David R. Roefaro, Mayor

City of Utica, New York

   First time Mayor sets precedent after month in office

When Utica Mayor David R. Roefaro was running for office his platform was all about bringing people together. In fact, the slogan for the Roefaro campaign could be seen on lawns across the city: "We're in this together." Whether it was in debate or while canvassing a particular neighborhood; Roefaro always seemed to inspire whoever it was that witnessed his cooperative mindset. Now, roughly fifty days into office, Mayor Roefaro has proven that he can not only bring people together, but that he can bring almost one-thousand people to Utica's Public Library.

The Mayor's Charity Ball, at first, was something the Mayor's wife, Cindy Roefaro, had said she wanted to do if her husband was elected. However, it wasn't until he actually did win that she put her party planning skills to the test. "I knew I wanted to plan something this community had never seen before." "I wanted to light a fire under our community," she said. With those aspirations, Utica's first lady not only topped her expectations for the event; she made it one for the record books.

The first lady attracted the in-kind services of over fifty local food vendors. These businesses, which included many local vendors, contributed over $50,000 in food and beverages for the event. The response to the event was something Mayor Roefaro had never expected. He said, in a release sent out to local media, "The response to the ball has just astonished us." In fact, the ball was originally set to sell out after 500 tickets, but that amount was surpassed when nearly one-thousand people came through the doors.

In the nights leading up to the Ball, the planning committee had already accounted for over $10,000 in donations from businesses and people who wanted to give something more. Nearly forty people contributed gifts for a Chinese Auction, in addition to purchasing tickets for the event. The auction itself raised over $10,000 for the Ball. 

As one would expect, Saturday, February 2, 2008 was a true renaissance evening for the City of Utica. The Utica Public Library was transformed by  flowers, decorations, and the hustle and bustle of people. One attendee, Jane Fitzgerald said, "I have never seen anything like this before." The 23 year- old South Utica resident praised Mayor Roefaro and his wife for attracting so many young people to the event. "So many of my friends were talking about this," she said. The Mayor's ball also featured music from the Utica Symphony, and local band Playin' Again. One band member, James Cittadino said, "I can't believe they put this together after only a month in office."

Certainly, the short time in which the event was put together not only set records for the administration, but also for the Utica Public Library. When all the money was counted, Children's Programming at the Utica Public Library will benefit from an additional $54,085.03 in funds. Moreover, the library saw the largest fund raising event in its one-hundred year history. In fact, Utica, NY can boast of the largest fundraising event of this kind in all of Upstate NY.

Mayor Roefaro presented the proceeds in a February 26, 2008 press conference. He applauded the committee, the donors, and of course, his wife. He said, "The mindset of 'We're In This Together' truly works well for all of us. I couldn't be more delighted to present this check for our local children." Mayor Roefaro's wife Cindy also spoke and summed up her plans for the future quite well, stating, "The best is yet to come."

ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT:

Angelo Roefaro

Public Relations

Office: 315.792.0100

Cell: 315.534.0235