There was as much chance I would grow up a Republican as there was I would morph into a Klingon. In a household with an Irish, Roman Catholic, Democrat mother and a liberal, Swedish immigrant father - my path was set. Utica was a city of 100,000 citizens, blue collar, with blocks of two family houses on streets shaded by towering elms. We resided on the west side, a neighborhood dominated by Polish, Irish and German ethnics. My very first friend was a blond, blue eyed Polish kid, "Stosch". The NYS Education Department in the 1950s complained that youngsters were graduating from Holy Trinity Grammar School speaking English with a Polish accent. East Utica was Italian, RC and Democrat. (I played basketball briefly for the East Utica Democrats.) WASPs and Jews lived in south Utica, New Hartford and the rural communities of Oneida County - bastions of Republican power- and almost alien. African Americans had a small enclave in north Utica and voted mostly Democrat. I rarely saw a black face during my first 18 years - mostly at downtown movie theaters - they sat in the balcony.
America's great presidents; Washington, Jefferson, Jackson had to be Democrats - there were no Republicans yet. In the 1860s, the Democrats lost their way and President Lincoln freed the slaves, saved the Union and unhappily nurtured the Republican Party. T.R. Roosevelt should have been a Democrat, Woodrow Wilson was - but we had to wait through years of mediocrity before the next great Democrat presidents - Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
Utica's mayors were usually WASP or Irish with names like Boyd Golder and Frank Dulan. But the city was led from the east side. Rufus Elefante (1903-1994) political boss and regional legend managed Utica for perhaps 20 years - from Marino's Restaurant - going booth to booth to consult with politicians, bureaucrats and citizens. In the late 1960s I would bring Hartwick College students to Rufie Ventura's Restaurant on the east side to meet and talk politics with the mostly retired Mr. Elefante. He was perhaps 5'4" in a dark, perfectly cut, pin stripe suit. "We would select someone to run for mayor - kind of attractive but not too smart - like your professor there." Students loved him.
Yes, there was corruption, gambling and brothels - Utica was the "Sin City". Rumor had it that the mobster Lucky Luciano had been scheduled to be "whacked" during a visit to Utica. But the city also had a sense of stability - there were jobs, wonderful parks, a fine zoo and a belief that things could get done - might need Rufie's assistance and a "deal" but good constituent relations mattered - call your councilman and the City at no charge would remove your dying elm tree.
At the national level among the pluses (and yes, there were also minuses) Democrats brought about Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Obamacare. I cannot imagine life in the United States without these programs - so I remain a Democrat.
Photo - Jmancuso of EnglishWikipedia
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