Seems Like Old Times

Yesterday was Mayor Gallo's campaign announcement held at the Kings Inn parking lot.  I couldn't hear much from the speech because there was a ton of feedback from the sound system and the traffic tended to drown out most of the speech.  I missed the announcement four years ago at Kings Inn, but was horrified by the all-in-black thug photo-spread, just shy of jackboots (had I just listened to my gut instinct then...).  This time around he was buffered in by friendly seniors and his mother.  It was chilly but the mood was much warmer.  The crowd of more than 100 was diverse; a good turnout from Midtown, good friends from labor, city employees, and anybody hoping to business with the city and stay on the mayor's good side.   

I naively assumed there was going to be some big development announcement.  Let's think about this.  In four years we have an empty parking lot in the heart of the city, albeit with some nice benches and greenery.  It is across from a mysterious "spa," empty storefronts, and around the corner from a ratty Welcome to Midtown sign flanked by a dead tree.  There is the failed abandoned Bank of America building that remains vacant just a few doors up.  To be sure, there are some bright spots along the Broadway corridor that have popped up in the past few years like the Anchor which arguably has the best burgers in town, the Art Bar, Kingston Lighting, and the new snazzy new Barber Shop on the corner of Cedar Street.  Can we say this is due in part to the mayor?  That would seem to be overly generous.   

So now we have two announced Democrats.  I'll give the advantage to Gallo in the hair department, but Steve Noble had far superior refreshments.  Maybe more people could hear what Steve had to say since it was indoors at Tony's Pizza, also in Midtown, but there were many more pauses for applause and his message was positive.  As a longtime participant and observer in politics, I really like what I saw in the audience; no shortage of community minded do-gooders and a bunch of people who I have never met.  If you are looking for change bringing fresh faces into the dialogue seems like an obvious first move.