Very Special

The Democrat & Chronicle reported on the City Council's "informal" decision to use the Special Election process to select a replacement for departing Mayor, Bob Duffy. The Council met in a closed door "caucus" and took a vote intended to express intentions until formal action could be taken. Apparently, though, this "informal" vote is something the Council members intend to "stand by" until the formal vote

This situation is fascinating on many levels.

First, it's quite remarkable that the Democrats are so unconcerned about public opinion that they would openly defy the clear majority of Rochester voters who favor the primary option. I guess the saying "once burned, twice shy" really applies to our local Democratic party. The last two Democratic Mayors were not the choice of the party apparatus. It appears that the Democrats are not going to make the mistake of letting "the people" thwart their choice this time around.

Second, the fairly muted reaction of the D&C to this clear Open Meetings Law violation is quite telling. Unless James Lawrence does a critical editorial in the next day or two, nobody is going to bother reading the next big story  he writes about the need for "openness in government". If the D&C only calls for "sunshine" when GOP controlled bodies are involved, its hypocrisy regarding local politics will be quite out in the open (pun intended).