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In the Media » "What's
So 'Stunning' about Nojay's Numbers?"
What's So "Stunning" about Nojay's Numbers?
By Doug Midkiff
Essay from the Perinton-Fairport Post, May 19th, 2004
Reprinted with permission of the author.
What a stretch Curt Smith makes to "spin" the
results of a survey of several candidates seeking to replace
retiring Representative Amo Houghton in the 29th Congressional
District, in his Commentary column for the May 13 edition
of the Messenger Post Newspapers.
In a spinning style more suitable for his presidential speech-writing
days than a suburban newspaper, Smith calls the survey numbers
for Bill Nojay "stunning." He is enthusiastic about
results showing Nojay second only to Kuhl in name recognition.
He fails to mention, if indeed he knows, why Nojay comes
in second.
Nojay recently announced his resignation from the post of
chairman of the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation
Authority. He was appointed chairman in 1996 with the backing
of newly elected County Executive Jack Doyle and County Republican
Chairman Steven Minarick, shortly after Doyle was elected
in 1995.
Nojay, an attorney with Saperston & Day was Doyle's
campaign finance chairman. Doyle and Nojay then overrode
the recruitment efforts of the commissioners of the R-GRTA,
who had already selected a transportation professional for
the job, to have Don Riley, ex-town supervisor of Greece,
with no transportation experience, named head of the Regional
Transit Service. They later brought in Mark Aesch, a member
of the staff of Republican representative Bill Paxon, who
was without a job when Paxon chose not to run again.
In his role as R-GRTA chairman, Nojay has been so aggressive
that he was labeled "a predator" by Rochester Mayor
Bill Johnson. In 1998, using federal funds secured by former
Senator Al D'Amato as "seed money", Nojay began
the project that, with many more infusions of federal taxpayer
dollars, ultimately became the so-called Rochester Central
Station, which is now part of the Rochester Renaissance Project.
According to New York State Comptroller's Audit of the Central
Station project, R-GRTA (read Nojay) spent $313,229 of taxpayer
money for advertising the proposed bus station. Television
viewers became familiar with Nojay's face as he presented
a "smoke and mirrors" digital simulation of the
station, whose price tag gradually increased to a staggering
sum of $58.5 million.
He created his own name recognition at taxpayer expense,
in anticipation that he would run for the job of either Representative
Louise Slaughter or Representative Houghton, depending upon
which retired first. He brushed off the criticism of transportation
and planning professionals, many of whom, including this
writer, claimed it was a waste of taxpayer money. He politicized
the issue, calling his critics lackeys of Representative
Slaughter, who steadfastly refused to support the project.
The Comptroller's audit validated much of the professional
criticism of the project.
In the meantime, the Rochester Downtown Renaissance Plan
has been born, on the questionable premise that federal transportation
funds for the bus station can be leveraged to build other
projects, hence, the plan for the performing arts center
and the MCC technology center. The total price tag is now
estimated to be about $250 million.
I support whole-heartedly the building of the performing
arts center and locating the MCC technology center downtown,
but the $58.5 million bus terminal is a rotten apple that
is literally at the bottom of a barrel of good things for
the community. It is a terrible price to pay to include this
ill-conceived project as part of the effort to revitalize
downtown. It should be taken out of the Renaissance project
before it spoils the others and Bill Nojay should be held
accountable. No wonder he has name recognition.
Doug Midkiff is a retired Kodak transportation
manager and a long-time transportation consultant.
Doug Midkiff
18 Fifth Avenue
Fairport, NY 14450
(585) 388-8375 · Cell (585)746-9664
Email: dmidkiff@rochester.rr.com
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