Unlike Byron Brown, Rochester mayor quits using city car
Wants to reduce number of vehicles in take-home fleet
Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy plans to slash the city’s take-home car fleet, and he believes the best place to start is at the top.
“He decided to lead by example and give up his city car,” said Communications Director Gary Walker. “He’s leasing one on his own dime.”
Duffy isn’t using campaign funds, either. “It’s coming out of his pocket,” Walker said.
Duffy turned in his Chevrolet Trailblazer last week. In Buffalo — a city not much larger than Rochester — Mayor Byron W. Brown also has taken steps to slash the number of take-home cars. Unless unions win arbitration fights, 35 city employees who have enjoyed take-home cars at taxpayers’ expense would lose one of City Hall’s more coveted fringe benefits.
But not Brown.
He’s keeping his city-owned 2006 Ford Crown Victoria. He does give up the vehicle when the snow starts to fly — but only so he can use a city-owned 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe.
Brown makes no apologies, insisting his mayoral duties keep him on call 24/7. There’s never a day when he isn’t performing city business after hours, he has repeatedly asserted.
But Rochester’s Duffy is anything but a 9-to-5 mayor, according to his aides. While Duffy will receive reimbursement for mileage he racks up performing business with his personal car, city taxpayers will no longer be footing the tab for his rides back and forth to work.
Brown wouldn’t comment on Duffy’s decision, but he made it clear Thursday that he intends to keep his city vehicle. “I’ve already stated my position. It hasn’t changed,” was all Brown would say. Brown’s communications director said the issue doesn’t merit further debate.
“To get drawn into ongoing and needless discussion about whether the mayor needs a car is silly,” said Peter K. Cutler. “Most people would be stunned to see the complexity and volume of activities that occur on a daily basis.”
Cutler said Brown’s rigorous schedule, which stretches into evenings and weekends, justifies his decision to use a city vehicle. “He’s not going to change his position,” said Cutler. “To do so would be pandering to a minority of people.”
Is Cutler suggesting that Rochester’s mayor is “pandering” to constituents? Not at all, he replied. “It’s [Duffy’s] prerogative to do what he
wants,” Cutler said.
There was a time not long ago when three elected city officials had take-home vehicles. But when Andrew A. SanFilippo was elected comptroller and David A. Franczyk became Common Council president, they both passed up city-owned cars.
Buffalo mayors have been given city vehicles for at least 60 years. But it’s not unprecedented for the city’s top elected leader to pass up such a perk.
Shortly before Joseph Mruk became mayor in 1950, the former jewelry store owner surprised many when he announced he wouldn’t be using a huge Cadillac sedan the city set aside for him.
“I’m going to drive my own car,” Mruk told The Buffalo Evening News. “That same 1949 Ford I used in my campaign.”
Back in 1950 when Mruk was tooling around in his own Ford, Buffalo had more than 580,000 residents. Since then, the city has lost more than half of its population. Of course, some would argue that even as Buffalo’s population continues to shrink, mayors in the 21st century confront far more daunting challenges.
But as gas prices soared beyond $4 a gallon, providing public servants government-owned vehicles has sparked debate.
James Ostrowski, the founder of Free Buffalo, a taxpayer advocacy group, admits the mayor’s take-home vehicle isn’t a “big-ticket” item that would save the city a huge sum if Brown gave it up.
Still, Ostrowski questioned why the mayor needs a city car — not to mention a police lieutenant who provides security and drives the mayor to destinations. Ostrowski noted that County Executive Chris Collins uses his own vehicle –and does his own driving.
Any effort to save money — however small — should be encouraged, Ostrowski said.
“The city is on welfare. Take away the state money, and the city just falls apart,” he said.
