Rome Mayor Jackie Izzo on Elections, Closure of Rome DMV

Rome Mayor Jacqueline "Jackie" Izzo says that Rome is adjusting to new election districts and its changing political influence in the Mohawk Valley.

She says that, if Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente had run for Congress, she would have supported him.  She is thankful, however, that he did not.

She said that she looks forward to working with the political leadership that results from the new Congressional maps being drawn.

While Rome is not the population center that it once was, the key, she says, is that the candidates understand the importance of Rome's military installations.  "That will be our A number one priority," Mayor Izzo says, as soon as the candidates are named and the new leaders are elected.  Central to Central New York's economy, the area's political leaders have historically acknowledged the significance of Rome's military complex and utilized it as a launching pad for to jumpstart other businesses.

Izzo thinks that the issues in this election are not strictly local.  Inflation, gas prices, food prices, etc. will be the critical voting issues.  "Imagine where we will be in November," she says, "We are gearing up for gas that could be seven to nine dollars a gallon...I think we've got a lot of rough road ahead."

Another huge issue for voters, she says, is bail reform.  "People are upset all the way up and down the ballot."  People, she says, don't feel safe.  She adds, "We're at crisis time in this country for a lot of different reasons."

Regarding the closure of the Rome Department of Motor Vehicles, Izzo says that it was unexpected and described it as "unfortunate and unacceptable."  She added, "We have not righted the ship here in Rome with the DMV since the pandemic."  She says that the Rome office is a very busy office and questions its management.  "The office needs to reopen and it needs to reopen quickly, none of us knew this was coming."