FROM THE PUBLISHER: Mayor Delivers Jokes When Message of Unity is Called For

I have to admit, as I walked around the drying cement outside the Sun office to attend the Investiture Ceremony of President Dr. Denise Battles, I was (and still am) incredibly hopeful and optimistic about what she will undoubtedly bring to the community.  Battles shows leadership and a refreshing attitude towards fostering the relationship between town and college, two communities that must of necessity coexist.

Village of Geneseo Mayor Richard Hatheway, who was invited to speak on behalf of the community to welcome the new president, sat behind her on the stage in his full academia regalia.  However, Mayor Hatheway, who also leads the annual Teddy Bear parade dressed in with his top hat and half of tuxedo, seems to have confused that event with this one.  When it was his turn to speak, ostensibly for the serious matter of welcoming the new President to the community, he lapsed into what can only be described as a half-baked attempt at stand-up comedy. After a sentence or two of standard welcoming language, his remarks consisted mainly of a not-very-funny jokes and one-liners that mostly depicted the Village of Geneseo as having experienced a debacle of a summer full of angry villagers laden with discontent.

“‘Walking on main street in Geneseo is like stepping into a vintage postcard,” stated the mayor quoting an article and then continuing with his own speech. “It is readily apparent of that the author of that glowing description was not around in the summer of 2015.While we refer to it as our summer of discontent.”

The jokes got worse.

Keep in mind, the relationship between the community and the University is far from smooth, and hopefully with President Battles’ new leadership, legitimate progress can be made. Two summers ago, a young man living in a frat house lost his life as a result of a drug overdose.  As a result of his death the Village passed a social host law that is designed to curb underage drinking by arresting those responsible for hosting the party. To say we have a rich history of  the University and the Community having worked together shows an absolute disconnect with the reality of the community in which we live. We absolutely have our moments of all going well, but we also have great gaps when it comes down to everyone being on the same page.

The fact that the Mayor was invited to speak at this event was an honor, and a demonstration of the positive intentions of SUNY Geneseo wanting to build stronger ties with our community.

The Mayor, unfortunately, did not rise to the occasion. Referencing “an ancient leaking water main,” bulldozers, and constant dust, the most lofty language the Mayor could muster was to say, “a common expression notes that a road to wherever is paved with good intentions. In that case, the road between 15 main street and Doty Hall was not paved at all.”

The audience, for some reason, laughed and slapped their knees. I sat in the back, letting his words crawl under my skin. It’s been a difficult summer in the village. Businesses have lost out on significant revenue. We lost a historic structure as a result of dangerous fire in which, luckily, no one was injured. We now have a vacant lot on Main Street that awaits an unknown future.  The mayor feels that, in a serious public forum, jokes about our pains as business owners and residents are appropriate.

“So madam President,” he said, “We have nowhere to go but up. You have seen us at rock bottom.”

In all fairness to the Mayor, there were some solid points in his remarks, but they were clearly overshadowed by his decision to use slapstick ‘aw shucks’ humor at the epicenter of a new era for SUNY Geneseo.

But for those of us that have had to cope with the year’s challenges and the mismanagement of the construction project in particular, and who take things like quality of life and community pride seriously, it’s no laughing matter. The dust has barely settled from the incomplete construction project and the Mayor chose to use the stage to make light of the stress in which his mismanagement caused business owners, community members and customers in Geneseo grief. We know that President Battles is in the right place at the right time. However, the Mayor choose the wrong place and the wrong time for his ‘aw shucks’ humor.