Letter to the Editor Letter attacksPosted 11-10-2005 at 2:22PMTo the Editor:When a sketchy local politician calls you an ass, you know you’ve said something right.
In a previous column, I stated the only way Troy can change for the better is for its leadership to change, regardless of political affiliation. Those already in office have done little to visibly improve the quality of our city, and new ideas are needed to break the current trend of stagnation. Judging by the reaction of Councilman Bill Dunne in last week’s edition, I struck a nerve.
While Dunne states we have never met, the RPI College Democrats’ leadership and I met with him on September 21 so he might explain why we should work on his campaign. After considering his stated positions on the issues and performing our own research, we decided not to support his campaign and declined further contact.
I find it quite amazing an elected official has the time to venomously target a student writing for a small college newspaper. One might imagine Dunne would have more important things to do, such as serve constituents’ needs or otherwise perform his civic duties. However, by using his valuable time to insult the intelligence of one of his constituents in a relatively insignificant forum, he has indicated there is not a single problem left to be solved in Troy worthy of his time and efforts. If that’s the case, I see no reason for him to serve in office.
Dunne’s claims about supporting students are laughable at best. He states his support for student interests, but the only time he has stepped foot on campus has been to get help for his campaign. He states the importance of hearing student voices, but has never asked student opinion on any issue. This campus has been oblivious to Dunne’s existence before now, as he has never made any effort to communicate with us. The only time he has contacted the student body has been in self defense.
If by now he has been re-elected, there is no reason to believe Dunne will change the way our city is run. He will not become involved with the student body to discover our needs and consider our ideas, he will not make any efforts to meet with his constituents on a regular basis, and he most certainly will not suggest any dramatic changes that will bring Troy back to life. There is no reason to believe the bedrock of his campaign is anything but self-interest.
I challenge you to prove me wrong, councilman. Prove me wrong not with some written defense of your honor and tasteless attacks on my person, but with your future actions. If you want this student body to not think of you as a slimy opportunist, then you need to actually interact with this student body and take bold action to gain its support. The students on this campus want change. If you are unwilling to be an agent of this change, then you sure as hell don’t represent the RPI community.
Austin Randazzo
PHYS ’08
VP, RPI College Democrats
Rotten Undies to Advise Dunne
