Jack Doyle -- 16 January 2003

>> Just ahead on "need to know," county executive jack Doyle is
here and speak in his own words about the past eight years and
what he plans to do now that he's decided to step away from the
county office building.-
And the city of Brockport's long legacy of capturing the
thoughts of great writers.-
The weekly edition of the business section with the "democrat
and chronicle."-
That's next on "need to know."-

>> Plus, while I'm grateful and humbled by the trust the
community has placed in me and thankful for the successes have
shared together, I have made the decision I will not seek
re-election of county executive.-

>> This is "need to know," the Rochester area's only in depth
news program.-
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[captioning made possible by the u.s. department of education]-
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>> Thank you for joining us.-
I'm Michael Caputo.-
Jack Doyle has been a fixture in Monroe county politics for
years.-
He began his political career as a democrat and worked for the
city government, becoming corporation council.-
As a Republican, he worked as county attorney.-
He moved to the bench, served 10 years as the state Supreme
Court judge.-
Then in 1995, he was appointed county executive when bob king
left to join the Pataki administration.-
He won two term t first person to win the election and
re-election to the job of county executive.-
But a few weeks ago, jack Doyle said he would not seek a third
term.-
Now with us is the Monroe county executive of Monroe county.-
Jack Doyle, thanks for being with us.-

>> Thank you, mike.-

>> Every official would like to have a legacy.-
What's your legacy, sir?-
-
>> Well, as I pointed out on other programs, I'm not into the
legacy thing all that much to be honest with you.-
I've tried to do what's good for the community.-
I live in the community.-
I will live in the community.-
My family lived in the community.-
My father practiced law here for 50 years.-
My -- if you want to call it a legacy is trying to work with a
community that do good thing, to help the business community.-
And when it was very unpopular or people couldn't figure out
what I was talking about to talk about the community image and
why we were disparaging ourselves, the place where we live
where our kids grew up and so on -- talk about image building
and people feeling better in the community in which they live
and where the kids are going to hopefully live.-

>> At the press conference where you said you were not going to
run for a third term -- everybody talks about your style, jack,
everybody says you have an aggressive style.-

>> I'm the most laid back guy in the world.-

>> You talk about being aggressive.-
You said in terms of being aggressive for the voters who voted
you in for your constituents or for the policies that you
believe in.-
Is that accurate?-
-

>> Well, I think it is.-
Maybe it's a bit of a euphemism.-
You get carried away at the press conferences.-
Overall I think that's been my effort to help the community, to
help the small businesses.-
During my tenure t community and the economy has gone through a
total met more fuss from a total manufacturing base, happened
before I got in office.-
To a more high technology center.-
We lost thousands and thousands of jobs from our big
companies.-
We haven't lost population.-
We grew population.-
The only county in the entire upstate New York, north of
Westchester county that had real growth in the economy.-
So we haven't lost jobs, but there's been a total change,
transition.-
And I've been out to hundreds of small companies and talked to
entrepreneurs, people who have started up new businesses,
spinoffs, and so on.-
They are the major employers today.-
We try to help them.-
We try to help them through the industrial development agency,
through the empire zone, through lots of economic initiative
where is we had economic summits.-
I've gotten the chamber of commerce and the industrial
management council to work together to take over the workforce
investment board because I told them I wouldn't let them do
that unless they got their act together and stopped fighting
amongst themselves and they've merged.-
-
>> You talk about stepping up to the plate.-
What I'd like to get at is leadership.-
Does the leadership entail being tough, being aggressive?-

>> Leadership means taking on tough issues even though they may
not be popular at first.-
When I wanted to undo the executive association where the
executive director was sung himself in the south of France and
the 75 board member didn't know what was going on.-
I said this has got to change.-
This is economic development.-

>> You got way too involved.-
-
>> Not only that, you said what are you talking about?-
This sells conventions.-
How can you talk about them selling economic development?-
The newspaper said that constantly.-
That was a drum beat for over a year.-
Nobody understood what I was talking about.-
What I was saying is this organization has the ability to reach
out, talk about community image, talk about community image
building and to be able to reach out and sell people on the
community.-
We don't sell a bed to them.-
We sell them a home and make them come here and work here and
move their company here.-
That's what it was all about.-
It finally donned on some people after a while, I'll take
credit for two things -- the community issue, talking good
about the community.-
Trying to get economic development on the forefront by using
all of the assets we have in the community to do it.-
The water authority is another one I got beat up on and the
region transit authority.-
They've been successful.-
-
>> Do you ever feel you were too excessive at times in the last
eight years?-
-
>> Well, sometimes.-
Yes.-
-
>> Like when?-
-
>> Well, I have a hard time thinking about what it would be.-
But I'll give you a generic guess if that makes you happy.-
-
>> Today's newspapers, there's a headline that says it was this
time around downgraded the Monroe county bond.-
Now, what -- I'd like to ask you is does this have to do with
they cite not enough revenue.-
That gets back to the issue of taxes.-
Is that the balance -- there's not enough revenue coming in
that needs to be increased taxes, I guess?-
-
>> I have it right here in my pocket.-
I'll pull it out.-
But the truth is I was down with Fitch on Tuesday in New York
City.-
We spent most of the day with them -- with them and the
advisors on wall street.-
What -- what they say is there is a structural imbalance with
the blue ribbon commission chair by Tom Richardson and which
others have said also.-
It's true for all county governments.-
There's not enough revenue coming in for the expenditures
expected.-
The expenditures are on the state mandated side of the issue.-
It's one ear and out the other for Medicaid.-
No one know what is Medicaid is.-
It's crushing us to the point where we don't have discretionary
money in the things in the community, the parks, X.X.I., things
that are not mandated, available revenues are being destroyed.-
And we are being crushed by Medicaid programs, state mandated
programs, expansion and enrichment of the Medicaid program in
New York where the state said on Tuesday they're cutting back
on Medicaid benefits and cutting back because the program is
out of control.-
New York is enriching the program.-
They're pushing the cost to the local taxpayer.-
We have failed to make the connection between our local
taxpayer that is the action of the state legislature is driving
us and driving local government such as the counties which are
the agents of the state for human services into this
predicament.-
They recognize that, but they have said the state's never going
to change.-
You're on your own and you have to figure out how to salvage
yourself from this mess.-
-
>> That means raise taxes at least partially, right?-
-
>> No, no.-
What I said to them Tuesday was what you have to understand is
we're right sizing this government to fit the economy and what
we have in the community today.-
We brought down our consultant from Peter palermo to outline
how we're going to cut 15% out of the $200 million we spent of
local dollars on human services .-
that's the $30 million piece in the 2003 budget.-
They were skeptical about it.-
They didn't think it was going to happen.-
We pointed out it's probably going to be more than $30
million.-
If we can't pull out 15 million -- 15% of $200 million, there's
something wrong with us.-
We're going to do it.-
-
>> Mandates -- you said you failed to sort of make the
connection, I think what you're trying to say -- you haven't
communicated the impact of mandate, but also mandates are
something that comes down from the state and federal government
where Pataki has been in office eight years.-
Have you failed to communicate to the Governor what his
policies are doing to the county?-
-
>> It's not always the Governor.-
He's the main focal point being the executive.-
But the truth is that it's the state legislature.-
The assembly and the Senate.-
We saw just the other day in the newspaper again a survey that
was done that the Senate is -- has much largess as the New York
state assembly which is primarily from New York City, you can
expect it from that.-
The Senate represents the rest of New York, the rest of New
York.-
But they have as much largess in spending as the state
assembly.-
They take credit for the programs.-
Special projects -- issue pork barrel projects and spend money
and have their names up on baseball parks an skating rinks and
so on.-
-
>> Even a senator locally that has a name on ---

>> Really?-
I wasn't familiar with that.-

>> The truth is, mike, the truth is this -- the old days -- I
used to deal with the state legislature t state legislators
worked at the behest of the local community and elected local
leadership for community-oriented projects that were important to
the overall community.-
Today majority members in both houses have large amounts of
member items, millions of dollars of member I want tell that is
they can spend in any way they wish, projects in their district
that they determine are good for them.-
And there enlies the difference.-
Community projects are pushed down the scale because they're
not as important to them as their projects are to them.-
You get the picture?-
-
>> Sure, I get the picture.-
-
>> It's a big change, a big change.-

>> You are a Republican county executive.-
There are democratic county executives across the state.-
Democrats control the assembly.-
The Republicans control the state Senate.-
Often it's very difficult for someone like you or even in the
position of democratic county executive to argue against these
policies.-
How do you do it without sort of getting, you know, without
crossing the political line and making enemies in your own
party?-
-
>> Well -- well -- we had a meeting in Albany just the other
day, just before the Governor's state of the state message --
mayor bloomberg came.-
My counter parts from all of the big counties came.-
We're the fifth largest county in New York.-
Suffolk county was there.-
Nassau county, Westchester county, erie county, ourself.-
A lot of the other smaller counties were there.-
Whether they're democrats and Republicans, the message is the
same.-
The burden pushed on us by the state government is question
enough.-
I'm going to give you an example.-
A big human cry about the cost of defense services about a
council in the state and the rates have not changed for 17 or
18 years.-
There was a proposal to have the state pass an increase, a fare
increase so, this wouldn't be a burden to those who are provide
ago criminal defense which is critical to the criminal justice
system, and yet had the state pick up a large part of that.-
That failed.-
What's going to happen now is that a federal court judge in New
York City is going to make the decision -- he's going mandate
the rate, probably at $90 an hour, which will add $2 million to
$3 million to our additional costs.-
We're on to a conflict of the public defenders office.-
There's an example of when push comes to shove of advocating
some responsibility, and, of course, the federal judge is going
to say you, the counties, the localities are obligated to pay
and the state will take a powder on it.-
It's another example of a mandate that slips by that the state
has nothing to do with, pushed straight on down to the local
level and we're stuck with the bill.-
-
>> When has the state legislature stood in the way of something
I know you want to get done.-
I'm guessing it will be a priority in your last year, the
juvenile justice center needs state change.-
It would need help I would assume in funding.-
How has the state legislature blocked that?-
-
>> They haven't blocked it.-
A number of concerns on the assembly side that it's just
another jail.-
We tried to point out to the Senate that this is a positive
thing.-
We tried to point out to the Governor and his staff, the chief
of staff, john Kay hill.-
This is something positive.-
The Governor could have a legacy based on this more juvenile
crime in America this.-
is the solution to the problem, we believe.-
We have got support nationwide for this concept.-
We've developed this concept.-
But those are caught up in the culture.-
The culture of -- it's a jail, we're not going to do it.-
We lock people up.-
We're trying to save young lives and make productive citizens
in the community and make the community also because at the
present time those who go into the state system come back with a
recidivism rate at 75%, recidivism meaning they come back, they
create more crime, then they go into the adult system.-
The adult system in New York when you're 16 years of age.-
So the system is a total failure.-
It's costing us tremendous amounts of money, both the state and
ourselves, and it's a failure.-
But to try to get people to understand and make changes not
easy.-
So we have an alternative methodology we're working on.-
>> Number one priority -- alternative method doling?-
-
>> I knew -- methodology?-
-
>> I knew that would get you.-

>> We're working on a way to move it forward.-

>> How does that work?-
-
>> I can't tell you right now.-

>> Give me a hint?-
-
>> We trimmed $6 million off the costs.-
We believe we could do it -- if we can convince the state, we
can do it administratively.-

>> Rather than go and change the laws?-
-
>> Yes.-
Make the state a partner rather than us assuming the burden --
the duties of the state.-
That would be the difference.-
-
>> Let's talk about the comment -- if there's any other way to
put it, I don't know.-
If there was a mayor to look like me, it would be a different
landscape.-
That was the quote.-
And the rest of the quote talks about a Republican mayor.-

>> What the rest of the quote failed to put in parenthesis.-
-
>> What I meant to say -- he left that out very purposely.-
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>> What do you mean?-
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>> I'm looking ate with my lawyers.-
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>> What you mean?-
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>> I can't go into that.-
>> What do you say of your political opponents who criticized
you for this?-
-
>> My political opponents are quick to throw any card they
can.-
Periodically they pull out a race card and throw it when they
can.-
I think that's unfortunate.-
I obvious didn't mean that.-
A person who looks like me a fiscal conservative, a hands-on
manager, not a guy looking at the 100,000 foot level, a person
is involved, a person who understands what needs to be done.-
It was unfair.-
This Molly Clifford t new democratic leader immediately jumped
on that.-
She's very -- she's looking to make her mark.-
Very unfair.-
But one that hurt me the most was Mr. Gant.-
Mr. Gant and I have been friends for 30 years.-
David Gant knows I'm not a racist.-
We've had a lot of discussions about race.-
He knows -- I was going to go to lunch with him the next day to
talk about a number of things.-
He could have put the whole thing to rest.-
He threw gas on the fire.-
He has to assert himself in the assembly delegation to be the
main man because others are trying to knock him down.-
So he's constantly trying to do things, I think, that make him
look more strong or stronger and more powerful within the
delegation.-
Why he did it, I don't know.-
But it was unfortunate like this.-
-
>> Do you think you could have put this thing to bed by say,
look, it's a slip of the tongue, I didn't mean it that way.-
Would that be the way to go?-
-
>> I explained it very clearly, when the reporter, your
successor, did you say racist?-
I said no, I mean politics, political things.-
When I live in this city, this city is on a downward spiral.-
I don't care about the 2010 plan or all the plans you have.-
The city is in trouble.-
You have to have a hands-on manager in there, a person going to
be in there watching the city and shaking it up, solving the
crime problem, solving the drug problem.-
Stop being so politically correct with the police.-
You've got to have somebody in there to solve this problem.-
People are leaving the city.-
The school district's a disaster T. school board can't get on
with each other.-
That's the mayor's school board.-
He's fighting with them.-
But the easy answer is, mike, you move away from the city.-
You move out and let others solve the problem.-

>> We heard a lot about the mayor maybe running for county
executive.-
I want to turn that around a little bit.-
What would you do if you were the mayor of Rochester?-
-
>> You'd see an entirely different -- you'd see an entirely
different situation than what you have today.-

>> What would you do?-
-
>> I would be a hands-on mayor.-
I would be on the streets F. there's boarded up buildings,
crime, crime in the streets, I'd be out there.-
I would make sure the people being victimized -- I was a judge
on criminal court for 10 years.-
I saw who the victims of crime are, mike.-
Ip saw who the victims of homicide are.-
I know there are no more -- they're no longer interested in
this politically correct nonsense we see in the way the police
department deals with issues.-
This idea that we're going to send the state police in and the
sheriff in for a few weeks and solve all of our crime issues --
that's not the answer.-
That's not the answer.-
I don't think mayor johnson is going to run for my job.-
My numbers show that I would crush him.-
-
>> You're talking about personal polling or party polling?-
-
>> I can't get into polling because we have to disclose
everything in the polls.-
But the mayor is not going to run.-
He's not going to run.-

>> One more thing ---

>> In fact, I believe frankly the democrats will eventually run
a third tier candidate.-

>> One more thing.-
Quick, what's the biggest misconception about jack Doyle that
is out there?-
-
>> Mean spirited and nasty.-
It's untrue.-
I'm a very laid back, easy going guy.-
Got a great sense of humor.-
And I think it's -- I think that's part of the problem.-
Of course, that always comes when you're dealing with
contentious issues like your former employer, the newspaper,
the editorial board, people in the community that want to say a
lot of nasty things without backing it up in terms of real
substance.-
But it goes with the territory.-
It goes with the territory.-
You've got to accept it.-
You've got to be thick skinned, if not, you're in the wrong
business.-

>> Mr. Doyle, thank you very much for being here.-
Go to our web site, wxxi.-
Now this here's this week's edition of the business section
with the "democrat and chronicle."-

NOW IT'S TIME FOR THIS WEEK'S
EDITION OF "THE BUSINESS
SECTION" WITH THE "THE DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE."

>> with us is Ellen Rosen, editor of the business section of
the "democrat and chronicle."-
Thanks for being here.-
>> You're welcome.-

>> And news -- Rochester actually saw a dip in the amount in
the exports from $13 billion, I think, in 2001 to $12.3 billion
projected.-
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>> Yes.-

>> What's that say?-
-
>> Well, actually it says -- it's not bad news.-
The Rochester business alliance has an international business
community and they looked every year -- they've got 3,000
members and they survey their members as to how they did this
year in terms of exporting.-
Given the trouble that is are going on overseas and the
difficulties with the economy and some of the major exporting
companies here, this wasn't as big a dip as some were
expecting.-
They had been expecting devastating news.-
This is a partial survey.-
They only got surveyed 97 of the businesses and complete
numbers are expected out in march.-

>> The business community is seeing it as, wow, we weathered
one here.-

>> They're feeling pretty good.-
You have to remember Rochester, this community of Rochester
exports more than 40 of the 50 United States.-
-
>> Amazing.-
That is amazing.-
The Rochester business alliance -- I'm going have to get used
to saying this, by the way.-
They came out with an outlook for 2003.-
Please tell us more ant that and what they said?-
-
>> There were some surprises in there and some not surprises.-
They were actually when sandy parker gave her address the
Rochester rotary club and she gave the outlook for the year,
they're expecting they'll continue to move away from the
manufacturing sector is going to continue and we'll move about
another 5,000 jobs.-

>> No surprises, no.-
-
>> That's not a surprise.-
But they say they're going to gain that many jobs offset by
gains in biotech, health care, and other service industries.-
You know, it's hard to say.-
The other economists looking at that say that's right.-
What it means the employment would be flat in area.-
We wouldn't see a big gain or loss.-
One of the big surprises we're trying to figure out is the
estimation that the u of rt area's number two employer would
surpass the number one company as the area's number one
employer.-
That's not a number's issue.-
They may have been counting fulltime and part time employees
what they call the full time equivalent.-

>> Talk a little bit about the athena award winner.-
Talk about the athena award and who it is?-
-
>> It's given out Thursday afternoon -- it's given out at a
surprise luncheon Thursday afternoon.-
There are probably I think -- I forgot to look up the exact
number but 20 women nominated for the contributions to the
community and for the work place advancement to other issues
and other things.-
This year, the winner was not a surprise to me.-
Ursula Burns from the Xerox corporation.-
Senior Vice President in Xerox promoted a couple of times in
the last 12 months.-
Very active in community things on a number of boards here.-

>> What did they like most about her?-
What was it that set her apart from the other nominee?-
-
>> I think it's ursula.-
She's the number one person locally for Xerox.-
She's serving on a number of community things.-
She's balancing -- a couple of kids.-
She's balancing a lot of things.-
Xerox is going through a tough time.-
She's coming out as a strong force.-
She sits on the R.B.A. board and other things.-

>> You've got a little time left.-
You have to tell us what's coming up in the business section.-

>> We're putting out the annual personal finance section.-
-
>> I may need this.-
-
>> This year we're going look at among other things to try to
keep yourself afloat in a tenuous economic situation.-
Investment clubs and some other ways you can get a handle on
what's going on with your personal finances including on how to
teach your kids to save money.-

>> Thank you so much.-
-
>> We all know that Rochester, the area, is home to the George
eastman house with the collection of old movies.-
There's also the strong museum and the display of vintage toys
T. cam pulse of Suny Brockport is also the home of a
lesser-known but as important archives.-
Wxxi's Brenda Trombley has more.-

>> In the late 1960's, British writer Steven spender accepted
an invitation to talk with students at Suny Brockport.-
A group of English professors videotaped an interview with
spender and they were so pleased with the conversation that
they asked other writers to come.-
Writers such as science fiction author Isaac asamov,
African-American poet, Lucille Clifton and novelist, Margaret
Attwood.-

>> Brockport writer's forum in a continuing series of
discussions with leading literary contemporaries presents a
conversation with Margaret Attwood.-
-
>> Today, 400 of these conversations are preserved in the
writers forums videotaped archives.-
Stanville Ruben directed the project for more than 30 years.-
He said the older ones are especially valuable because the
writers are gone.-
Take poet and sexton, for example.-

>> Ann sexton was here about a number of months before she did
kill herself.-
And she was both articulate, Brill yanlt, and clearly nervous
too.-
Her hands were shaking.-
She was speaking away.-
And it was a moving interview.-
-
>> The things that never happened.-
I once said to someone, if I did all the things I confessed to,
there would be no time to write a poem.-
-
>> Another visitor was Wes turn New York native john Gardner.-
He had already published several critically acclaimed novels,
including the story of beowulf told from the monster's point of
view.-

>> Gardner was a strong humane presence and made a great
impression on students.-

>> The difference between good art and bad heart is the good
artists creating a vision of life of the 20th century that is
worth seeing.-
And the bad artists of whom there are many are whining and
moaning or staring to the dark abyss.-
It's like if you believe life is fundamentally a volcano, you
have two choices as an artist, you can go to the volcano and
count the skulls and tell everybody, that's your baby, Mrs.
Miller or you can try to make sure no more skulls go in.-
The artist tries to hunt the positive ways of surviving and
living.-
-
>> These conversation, like Gardners, have been studied and
cited by scholars all over the world.-
That pleases director Stan Ruben.-
But it's a burden too.-
-
>> It's an enormous sense of responsibility for the future.-

>> 10 years ago, Ruben discovered the oldest tapes in the
series were deteriorating.-
Since then, the grant money from the N.E.A., he's been working
to copy and preserve them in a temperature controlled facility
for future viewers.-
Since it's worth the effort ---

>> It has been not only a privilege but to be in the presence
of the writers and to understand again and again without
getting what to say about it, how could I, how personally
committed every writer is to his or her work, his or her craft,
wanting his or her words to touch people, to have meaning, to
have lasting meaning.-

>> Ruben is preparing for his next tapings, this spring when
Justin crow anyone, netashaya Trethaway and Tony Hughes comes
to add their voices to the archive's growing collection.-