My Mayor, My Lovely

My Mayor, My Lovely

I apologize for the length of this blog. I had so much to say…

We are truly living in some tumultuous times. Local, state, national and world citizens are under siege – some more than others.  No need for me to detail the events in Rochester over the last 10 days. National media has covered it extensively! Instead of writing about the cold-blooded murder of Daniel Prude in Rochester, we all know the story, I want to share my story, my professional and personal relationship with My Mayor, My Lovely….

I was going to list some of her accomplishments like:

Public Market enhancements, Apartment projects the Stadium Estates, Charlotte Square, Winton Gardens and the Southeast and EL Towers, Inner Loop completion and groundbreaking the La Marketa project. Created and/or Supported the Commission on Racial and Structural Equity, Police Body Worn Cameras, ROC Holiday Village, Free Tax Filing, ended the Red-Light Camera program

If I compiled a complete list of everything Mayor Warren has done for Rochester, I would be here for days! The things I have listed above are just from the last year alone! I decided to go in another direction. I would like to share with you what I have personally witnessed

I moved back to Rochester from Phoenix in 2008. I worked several part-time jobs in different arenas but kept my eyes open for other opportunities.  A friend told me that City Council-Elect Loretta Scott was looking for a Legislative Aide and thought I would be a perfect fit. Starting on January 1, 2010, I was now a City employee.

At the time, Mayor Warren was City Council President, the youngest person to ever hold that office. I attended multiple meetings every week and I was extremely impressed with her knowledge on so many issues. She always had second and third level questions for meeting attendees to ensure she was totally advised.  Since I was so new, I stayed in the background and wrote my questions down to ask later so I would not disrupt the meeting. I was coming from a Fortune 500 company and some non-profit experience, so all of this was new territory for me. The first person to ask me how things were going was Lovely.

Lovely invited me to dinner to get to know each other. She wanted to know all about me. Where I grew up, what schools I went to and where I had worked. She shared the make up of the Council, complete with backgrounds on each member as well as the expectations for Legislative Aides. She told me her door was always open if I ever had any questions or needed anything, don’t hesitate to ask.  That was the first of many 1 on 1’s I had with her.

Then there was the time that I wanted to find a mentor for my niece Khadija. I knew how talented she was and was taking it to the next level, but needed someone with Rochester experience, someone closer to her age and someone I trusted to give my niece solid advice. Lovely told me to set up lunch with the three of us. As we broke bread, she shared tons of information, ideas and mentored my niece (I learned a lot that day too). She gave Khadija her card and told her to call if she needed anything. That was the start of their relationship that is still going strong today! If you live in the City of Rochester, you know the great things Khadija Yawn has done.

And then there was the time when friends held a fundraiser for me. I had not worked in over a year because of a back injury and subsequent spine surgeries. Mayor Warren had been up two days straight dealing with the killing of 3 young men outside of the Boys and Girls Club. She was exhausted, but Lovely came to my fundraiser! I would be wrong if I said she did it because she is my friend. She does the same thing for many, many others! She is the People’s Mayor.

Lovely continues to look out for the Rochester community. I have witnessed her work tirelessly. Not just for the rich, for all – people that had been overlooked in the past from Mayor’s Duffy and Richards. How many times have you seen either of them in the community? They would show up for special occasions (sometimes) or election time.  It is hard to believe Mayor Warren even sleeps. She shows up to every event, church service, schools, recreation centers, senior centers, etc. Where does she get her energy? She has supported ALL PEOPLE of Rochester. Not just the rich/white.  Also, she does not bite her tongue when something goes wrong, including calling out police brutality. She will also say she is wrong.

We are going through some devastating times in our world. A pandemic, economic hardship, an idiot at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in DC calling the shots and record numbers of police involved murders of black and brown people. Our nation sprung into action to protest the murder of George Floyd! Protests were held all over the country demanding justice for George.  But before his death, on March 23, 2020, something happened on the streets of Rochester New York that we only learned about last week.  Members of Rochester Police Department murdered Daniel Prude on Jefferson Ave.  We have all seen the horrific body worn camera footage. He was obviously experiencing a mental health episode, naked, on the freezing cold ground as snow fell from the sky and following commands from the officers. The officers stood watch and did not get him off the ground as they joked. After a spit hood was put over his head, he tried to stand up. Never getting his feet on the ground, the officers pinned him down, one who held him down with a 3-point push up on his head!! We know the rest……….

One thing I would never do is lie about injustice of a human being, no matter who it involved. Wrong is wrong. I believe the entire situation was handled poorly. The timeline of events varies. The mayor, police chief, police union, city council, attorney general and DA all have their version of the story. We may never know the truth. Do I think there was a cover up? Maybe. Do we know who led the charge? No. I think one thing we can all agree on is that this can never happen again! People have told me I was wrong to support Mayor Warren. They say I am only supporting her because she is my friend. That is not accurate at all. For those who know me, know that I call things the way I see them. There’s an old saying that goes, “be careful what you ask for because you might just get it!” Do you want to go back to the days that WE did not count? Mayor Warren must remain in office to continue her work! I no longer live in Rochester, but the ROC will always have my heart!

One thing I will not do is turn my back on My Mayor, My Lovely. You should not either!

To see your Mayor and all her accomplishments, go to the City of Rochester Photo Gallery: https://cityofrochester.smugmug.com/

My heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Daniel Prude!

Mayor Lovely A. Warren has made The Dean’s List