Rochester needs a bustling nightlife with restaurants that stay open late and eclectic shops for day time traffic. All concentrated downtown and other pockets like the new UR "college-town" like area at Brooks/Gennesee, East Ave and Monroe Ave.

I have visited Austin many times, beginning in the 1960s, and it is a nice place, but nothing special but the music, which Rochester haqs in abundance. I watched Austin grow. But Rochester can come alive with imaginative and brave leadership. The leadership must be willing to think and act boldly, not in that conservative and sometimes smug attitude that exists today. Begin with two small ferries (smaller than the Fast Ferry that crashed),then building a light rail corridor from Charlotte via the Lehigh Valley-Erie Railroad corridor, through downtown, Corn Hill, Strong Hospital, and the UofR, to Markeplace Mall, which would offer UofR and RIT students a fast and attractive way to visit the downtown, plus Canadian vistors arriving via ferry a way to access the city. But it requires a brave and risk-taking attitude. Too many times in Rochester I have heard "We can't do that!" Other cities have. Why not Rochester?

Doug Midkiff... I totally agree with all the projects you have proposed. Those are the same ones’ I have supported for years…but Conservative Rochester does not like to change. We are still rather stagnant, smug, cliquish and unwilling to proceed outside the box. There already is a “balance of power” in our region….and those in power don’t want to shake up the status quo…because they…narrowly…benefit from it.

I have lived in Portland, Oregon, Seattle and Washington D.C. and have experienced the excitement, optimism and risk taking nature of the local populace. Great cities thrive on the flow on “new” people be it via population growth or tourism. In Rochester we are deficient in both areas. Our downfall was the rapid evaporation of tens of thousands of high paying manufacturing jobs. Without the ability to quickly replenish these jobs….workers left the area in mass. And this has been the trend for the last couple decades. And our level of tourism is among the worst for a region of one million.
What our region needs is a major infusion of “new” people. And the best and most cost effective way to proceed first is TOURISM. We have scores of great regional assets that could attract outside visitors to our region. That is why I always like the concept of the fast ferry system (two small boats vs. the one super large one), developing the river and our Waterfront and to take advantage of the rich arts/cultural assets.

But community leaders have this narrow view that Rochester is great already….we just need to lower taxes. Believe me…you could wave a magic wand and lower taxes by 20%...and nothing will change! Its about our attitude…not taxes!!!

Mary Ann,
Have you reviewed the economic statistics for Austin since the recession? How much did their housing prices drop? What's their unemployment rate? How much have the key indicators of economic growth gone down? You know, since Rochester never boomed, it also hasn't had a bust like many other places in the southwest -- Phoenix, Las Vegas,the state of California (and Florida in the southeast). . I think that counts for a lot. So Rochester hasn't shown like a bright star in the past 30 years; it also hasn't tanked the way many other places have. My house's sale price has remained relatively stable as has my income. There's something to be said for slow but sure. Rochester has many new companies. If we want to join the boom and bust cycle, I guess we could manipulate things to do that, but I prefer Rochester the way it is. We may have a little boomlet when they start running out of water in Arizona, Nevada and other parts of the southwest.

There could be no better example of Rochester’s conservative, smug attitude than the above words of Jonathan Wolfinger. In essence he has rationalized “mediocrity”. For the past thirty years our community has suffered economic decline and lose of population but conservative Rochester can come up with a recent statistic to show that our thirty year (poor) performance was actually a community asset…since our decline wasn’t as bad as other fast growing cities! UNBELIEVABLE!!! Mr. Wolfinger is not alone in his assertion…it represents a solid core of Rochester. It’s that constant smug attitude that hampers our ability to grow and prosper.

A clarification about Austin, Texas. Mr. Wolfinger used a poor example of a city in decline. Actually, Austin is doing quite well considering the severity of the recession. Its unemployment rate is lower than the U.S. average…lower than Rochester and its home prices has seen only a minor reduction in the last year!. And Forbes Magazine identified Austin as one eight cities that will quickly rebound after the recession. Rochester was not on the list. Washington D.C., Seattle and Portland Oregon were also on the list.

I was in Austin during this boom and a lot of the boom was from dumb luck and yes, weather. At the same time CA instituted a 10% additional tax on all corporations the resulting exodus was of many high tech companies looking for a place to relocate. Ask any Californian if they like snow and they'll tell you just fine �" in the ski slopes - not at their houses or work. The climate in Austin had what they were looking for and the scrub outside of Austin was very similar to the desert that LA was made out of. There were a ton of under-employed engineers who had graduated from UT and were still waiting tables because they refused to leave. The perfect storm to attract these companies.

What there wasn't was chain stores, but the Californians brought those with them. Before that time you couldn't have kept a Barns and Noble or a Starbucks open more than a month. Now they are on every corner and Austin is very much like any other city but struggling to keep some identity (search 'keep Austin weird' for a run down).

You can call it mediocrity but I'm not sure what it is. I've lived all over the US and Rochester is like nothing I've ever experienced before. Conservative, yes sure, repressed, yeah that too, insular in a way that I've never experienced which is saying a lot after rural South Carolina and Tulsa Oklahoma. Leaders here are slow to jump on new exciting trends so the ups aren't as fast but they also keep their wits about them so the crashes aren't as traumatic as other places. They make mistakes, fast isn't a four letter word in many cities but overall Rochester is on the slow but steady track. In the right direction I think. The current trend to foster small startups is brilliant expanding the tax base with tons of small high techs will future proof the economy and do what Rochester does - stay steady.

I'll be sorry to see Rochester in the rear view mirror later this month when I roll out of town for GA. Why am I leaving if I like it so much? More than thirty days and the high didn't go over 30 �" are you kidding me? That and it's cloudy and oppressive, if you don't believe in SAD move to Vegas and come back here. Yeah you keep telling yourself it's not the weather.....

Keith

I just don’t except the notion of weather being problematic. I think it’s a convenient "excuse" when one decides to move away from Rochester. Just look at other cities with bad weather. Boston’s weather is much worse than Rochester…but the city’s attributes and unique amenities temper’s it’s negative effects. The same with Seattle and Portland, Oregon…constantly cloudy and rainy. Vancouver B.C. and Toronto are other icebox cities that are thriving. And realize that Rochester is cold …but can’t compare with the cold of the upper Midwest. But cities like Madison, Wisconsin and Minneapolis are growing because it’s supreme quality of life.

Another convenient excuse when one leaves Rochester is the issue of high taxes! Just about everyone will state the evils of high taxes being the reason for leaving the region…yet they move to another city and most pay twice the Rochester rate for a new home. In essence, our high taxes are neutralized by very low home prices.
So the issues of taxes and weather are the dominate “excuses” for our community but they really hide the true reasons….pessimism, lack of community leadership, conservative/smug attitude, divisive politics, poor community self-image and a lengthy list of failed community projects or initiatives….RenSquare, the total neglect of Midtown Plaza and the downtown district, PAETEC Park, the Hyatt Hotel, Toronto Fast Ferry, High Falls Entertainment District, the $75 million recycling plant (never used), the decision to refurbish the War Memorial Arena rather than build new….etc …etc.

I am sorry, I can’t rationalize this pattern as Mark described it … “Rochester is on the slow but steady track. In the right direction I think”!

And until this pattern changes, I do not see progress.

How do we measure our local leadership; political, business , community or academic ? By almost any measure, we lack the kind of leadership that acutually achieves success for the Rochester community. We have a surplus of organizations that accomplish next to nothing. How many jobs has the Rochester Business Alliance actually created in the private sector? How much investment has the Rochester Downtown Development Corp. actually brough to the downtown ? Has the County Legislature made our communities more efficient and less costly to area taxpayers ? The facts indicate they have all failed. Until Rochester and Monroe County actually gaines the kind of leadership that works and succeeds in bring meaningful change to the area, nothing will improve.

Initially, I believe that Austin's diversity is what attracts young people. There is something unusual, interesting, intriguing about the place. I grew up in Dallas, attended the University of Texas and began working in Austin in 2006. I moved to Rochester two years ago for grad school, and although I have learned to appreciate the differences between my life here versus my life in Texas, there is no place I would rather be than Austin. I am young and my views may be somewhat superficial; however, I have recently been a part of that culture down in Austin...the music, the year-round outdoor activities, the extremely large university, and so many different kinds of people - and ideas. For young adults, there is a promise of novelty in Austin - something new is always around the corner. Rochester is a great place to be, but I feel that it lacks the culture and personality that makes Austin - and cities like D.C., Denver, and Chicago - so special.

Will P. Condo….I agree with every point your make. In a stagnate/conservative community like Rochester it’s always the same organization and the same leadership posts within these organizations that make all of the regions decision. Ever notice how these leadership posts appear to be “appointments for life”! The same with political positions…it’s so difficult to change an incumbent elected position. Remember Tom Money…the legendary head of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce. During the period when Rochester continued to hemorrhage…Tom Mooney continue to keep his post. I think he kept his post for over 20 years! The same with Downtown Development Corporation. With a free fall of commerce and activity downtown, the same person has its leadership post! How can we change when nothing changes?

There needs a new infusion of new people and new organizations to create the changes we need. An infusion of new money, new residents and a fresh flow of tourism could feed the fuel for change in our region and maybe bring in fresh

rochester99 --
My name is Keith, not Mark.
I'll be saving $22,000 a year in taxes
The home prices for the homes I am looking at are $80-$110 per square foot not twice the price.
Thanks for correcting me, I didn't realize that it wasn't the cold that was driving me away.
You can stay and complain about how terrible the leadership is or you could use your real name to post and start outlining your suggestions for correcting your perceived problems. Maybe some people will agree with you and you will become one of the leaders.

Keith….there are various national companies that evaluate the “total” cost to live in one community vs. another. They just don’t isolate the property taxes…they look at the total spectrum of typical costs for a person. While you pay less in property taxes, you could be paying much more in property insurance, tangible taxes, special taxing districts, maybe a few hundred dollars a year for Auto registration or more dollars for car insurance, water bills …etc. Even though I did exaggerate the rate of housing costs to make a point…there is no doubt housing prices will be much higher than in Rochester. It appears that the “total” cost to live in Rochester is comparable to most fast growing cities in the south and west. We are cheaper than many…and a bit more expensive than others. So isolating just one expense makes no sense and only feeds a negative stereotype about Rochester and New York State.

While you may not like the cold weather in the winter, they could be an equal number of people who hate the oppressive heat and humidity of summer in the south and west portions of the country…or the constant battles with giant cockroaches and fire ants that invade ones home. There are many issues to analyze when determining a choice to live….and to isolate just property taxes is a bit to narrow. But I understand that everyone decides in a different manner.

The point I was making is that there is a negative, narrow, smug and conservative attitude about Rochester that chases people away…and does little to attract new residents and tourists to our region. I just think the issue of taxes and weather are just minor issues in the total picture.

I love the idea of small ferries from Can. and a rail system like the BART in SF (where I am orig. from). It would make Rochester (and surrounding towns) so much more attractive to young adults, visitors and new business (from IKEA to privately owned shops and business districts). It would also solve the winter commute issue- only thing I hate about snow is driving in it! I wish we had a Whole Foods market and can really get behind the idea of being a healthy city period- again an idea that is gaining speed and popularity and will be long standing.