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Post by tanouryjr on Jul 15, 2008 19:54:48 GMT -5
The Boilermaker has announced that it doesn't want Utica's name associated with its marketing anymore. I'm absolutely outraged at this, yet another, blatant attempt to rid this area of anything associated with the name Utica. Strikeslip has a good post about this, strikeslip.blogspot.com/2008/07/utica-name-dropped-again.html , and has been following the destruction of Utica's identity closely over the years. You know, like the Chamber of Commerce (now MV), the Red Cross (now MV), the Water Board (now a "regional" MV "authority), the OD dropping "Utica" from its header years ago, etc., etc., etc. The whole regionalization theory is great, but the problem is that no one has grasped what true regionalization is. To them, it means tear down Utica. If you disagree, just think about Rome still having a "Rome" Chamber of Commerce, "Rome" Sentinel, "Rome" Red Cross, etc. At least Julian spoke out against this atrocity and I hope others will join. |
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Post by strikeslip on Jul 16, 2008 1:48:54 GMT -5
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Post by dgriffin on Jul 16, 2008 5:43:42 GMT -5
From Fault Lines: "Utica needs to stand tall, put its foot down, and not allow itself to be walked upon. Mayor Roefaro holds the cards. He needs to show he has some cajones and say: "If no 'Utica,' then no permits and no race."" I imagine Roefaro worries that if he does so, the race could easily move elsewhere, without the beer. Merchants, if not residents, would probably welcome the race anywhere. So probably who needs to stand tall is Utica Brewing.  |
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Post by Swimmy on Jul 16, 2008 9:09:50 GMT -5
Dave, I disagree. With all the public outrage at the thought of dropping Utica from the name, I suspect that if the mayor had the competence to make such a threat and hold true on it, then the race would be boycotted and die out.
What upsets me the most about this idea is the irrationality behind the desire to drop the Utica from the name: marketing purposes. That is the lamest explanation I have ever heard. The race was conceived in Utica, is hosted in Utica, paid for by Utica and Utica taxpayers (e.g. police protection, gardening, road repairs, etc.), etc. Everything about this race is related to Utica. There is a reason it is called the Utica Boilermaker. Having Utica in the race name pays homage to the race's roots and history. And the race already draws people from around the area and the world to the point that the race entries fill up within days after the organizers begin accepting the entry applications. So, by dropping Utica from the name, who exactly are they trying to appeal to? Martians?
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Post by dgriffin on Jul 16, 2008 13:10:34 GMT -5
So, by dropping Utica from the name, who exactly are they trying to appeal to? Martians? Maybe the same crowd of morons who want to call the Adirondack Mountains "The Daks." (Disclosure: I'd be worried they'd rename my Catskill Mountains "The Cats.") Swimmy, I was just trying to get inside Roefaro's head. If the Boilermaker moved to a welcoming Herkimer, I have to assume most of the runners and many of the onlookers would move with it. What does Hizzonner have to threaten Boilermaker, Inc., if they want to leave? If, on the other hand, Utica Brewing threatened to withdraw support, that could weigh heavily on their decision to leave. So, I'm thinking it's Utica Brewing who should "stand tall." Alongside the mayor, if you prefer. |
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Post by stoney on Jul 16, 2008 14:31:44 GMT -5
It was in the OD today that the name was going to be added back in the logo.
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Post by tanouryjr on Jul 16, 2008 15:37:06 GMT -5
It was in the OD today that the name was going to be added back in the logo. Yes, it was in today's paper and I'm very glad that they have come to their senses, no matter what the motivation. However, this is a sign of what has already been happening right under our eyes and is not going away. We need to stay on top of this issue and start demanding that Utica be recognized as the county hub that it is. If Utica fails, so does the rest of the county and they just don't seem to get that. |
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Post by dgriffin on Jul 16, 2008 17:30:28 GMT -5
You're right, they don't get it. They don't see it that way. They may be right. I'm not sure how long the old paradigm of a city-dominated county will last. The tail is wagging the dog. Sorry, Larry, but there is ample evidence that cities are dying of exhaustion and county governments will take over. It's a whole new world. I can't argue with your feelings, since mine are similar. But I think your observation, " If Utica fails, so does the rest of the county," is exactly what counties are trying to avoid and their solution is not to pump up the city, but instead to dump it overboard.
I can't say what's happening in Oneida county, but down here there is quite a bit of ill feeling among county residents toward the city of Kingston. They sop up too much of the sales tax revenue and really don't contribute to the economy or cultural life of the county. Their biggest contribution is the petty crime of drugs and illegal weapons. I know Utica has a much richer history, but although the circumstances are different, the direction appears to be the same.
From where does your area's leadership come? If it's not in the city, you're not going to win.
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Post by Ralph on Jul 19, 2008 1:19:16 GMT -5
I think a lot of it is that the local (city) politicians fail to see the bigger picture, so instead of advocating for the City with the hopes that their particular district may see some benefit, they instead are adamant about their district alone and often we lose altogether because of it.
Same thing happens at the County level as well.
And all to often they are to ready to throw the cities under the bus in favor of the county, without realizing that if the cities fail...........there is no county.
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Post by Swimmy on Jul 21, 2008 10:21:44 GMT -5
And all to often they are to ready to throw the cities under the bus in favor of the county, without realizing that if the cities fail...........there is no county. You're right, Ralph. But as long as we have a steady influx of refugees and other immigrants to offset the mass exodus of area natives, I don't think the politicians will every learn to appreciate that concept. |
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Post by Disgusted-Daily on Jul 21, 2008 10:47:40 GMT -5
Another kick in the ass that doesn't surprise me any. All that is left of Utica is the name. I wonder when & what they will want to change this to. Maybe MV Central or some other ridicules name.
Shame on all the Politicians that allow this to happen and all the people who will still partake if it happens.
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Post by dgriffin on Jul 21, 2008 11:48:29 GMT -5
It's the money. Who has it, who doles it out and who gets it. The feds and state have a lot of it. Who are they giving it to? When cities had large populations full of movers and shakers, the local assemblyman or congressman represented what really turned out to be the city. They even LIVED in the city! When you drove out Herkimer Road or Welshbush or Oxford Roads there was an abrupt change from humans to cows. Cows were cute and necessary, but they didn't vote. (Sorry, CountryGal!) If I represented a district of voters in Oneida County, I think I would listen more carefully to the county than the city. I'm a rural resident in my county (most of us are) and I do not like seeing the sales tax and any state funds going to our local city, Kingston, which I see as not worth the bother of saving. True, I have a much softer spot in my heart for Utica, and in a comparison it deserves it, but the reality is that I think the cities are losing in this game and will continue their downward slide, unless there is a societal shift of some magnitude. I should add, in the words of the character from William Least Heat Moon's "Blue Highways," as they sat around the campfire and the old man referred to what his wife had just pronounced, "There you have it, boys. Straight from the back of the horse."   |
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Post by stoney on Jul 21, 2008 15:29:23 GMT -5
Todd~~"Another kick in the ass that doesn't surprise me any. All that is left of Utica is the name. I wonder when & what they will want to change this to. Maybe MV Central or some other ridicules name."
How about, "Syracuse's Parking Lot"??
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Post by dgriffin on Jul 21, 2008 22:04:37 GMT -5
I like Ferndale. Let's see how long your late night TV memory is.
I'd like to put in a word for the opposite problem, and that is the Post Office's trend of getting rid of small town names in favor of one large city. My kids live in two different suburbs of Albany, but ... you guessed it ... their mailing address is Albany.
You can still address a letter to me in Saugerties, but when I send you a reply, the post mark will say "Mid Hudson Valley." Before a massive outcry, the Post Office wanted to call every town north of Poughkeepsie and south of Albany, Mid Hudson Valley and you would have had to address mail in that manner to thousands of towns in the area.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Jul 22, 2008 5:54:30 GMT -5
No, I think I prefer Fernwood
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