One of my campaign flyers is going to say, ‘Rochester was named 39th Best Place in the United States to Live,’ by Money Magazine in 2005, Rochester Councilman Thomas Werth said. ‘Why change?’- Councilman Tom Werth

Councilman Tom Werth says that one of the reasons he should be re-elected is because the City of Rochester was listed on the 2005 Money magazine list of “Best American Cities to Live In”.

Councilman Werth never mentions that Rochester was not on the 2006 Money Magazine list. Furthermore, almost as if they had planned it that way, early this morning Money magazine released their 2007 version of “America’s Best Places to Live“. The list is current and includes the top 100 cities that have everything any family could want - economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a sense of community. Not only is Rochester not number 39 on the list, but our city has fallen completely off the list. Gone. But Councilman Werth wants to live in the past. And that, my friends, is one of the main problems with elected officials who have been in office for thrity-four years.

I would certainly not suggest that the city council or Tom Werth are responsible for this slide. On the other hand, if I was a city councilman I would never take credit for the 2005 award, either. The “government” is not the community. The “community” is the community and the people (both business people and residential people) are what make the community great. Government produces nothing, but is necessary for organization purposes and to provide for our safety, health etc.

Rochester is a great place to live not *because* of our government, but in *spite* of it. This is not meant to be a commentary on the individuals who make up our current city council, because the statement would be true regardless of who occupies the council seats. As long as the citizens/taxpayers are mindful that government works for the citizens, and not the other way around, Rochester can continue to excel as one of the best places to live and raise a family.

Stop the presses! I guess it’s time for Councilman Werth to print some new campaign flyers.

This entry was posted Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 2:41 pm and is filed under Campaigning. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.