted.

It's a fuzzy line between civic pride and optimism and blindly ignoring reality and skepticism.  It does the public no good to be led into a false belief that All Is Well... urging residents to ignore the ugly aspects of the community with 'Taking Pride' and 'Bright Spots' campaigns is a thinly disguised policy of seeing through rose-coloured glasses.  

WHAM-13's history of squeaky clean talking heads gushing with hometown folksiness and warm smiles gets irritating even in the best of times.  When things are REALLY looking bad, it goes beyond merely annoying... it draws attention away from taking earnest action to effect immediate and corrective change.

Although WHAM-13 News is the most polished of the lot, it's like watching the local media version of The Donny and Marie Show.  After a while, you sorta wanna gag.

Taking Pride In Rochester Taking Pride In Rochester is a year-long television campaign designed to focus on those businesses and organizations that make a significant contribution to the well-being of all people in the greater Rochester community. 13WHAM-TV is proud to bring you the Taking Pride campaign, and we encourage you to visit these sponsors' Web sites as well as their places of business.

Gee.  If 'Taking Pride in Rochester' is only a year-long campaign, NOW what are we gonna do to raise the spirits of the locals in 2006?

I KNOW!!!  How about 'Taking DELIGHT in Rochester'?  That way, all those ex-Kodakers who are slogging away at $8/hr jobs with no benefits can coo in contentment as they're frantically trying to pay a Kodak-sized mortgage.  The city landlords can happily cross off property improvements as they fork over higher taxes to pay for a defunct ferry service.  Parents can sleep more soundly knowing their kids may or may not be blown away at the local youth centre.  Local merchants can cheerfully watch as their neighbours take their business to a much cheaper big box retailer.

Oh my, yes.  Let's DO focus on the positive as we play down the negative. We certainly wouldn't want reality to intrude on our concocted blissful world, now would we?   Let's... let's not think about troubling things.  "Oh look, Don Alhart's 'Bright Spot' is on...."

Media Prozac for the masses.

Well, yass.  WHAM-13 conducts a (very) unscientific poll which leaves more questions that it asks.  'Something else'?  Considering recent D&C Letters to the Editor, one can only imagine what that might be.

Golly Gee, Beaver.  Let's just 'promote the heck out of it' and that'll solve all the problems.  Money?  Who worries about money?  Ward always takes care of that and there's never any shortage of income, so why worry?  Just spend away.

Problem is:  'Ol Ward Cleaver just got laid off and since stay-at-home June doesn't bring in any income, it's going to be tough paying for the 3BR Colonial with two teenagers and no health insurance.  Wally's looking at university in a year and the Beav's overbite needs braces.  The Haskells down the street had to move because he still wasn't able to pay the mortgage and taxes on the place after he lost his job.

And now, those still working see no reason why going deeper in debt is a problem.  Even though Ward had over 25 years in with the company and never imagined he'd get pink-slipped, the still-employed are supremely confident THEY'LL never get canned as that calamity only happens to OTHER people.

'Market.  Advertise.  Promote.'  The missing Three Graces which completely explains why Canadians have avoided the ferry like the plague.  I mean, the 'experts' said Marketing was all that was needed to turn this thing around and who are we to argue with 'experts'?

'Experts' or not, it's still the public's money.  That gives the public the right and responsibility to argue and question to their hearts' content.  If political 'leaders' don't like that, they can be easily replaced.