Stainton fever
To paraphrase the great Bruce Dickenson, “I’ve got a fever and the only prescription is more Andrew Stainton news.”
Our friends over at DragonFlyEye have discovered that Andrew Stainton wrote an article titled “Rethinking the Loop” that appeared in the D&C in October, 2006 (the link, via MCC, doesn’t work, however).
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I’ve never been able to figure this one out: why did SNL use the name Bruce Dickinson for the producer? I mean, I hate to be a stickler, but the producers of that album, Agents of Fortune, were Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman, and David Lucas. Meanwhile, Bruce Dickinson was the lead singer of Iron Maiden.
Did they mean to be funny by putting the name of one metal lead singer into a skit about another metal band? Christopher Walken is long leagues from looking a damned thing like Bruce Dickenson.
OK, so I’m a bit of a music geek. . . .
He’s a founder of the Rochester Peak Oil Action Network.
From a 3/26/2006 D&C article, titled “‘Gold rush’ for biofuel plants beginning upstate”
I’m guessing that he’s read Heinberg and Kunstler; you should too.
According to Bob Smith (who has unfortunate initials,) Stainton claims that “…the high cost of car ownership is driving young people away from the Rochester area.”
I’m all for investing in non-car transportation. I think that a walkable city with good public transport is a great thing to work towards. I believe that, after 50 years of unchecked suburban development, it’s time to focus on our city. Too, I think that young people often leave Rochester for denser, more urban cities where they can live car-free. A big part of my personal politics is the conviction that we should be moving towards fewer roads, not more.
BUT, it’s not that the cost of car ownership is higher here in Rochester. It’s that it’s virtually impossible to live without a car here; cars are a necessity, not a choice. Maybe Bob Smith mangled the wording on that. Or maybe Mr. Stainton needs some help with his rhetoric.
I might be able to support Mr. Stainton. He needs to really understand this: the idea that we should all work together to make Rochester a MORE urban place is a really tough sell to suburbanites. It threatens their identity and makes them question their lifestyle choice. He’s got to find a way to discuss these ideas without challenging the virtue of people who, by circumstance, use an automobile every single day. If you alienate drivers and suburbanites, you’ve lost the argument and the election.
Oh, he’s a Swedger, too. Bonus point.
Sadly, the only people that could beat Maggie Brooks are Bob Duffy, Tom Golisano, and possibly Arunas Chesonis. Jesus too. Andy Stainton is just playing the lovable loser role that Chris Maj assumed in the Mayor’s race a couple of years ago. While I’m sure he has many great ideas, from what I’ve seen of him at public meetings, he is not County Executive material. Then again, Bush is President and Kuhl is in Congress, so anything is possible.
“We believe there are concrete steps that the county could be making to lower transportation costs for all households in Monroe County,†Stainton said. “The centerpiece of our proposal is a commuter line that would run from Brockport to Fairport and through downtown.”