With three weeks to go, Mayor Julian sits down with Mayor-elect Roefaro
By
Dave Dellecese
Story Created:
Dec 12, 2007 at 11:37 AM EST
Story Updated:
Dec 12, 2007 at 12:18 PM EST
UTICA - In just three weeks Utica Mayor-Elect David Roefaro will move into City Hall, but not before meeting with current Mayor Tim Julian to learn the ins and outs of city operations.
What was supposed to be a 15 minute meeting on Friday turned into a two to three hour meeting. But, according to Mayor Julian, Roefaro said he didn't learn anything new.
The phones in the Mayor's office have stopped ringing, and the shelves are bare. But on Friday, the two gentlemen sat down and discussed what it takes to be mayor.
Julian explained to him that the friends he walks into the office with will be the friends he walks out with, but that it doesn't matter who you surround yourself with, the responsibility still falls in the lap of the mayor.
Julian not only explained the day to day operations, but also how to handle yourself in public and home - because his life is no longer his own.
Mayor Julian makes it clear that being a council member doesn't prepare someone to be mayor. Julian said no one offered him any advice when he first took office, and he knows how much that would have helped him.
"I offered advice about the people around him and some people he looks at at hiring," Julian said. "Basically the only thing that changes about disloyal people is who they are disloyal to I think that's pretty good advice."
When asked if he was worried for the city now that he won't be in office, Julian didn't say the Roefaro Administration is a bad administration, but that the city has survived bad administrations before.
David Roefaro will be the City of Utica's 75th mayor.
