Rochester reporters are used to approaching Mayor Duffy after ribbon-cuttings, press conferences,and at his car in the City Hall parking lot. He’s always gracious and takes time to answer our questions.
Unfortunately for the Rochester media – and by extension, the public - the mayor now has to answer to his running mate’s public relations machine. We hope the past couple days are not an indication of the next five months of campaigning.
It was very disappointing to the mayor’s hometown media that Andrew Cuomo did not give us enough time to get to the Sheraton in Manhattan to cover the announcement that Duffy was his pick for lieutenant governor. Three hours is not enough lead time to get from Rochester to New York City. I happened to make it to the press conference, because we left Rochester at 4 a.m. on a hunch Duffy would be the pick. It could easily have turned into a wild goose chase.
Before the Manhattan presser Cuomo’s aides enthusiastically said they could probably arrange a one-on-one with Duffy following the event. It’s hard for the lone Rochester reporter to ask a multitude of locally-oriented questions in a room full of New York City reporters at a timed press conference.
But after the presser, a security guard blocked me from following the mayor. Cuomo’s campaign spokesman told us to wait while he attempted to arrange an interview. That turned into two hours. I contacted the mayor myself, who immediately responded that he wanted to talk. But Cuomo’s people wouldn’t allow it.
Rochester media who attended the convention also say the mayor was not available for one-on-one questions.
Cuomo’s campaign spokesman, Josh Vlasto, did not return an email seeking answers to questions about the mayor’s limited accessibility.
The statewide media also has concerns Duffy is being shielded.
The New York Times
reported:
“The Cuomo campaign maintained its tight control of information. Mr. Duffy, unavailable for interviews since Mr. Cuomo picked him on Tuesday to be the candidate for lieutenant governor, was surrounded by reporters after the speeches ended. After only briefly fielding questions, he was asked if he and Mr. Cuomo disagreed on anything, and Mr. Duffy responded, “We have not hit one thing that I consider to be any issue of disagreement.”
At that, a nearby Cuomo aide shouted “Shut it down!,” and Mr. Duffy, trying to answer a question about what his portfolio might be as lieutenant governor, was whisked into the kitchen.”The New York Observer has
video of the mayor being rushed into the kitchen.
The mayor’s ascension can be a really positive story for Rochester and Upstate. I would think letting Duffy shine would help Cuomo’s campaign. Would there be the occasional gaffe? Sure, but that’s unavoidable in any closely scrutinized campaign.
Rochesterians have a ton of questions about Duffy’s new role. The mayor told me he’s going to quickly make himself available, and my colleague, Sean Carroll just grabbed him at the airport (Tune in at 5 and 6). I wonder what he thinks of being held back from taking questions. He's operating in a new world, now.
This is only the beginning. We can only hope the media and citizens will have continued access to the mayor throughout the campaign, understanding that he will likely often be away from City Hall. The questions will keep coming, especially with the city about to undergo a major transition.
Cuomo’s aides can’t put a guard at City Hall…right?
