Lighten Up, Francesco.

NYT:

ONE of the last things a fledgling New York City business wants to do is alienate a powerful city politician. But that is exactly what happened to Scott and Kim Myles, the owners of 5 Boroughs Ice Cream.

In June, James P. Molinaro, the Staten Island borough president, issued a statement attacking the couple’s Staten Island Landfill flavor (which contains fudge, pieces of brownies and cherries) as “insulting and derogatory” to the borough, and urged that New Yorkers boycott all of the company’s flavors.

But after the boycott, four Whole Foods stores in Manhattan quadrupled their ice cream orders and Whole Foods affiliates in Connecticut and New Jersey began ordering the company’s ice cream for the first time. The Myleses, who live in Astoria, Queens, attribute the rise in orders to publicity from the boycott. “It tripled our sales and gave us a lot of momentum,” Mr. Myles said.

It's called a sense of humor, Mr. Molinaro.

This isn't the first time some dingbat Staten Island politician has demonstrated why the adage about keeping one's mouth closed and being thought a fool rather than opening it and removing all doubt has such resonance. Remember the Venturi Scott Staten Island Ferry Terminal clock controversy? Then-borough president Guy Molinari thought the clock (rendered here) "insulting" to the good citizens of Staten Island whom, it was thought (by Molinari and, seemingly, Molinari only), would be stressed out as they eyed the clock while crossing the harbor en route to jobs in Manhattan.

Please. The only thing stressing out those ferry commuters would be the crazy shit they were reading in wingnut-penned columns in the NY Post. Have I mentioned that Staten Island is the most heavily Republican borough in the city?

Meanwhile, the Landfill flavor sounds pretty good, as does the straight-outta-Astoria Bakla-Wha. I think I will check it out.