Removing Utica From the Boilermaker

I shake my head and wonder what on earth is going on in Central New York. This is from fellow New York blogger, Strikeslip, at Fault Lines:

…the OD [Utica's newspaper] notes that ‘Utica’ will be removed from the 2009 Boilermaker logo, and also seems to be lacking from the race’s website. Supposedly the organizers want a more “regional” identity. Former Mayor Julian believes that this would be the loss of an area marketing tool. Mayor Roefaro, however, does not have a problem with it. . . Could Roefaro be right?

The City of Utica is so closely associated with the Boilermaker Road Race that its name may not have to be attached. The Boilermaker will still be Utica’s ‘signature event.’ The thousands of runners converging on Utica from all over the country and beyond is probably all the “marketing” that is needed. The Running of the Bulls = Pamplona, Spain. Il Palio = Siena, Italy. The Boilermaker = Utica. The name is there, whether it’s legible or not.

The OD news story to which Strikeslip refers quotes the Boilermaker director:

“We draw from Utica. We draw from Rome. We draw from the entire community,” Boilermaker Executive Director Tim Reed said Monday, one day after the annual 15K road race. “I want it to be an event that is open to everybody.”

This is an incredibly outrageous statement. How does removing “Utica” from “Boilermaker” suddenly include the whole community? The 15K race is held in the city!! And no one has found the race to be non-communal because the name of Utica is attached to Boilermaker. What’s really going on here? Reed is not acting stupidly here, he knows what he is doing. And it smells. What’s worse is that the mayor of Utica is going along with this slimy business. Long ago, Utica used to be a noble city, and was a manufacturing capital for many years, producing everything from air tools to silverware. Now, even her own leaders seem pitted against the city.

There’s a petition open, asking for people to support keeping “Utica” an incremental part of “Boilermaker.” The petition has garnered some local support, but it would be more powerful if people from all over the United States and the world added their name and thoughts.

Please sign the following petition: Keep Utica in the Utica Boilermaker!!

I encourage you to PLEASE sign– especially of you are a runner or athlete. It takes less than a minute of your time.

Thanks for your support!