LEGACY FILMS :
“MILLION DOLLAR MAYOR” k ROGER SPRINGFIELD
j ROGER SPRINGFIELD MARY GELLING MERRITT g ERIC MCMASTER Running time - 83 minutes
© 2014 Legacy Films All rights reserved
MILLION DOLLAR MAYOR
He was America’s “rock star” mayor of the 70’s and 80’s. Lee Alexander ascended to become president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and worked with Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter to shape important government policy. But first and foremost, he took care of his own city, and himself. Alexander secured more than 800-million dollars in government aid for Syracuse, NY during his 16 years in office. He also devised an elaborate kickback scheme to line his own pockets. Alexander was smart, handsome, charismatic and articulate. Women swooned in his presence, and he eagerly participated in countless dalliances. Still, despite his marital infidelities, he seemed destined for the Governor’s mansion, the Senate, and maybe even the White House. But in 1986, the FBI began investigating the mayor, after receiving a series of specific allegations. The Feds used video and audio surveillance to trap a number of the mayor’s colleagues, who agreed to testify against Alexander, in exchange for leniency. In 1987, Syracuse’s beloved icon pleaded guilty to three of the forty counts he had been charged with. He served five and a half years in prison, rather than provide the Feds with information they sought to bring down other mayors and political operatives. To date, more than forty U.S. Mayors have been convicted of Federal corruption charges. Alexander’s was one of the first major cases prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Lee Alexander was a paradox, fueled by the childhood hardships he experienced during “The Great Depression.” A champion of the downtrodden and underprivileged, his legacy reflects deep levels of accomplishment, and a serial record of good deeds. Yet, like many successful political leaders, his personal flaws proved fatal. “Million Dollar Mayor” is an intimate documentary feature film about the complexities of human nature. It’s a compelling story about small town politics with national stakes, fueled by hubris, ambition, deceit and betrayal, with a Requiem of regret and reconciliation. Lee Alexander lived the American Dream, but his comeuppance was classic Greek tragedy.
MILLION DOLLAR
MAYOR
ALEXANDER
HERO. VILLAIN. LEGEND. The rags-to-riches true story of a man on the fast track to political stardom, derailed by arrogance and greed.
*ROGER SPRINGFIELD