"You Tell Me" In Rochester Yesterday, Gillibrand Couldn't Name City's Largest Employer

Below is an article from 13WHAM that shows just how little the Un-elected Senator knows about Rochester or New York for that matter:

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand explained her views and listed her accomplishments to the Rochester Rotary Club Tuesday afternoon. The speech had very few specific references to Rochester.

This was the Democrat’s fifth visit here since she was appointed by the governor to fill the seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton 13 months ago. Gillibrand said she’s been busy in Washington, D.C. and visiting all of the state’s 62 counties.

“I’ve really been spending my time getting to know all of the towns, all of the counties, all of the cities all across New York,” Gillibrand said. “I’ve been here a lot. I’ve been here 25 times.” When told that her staff said she’d only been to Rochester five times, she said, “I’ve done 25 events and we've had really good events…in Rochester and the Finger Lakes region.”

The senator’s staff said she held events in Monroe County on January 31, May 16, August 27, and September 18. She also visited Livingston, Seneca, Wyoming, Schuyler, Yates, Genesee, and Wayne counties in August.

13WHAM News asked Gillibrand what she knows about the state’s third-largest city.

“I know a lot about Rochester,” she said. “I think you have enormous economic development opportunities because of your great universities and great community colleges. You're at the forefront of a number of industries, high tech industries, to biotechnology industries,” she said. “I grew up in Upstate New York. You have to remember I grew up in Albany, and so I understand some of the blessings of Rochester, and some of the challenges of Rochester.”

When asked, Gillibrand could not identify the area’s largest employer.

“I know many of your employers. Who's the largest? You tell me.” (It’s the University of Rochester.)

Polls show Gillibrand is still unknown to a lot of voters and she could face a tough fight to keep her seat. A potential primary challenger, Harold Ford, will speak at the University of Rochester on Thursday.

Gillibrand said she’s spent a lot of time talking to voters, frequently mentioning that she likes to talk to people at supermarkets.

“People are worried. The bottom line is the economy is as bad as it's ever been. Having national 10 percent unemployment doesn't tell the story. It's far higher, closer to 15-20 percent real unemployment, and so I don't really focus on the polls or the pundits who make judgments,” she said.

Source: 13 WHAM