David R. Roefaro, Mayor

City of Utica, New York

No, Whitney Houston isn't actually in Utica, but everyone is talking about her….

In her April 1986 hit single 'Greatest Love of All' she told people- "I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way."

Here in Utica, there are a lot of people who have proclaimed her to be right. No really, everyone in Utica is either quoting her or singing just like her, and they're doing it while keeping the mindset of children being the future of this city.

Back in May, our office attended the Reverend Franklin J. Upthegrove Celebration at the MLK dream park on South Street, in Utica. It's a yearly gathering to remember one of Utica's great community leaders, Rev. Upthegrove. This year's celebration was a first for me. However, it was also a first for some talented area youth. A number of Proctor High School students were honored for volunteering in the community and making Utica a better place. It was great, amongst those who have been there for years, was a new generation, local teenagers from Proctor High School. One girl sang, another girl recited a poem, and the rest were honored for being good citizens- doing something they weren't obligated to do that made this city better off.

Local community leaders each spoke for a short while and praised the annual gathering. The funny part, practically every speaker was directly quoting Whitney Houston. I too kept with the theme during my turn to speak and asked the crowd, "How Will You Know' when we're doing the right things for our youth in Utica"? I answered my own question by explaining that by honoring our youth, like we did that day, shows them that we're taking notice. It's true. If we want young people to stay here, we have to find out what they're doing and then give them a little praise for it. That was a great day for the City of Utica and our office was happy to be a part of it.

Later, in June, The City of Utica kicked off World Refugee Day. In the pre-planning of that event, The Mayor sat down with city officials and tried to think of ways to make this years celebration different. So, we did some brainstorming and thought of a great way to make our local refugees feel comfortable in the City of Utica.

World Refugee Day didn't officially start until noon, but long before the official kick off, the City of Utica was giving tours. No, they weren't just of City Hall. Mayor Roefaro put together tours of the police station and Utica City Court. We had so many different people, from so many different parts of the world, taking the UPD bus for tours. This was a huge turning point for many of the refugees, because at first they were hesitant. I spoke with one man from Burma. He explained to me that he is usually a little apprehensive of those in uniform, but that this was a great idea. He said that he was going to tell his family all about it.

The Mayor, myself, and a lot of other City Hall staff had a great time that day. The Mayor presented a proclamation to Peter Vogelaar, the Director for the Mohawk Valley Center for Refugees, that will be placed in the center. If you didn't go- Go next year, because between the music, the food, and all the different cultures, it's like Epcot Center in Utica (minus the entrance fee).

A few weeks later, the City of Utica joined forces with the Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency on South and Miller Streets in Utica. We've met with them regularly since Mayor Roefaro took office. They do a lot of good for the local children of Utica. They do more than most people think. They serve all children. The teachers are selfless and the entire operation helps out families that would never be able to afford this special care. It's amazing that this facility is in Utica. First, it's incredibly clean. The whole place is spotless. For a building that houses a ton of pre-school aged children. I never see one mess when I am there. Second, the teachers and the aides are all about those kids.

The agency came to us in February and was looking to do something they had never done before. They needed a little help from the City and weren't too sure that they could actually pull off their idea. Well, if you don't know, nothing is impossible here. Mayor Roefaro is all about getting things done, and that's what we did for M.V.C.A.A and their Head Start organization.

We put together an event called the "Cultural Fair". However, the agency should get most of the credit for their creativity. Outside of the South Street location that day, was a tent. Under the tent was elaborate art, decorations, posters, and stories from the following countries: AFRICA, BOSNIA, BULGARIA, CHINA, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, ENGLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, HAITI, HOLLAND, INDIA, IRELAND, ITALY, POLAND, PUERTO-RICO, RUSSIA, SAUDI ARABIA, SOMALIA, SPAIN, UKRAINE, THE UNITED STATES, and VIETNAM. Sound like a lot? It was! The best part, there were kids representing each country, ready to spit out countless facts, once you asked a question.

On the other side of the building (or the other side of the globe, as they deemed it) there was a band playing in one of our city band shells. They were incredible. They were all in their early teens, and were playing songs from all the different countries.

Inside, amidst the plentiful goldfish crackers and juice, was an area set aside for community readers. Each book told a story from a different country. I was one of the readers. I sat down on a chair that was three sizes too small for me. I searched through the books for a while asking the room full of children some questions. I asked a lot of them what books they liked, and then I asked one little girl what she wanted to be when she grew up. What do you think she said? Yup, she replied, "Whitney Houston". I'm not joking!!!  Apparently that four year old was a big fan, according to mom.

It was a true example of something positive in this city taking place. It was probably one of the most positive and profound things going on right in Cornhill in a long time, and we should all be very proud. The City of Utica can't wait for next year. We're going to make sure it gets the advertisement it deserves.

Finally, last Friday night I went to the Highway Deliverance Church at 1705 Whitesboro Street. I arrived at 8pm. The Mayor was honoring Pastor Darren L. Page for being one of the most self righteous pastors in our area, and it's true, I met him.

I sat down, right in the front row. All of the sudden, it was like I was at a Broadway play, 10-12 teenage girls started to sing in chorus. I'm not just saying it. It was amazing. I told one of the women sitting next to me how impressive this was and she replied, "Would you believe we have something like this in Utica"? No, that's the point. Who would have ever thought?  I sat there in awe as a chorus of talented young people put even the best gospel choirs to shame, and maybe… even Whitney Houston herself?

I left the church that night at midnight. I learned a lot about the members and I'll venture to say, I'll be back soon.

Bottom line, we're making a lot of headway in this city- all of us. And there is a tremendous amount of positive things happening every day. Really, it's hard to be bored. I think when people say they're bored; they are more tired of doing the SAME things. Get out, and do something DIFFERENT. We've got a vastly rich community, and NO, the young people aren't 'all gone'. In the past two months, during all these events, it was young people leading the charge. It was young people begging us to take notice.

So, go outside Utica. Open your eyes a little. Take a day or two and do something HERE, which you've never done before. Just don't say, 'I Have Nothing'.

This was just some 'food for thought' from Angelo Roefaro