I am Ryan Reynolds, 33-year old Mayor of Whitney Point, NY, live streamer, podcaster and more. AMA!

What was it like playing Deadpool? I kid; what's one of the largest challenges you face? How do the politics of the rest of the state affect you?

A few different thoughts come to mind. The largest challenges that I face are limited time, resistance to change and pessimism. I have a lot of different responsibilities and initiatives that I am part of or choose to dedicate myself to and at times, like all of us, it can feel like I'm being pulled in 100 different directions and it can feel overwhelming. Resistance to change and pessimism are difficult because it's so easy to criticize and counter any idea, proposal or initiative these days. Whenever I am conceiving any type of proposal, I can already hear opposing arguments in my head. On one hand its good to know where your proposal may need some polishing or tweaking but on the other hand, it can sometimes make yourself doubt even your own idea. But you can then turn around and use that to focus yourself on why you are proposing it to begin with and why it's important. Still though, no matter how good a proposal, some will shoot it down.

As far as politics in the rest of the state, we're pretty good at operating without our own limits, boundaries and stretching ourselves as far as we can go. Politics do play a role in collaborations, negotiations and government to government relations though. Egos are involved. And sometimes unfortunately, that can effect what you can achieve.

For me, federal politics have had the biggest impact on me as of late. It has been very difficult to watch something that I care about so much; Public service and an effective execution of government and public entities turned into a disaster of a reality show. That has been very difficult for me to watch.

I had a reminder set for this AMA.

turns out you're not who i thought you were, but since im here, i'll ask you what i ask every celeb here........ What's for supper?

Probably something really quick and easy to make since I'll be doing this AMA at dinner time. I just at a FitCrunch protein bar. Dinner will probably be a sandwhich or oatmeal or something. I'm also currently drinking French Vanilla Coffee GFUEL.

Are you sponsored by, or have campaign contributions from, FitCrunch & GFUEL?

I am sponsored by GFUEL. I am not sponsored by FitCrunch. I have never received a campaign contribution from any company in the gaming world, nor would I really ever expect one. Most companies in those spaces want nothing to do with politics.

What do you think the OTHER Ryan Reynolds would react if he went to your city and realized Ryan Reynolds is the mayor?

Also ever thought about dressing up as Deadpool for halloween because of the name?

I do own a Deadpool shirt that I wore to a superhero themed event in Whitney Point last year. I also own a Deadpool pair of socks. My wife also did one of those "Hold the camera in front of your face and it will tell you what X you are." The one she did for me was comic characters and I somehow got Deadpool...I don't know what the chances of that are.

As for the other Ryan Reynolds, I'd be happy to collaborate on some form of content with him. He should give me a call.

What's your pug's name?

Cowboy! When I got him he was about 6 months old and a surprise for my wife (girlfriend at the time). His name that we inherited him with was "Charchan's Rhinestone Cowboy." We shortened it to Cowboy. He is from a line of championship level pugs, is what I'm told. He's the best.

Cute! And thanks for replying!

No problem! Thanks for participating!

You look like an enormous entitled douche bag.

Have a great day!

Lmao ok rich boy

I posted my income in this thread. I'm far from rich.

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Dadjudicator?

Are there really that many Redditors in Whitney Point? Have you ever had someone tell you that they voted for you because you Internet?

Well, I think a lot of people vote "because of" the internet these days. People get their information from articles that their friends posted on Facebook or a video that their favorite YouTube channel posted. The problem with this is that there is so much false information circulated online, as many of you know.

As far as redditors who actually live in Whitney Point, I'm really not sure. My outlook has always been that I should try to connect with as many people as possible to have quality conversations, share what I can, inspire who I can, etc. Utilizing the internet is a large part of that. Obviously there are downsides are risks as well but I try to live my life without fear.

Do local business try to bribe you?

I have never had a business or an individual try to bribe me. They would destroy any hope of working with me on anything if they did.

Even for $100,000,000?

As soon as you accept one bribe, your integrity is destroyed forever. You can't even trust yourself. Once you go down that path, you are compromised and you aren't fit to serve in public office. There are plenty of ways to make money other than bribery or illegal means.

I'd bet my life you'd change your tune with that money in front of you.

We all make plenty of mistakes in our lives, but accepting a bribe isn't and will never be one of mine. I've been on the opposite side of discussions like..."If you don't do this or that, I will never vote for you again" or "If you don't do X or Y, then I will file a lawsuit against you." You can't cave in to threats like that either. As long as you know that you are on the right side of the law and morality, you have nothing to worry about from anyone.

There's is not a single thing I wouldn't do for that kind of money.

Even if you believe the action is immoral, you could do so much good with the money that I believe it would negate the inherent immorality of accepting a bribe.

That being said, I'd do none of that bs and would revel in my incredibly hedonistic lifestyle for the remainder of my short time left here.u

Money can certainly save you some stress in life but it can also cause you more depending on how you use it. Believe me, I have plenty of things that I would like to achieve in my life such as businesses that I'd like to start, etc. But if I had to do something that I know was wrong to open the door, I wouldn't be happy. It would eat at me forever. I also think that there is a limit to how much money you can actually "enjoy."

Thanks for all the discussion, sir.

I would bet not only because $100,000,000 is unwieldy. Seriously you would need a bunch of trucks for that and the bank paperwork for $100 million would be onerous.

I meant in front of him more in the sense of proof of funds and then a subsequent wire transfer. Obviously $100M is a gigantic amount of physical cash.

Its like that scene in The Dark Knight where Joker slides down the pile of cash and then sets it all on fire.

Hi Ryan,

If I haven't missed my window, I had a question.

In the realm of politics where it can be a mix of likability/marketability and actual experience or policy, what do you think contributed to your success in winning the Mayoral race in your township?

I am early thirties and have been told I should try my hand in public service and politics, but, much like you answered in a previous question in this thread, I am often dissuaded by the pessimism of the public. This is even especially prevalent in older generations who seem to believe today's younger population, millennial or otherwise, is misguided and unrealistic.

I haven't looked into the demographic makeup of Whitney Point, but I imagine it is varied. Did you face those "ageist" challenges in your run to Mayor and, if so, how did you combat it?

Thanks in advance. You seem to have a genuine persona and be doing a fine job, keep up the work and try to stay out of your own head in terms of doubt.

Great question! So I live in an area that is generally very Republican but the demographic of the Village itself (my electorate) is slightly Republican. I am a Democrat. I think that age can actually be used to help overcome partisanship. Being young, you usually carry energy and enthusiasm. That is a trait that transcends political parties. I have had many Republicans tell me that they never voted for a Democrat in their lives, aside from me. You will be carried by the strength of your ideas, experiences, work ethic and your personality. Go door to door and make genuine connections with people. Respond to every question that you get, through whatever means. Show people that you're willing to work hard for them. At the local level, there isn't a Republican or a Democratic way to pave the street or pour a sidewalk. There's only one way to get it done.

There will be people that doubt you no matter what. There will be people that hate you no matter what. No matter how hard you try to change their mind, they're never going to vote for you or support you. Luckily for you, you only need 50% plus one vote to win an election.

I understand how easy it is to let opposition, pessimism and hatred get into your mind. It still happens to me. Sometimes, lessons can be learned from it as well, so its important to acknowledge it to some extent and learn what angle people are coming from so you understand what's important to them. But at the same time, you can't let it dominate your thought process and you have to be true to yourself. You have to remind yourself why you are doing what you're doing and why you believe what you believe.

Hopefully that answers your question. If you have a follow up, I'll stay on the look out.

Thank you for the thoughtful and in-depth reply. I especially enjoy the quip about "no democratic or republican way to pave a street", I may co-opt that in the future.

Keep up the good fight, I believe you have exactly the right mindset this country needs more of in public office.

I appreciate the kind words! Good luck in your endeavors.

How large is your city, and how many hours a week would you say you spend on your mayoral responsibilities?

The Village of Whitney Point is about 1,000 residents with about 13,000 cars a day passing through the Village. We are a central point between Syracuse, Binghamton and Ithaca, all larger cities. We provide services outside of our boundaries such as fire protection and water service which are among the Village's responsibilities.

As for hours spent, it depends on the time of year and circumstances at a given time. We have two public meetings a month which typically last between an hour and two hours but most of my work is done from my phone and computer. Talking with department heads, consultants, residents, etc. During budget time, we typically put in more work each week. It all depends. If there's some type of emergency or major event, it can take a lot of my time and attention for days at a time. And then certain issues can be so stressful that they take up weeks and months of time in my head until we find a resolution.

What tips would you give someone who is looking to possibly get involved with local politics in a small town?

Literally just go for it. If you're part of a political party, reach out to your local county committee and ask to meet with the Chairman. It depends on what you want to do however. If you want to run for office, start researching what you need to do to get on the ballot and prepare to do it. Just pull the trigger. Brush up on policy and the relevant issues to the office that you're running for by going to meetings, reading online, checking locals social media to see what they're talking about, etc.

If you don't want to run for office and want to get involved in elections do the same thing. Call the County Commitee or a candidate that you like and tell them you want to volunteer. There are tons of opportunities and people with all sorts of skill sets and backgrounds are needed. Just go for it. A lot of people think that they don't know enough or aren't qualified but that's so not true. Just go for it and don't look back! Keep an open mind and learn as you go. That's the best way to build the experience and knowledge that you need.

Thanks!! I'll remember this!

You're welcome! Good luck!

What is a common misconception about yourself?

That's a great question. I think every elected official gets hit with certain stereotypes based on their party affiliation first of all. The classic "You're a Democrat so you must want high taxes" comes to mind. Or "You're a Democrat, you're a socialist." "You're a Democrat so you want to take my guns away." I think all elected officials face stereotypes such as that, regardless of which side of the aisle that they fall on.

On a personal level, because I am so active on social media and do live streams and Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Medium, YouTube, Facebook, everything under the sun, I know some people assume or believe that I am arrogant or self centered. If they could live inside my head, they would know thats not true at all. I question myself a great deal and know that I am no where near perfect. I utilize all of these tools to connect with as many people as I can, spread information, hopefully educating and inspiring people in the process. It's also a form of expression, as anyone who uses social media knows.

That's an interesting answer...thank you.

You're welcome! That was a a great question.

I assumed the answer would be that you are the Ryan Reynolds

There's worst things people can think than that. lol

I like you. Wanna move to Georgia? I'd vote for you

If I ever moved to Georgia it would probably be to work for Hi-Rez!

As a mayor and a gamer in the age of mass shootings, how do you respond to criticisms/concerns about violent video games?

I use science, studies and myself as examples. Every study ever conducted on this topic has shown that there is no link between violent videogames and real world violence. There is a stronger link between competitive videogames and sports.

Look at my own life, I've been a gamer since I was 4-years old. I've been gaming for 29 years. I played the original Doom, Counter-Strike, Halo, Call of Duty, Hotline Miami, you name it. I've played it all. It didn't make me violent. 29-years of gaming and I grew up to be a man that wanted to serve his community and be a leader. Hell, some of my first leadership experience was leading a World of WarCraft guild when I was 19. It's no easy task to coordinate 40-people in a raid. Anyone who's ever lead a raid or run a guild in WoW will tell you the same thing.

I actually know gaming to be a very social experience. Many of my best friends and I bonded over gaming. We still play games online together to this day. It's how we stay connected. Games have had an incredibly positive influence on my life and I know it has done the same for millions of others. Anyone who tries to point the finger at videogames for real-world violence and tragedy is either outright clueless or blatantly scapegoating to try and hide reality.

Do you see any standard platforms for gov't live-streaming; are there any conflicts of interest that have been brought up regarding using commercial streaming services in your capacity as Mayor?

There isn't too much of an intersection, usually. Live streaming is like any other job. It's a job. I'm not conducting Village business when I'm live on Theta.TV or Twitch. Will I answer people's questions about it if they ask? Absolutely. But I am not actively making decisions or spending public funds or anything like that live on stream.

I have had discussions with my attorney and there is an increasing focus on this in the legal world to my understanding about elected officials being influencers. Right now the standard is basically, don't mix the two at the same time and you're fine. For example, I am sponsored by GFUEL. It's a brand that I believe in and a company that I'm proud to work with. So long as I don't wear GFUEL shirts to public meetings or declare a GFUEL Day in the Village or something that I stand to have a monetary benefit from, there isn't a conflict of interest.

I think you have a great point though. We're seeing more elected officials or candidates create accounts on platforms like Twitch but its kind of like the wild west right now. I had a crazy idea of someone who runs for Congress or something like that with the notion of..."I am only campaigning on Twitch. I am only accepting Twitch subs and donations as my only form of revenue. I'm not going to drive around and traditionally campaign, but I will be live on Twitch every day, chatting with anyone and everyone." You could insert YouTube, Facebook Live or whatever platform in what I just mentioned, it's just a generic concept.

The question then becomes...Would that generate enough headlines and buzz to propel you to Congress? It's an interesting thought and totally outside the box. There are questions over whether you would be hitting the right demographics to actually be elected in the territory that you're running for. It's just an idea that I've had and wonder if we will ever see it come to fruition.

For anyone interested, I will be doing a live stream on Theta.TV at the conclusion of this AMA; https://www.theta.tv/invite/mayorreynoldswp. Feel free to come chat with me in a different format when we're done. But for now...Back to the AMA!

Hi, you stream and game! It's nice to know politics isn't all about papers and laws and getting cash money. What games do you play and how would you rate yourself with them?

Also I notice you have twitch and theta? Never heard of theta, but how does it compare to twitch? Are you sponsored by them or do you stream there for your own reasons?

Sorry if the questions are intrusive

I play all kinds of games. My streams are generally focused on FPS, battle royale games and indies. My main game is Apex Legends. I have played and won rounds of over 30 battle royale games. One of the themes of my channel is that whenever a new BR comes out, I will play it to show it off and win a round of it. Guaranteed. I also like to play stylish, action packed indie games for a change of pace. This ends up being a lot of games from Devolver Digital like Hotline Miami, Ape Out, Enter the Gungeon, My Friend Pedro, etc but I will play anything, really.

I stream on both Theta.TV and Twitch. I made the decision to stream on Theta because it is a blockchain based platform and I think that's something really unique. Viewers earn cryptocurrency for watching streams and then can use that crypto to buy things or donate back to streamers. The community there is really great and supportive, which makes streaming there a pleasure. I am not sponsored by Theta in any way, I am like any other streamer there.

Nothing is intrusive. It is an AMA after all!

That sounds absolutely wonderful! I'll be sure to catch you on theta then. I'm more of a rpg fan, but I'm interested in theta and your content

Thanks, I appreciate it! Yeah, come give the platform a try. It's an interesting time in the streaming world with the platform wars taking off.

How can you manage your whole life gaming, working, being a mayor and a husband? Do you actually sleep?

I get about 6-hours of sleep a night. You have to set a schedule and stick to it. Being Mayor is an always on the clock thing, you have to take time to send emails or make calls no matter where you are. A lot of our residents message me directly on Facebook. They have direct access to me regardless of time of day or where I am. Being Mayor isn't about sitting at a desk these days its about connecting people with resources. I also have great staff and department heads who are really the ones executing everything and deserve all the credit in the world.

As for being a husband, that is also a fluid thing. You're always on the clock. My wife and I got married last year and it is a major learning experience. We set aside certain nights every week to make sure that we are giving each other time regardless of what's going on in our lives.

I am pretty much always doing something. Aside from the time that I wake up before I shower and when I lay in bed at night to sleep, I am actively working on something. And even when I am just reading articles or laying in bed, I am always researching something. Some would call it the grind. I just utilize every second of time that I have. When I drive to work, I'm listening to YouTube videos to learn things. It's all about being as productive as possible.

Canadian Ryan Reynolds owns an American gin brand when can we expect American Ryan Reynolds to buy a Canadian rye brand?

With all due respect to Canada, I wouldn't invest in or buy a gin company. It's just not my thing. If anything, I am interested in investing in esports and I'm very interested in crypto, though I'm not sure that I would put a lot of my money into it because I'm still a novice with it. I also had my first axe throwing experience recently and thought about how cool it would be to own one. And how it shouldn't really be that hard to start one.

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That's a question for the OTHER Ryan Reynolds and Marvel Studios. What they do with Deadpool will be interesting. I'm honestly terrified of how they might mess up their other properties by working Deadpool in.

What's your main focus as mayor at this moment (month/quarter)?

At this very moment we have a few things going on; Our long awaited LED street light conversion is finally happening. We've been working toward this for years. We are also working on executing an initiative to try and turn up pressure on vacant building owners and a grant to for local and new businesses. We will soon begin our annual budget process which is always important as its a blueprint for the entire coming year.

One of my "largest" goals is and has been to find a path toward building a new fire station. We purchase land for it, have designed plans for it and are currently trying to find a way to find money to build it. Our current station is old and no longer suits the demands of our department, which services a very large area. This is a very large project but one that is necessary.

We will also likely start programming this year to begin a project at the intersection of our two rivers and our main road intersection as well. No construction, just working toward the start of it. We won a $500,000 grant for the project and this year will likely begin the start of the actual process. Construction on the restoration of a historic building on our Main Street should also be starting soon, albeit driven by the property owner. The Village doesn't have a direct hand in the execution or construction.

Thanks! I appreciate the focus. Follow up on your street lamp initiative and more of a "should govt be responsible for X" kind of question—personally, do you think govt (local or otherwise) should be responsible for roadways?

I've seen models where private ownership/responsibility of roads lead to better maintenance. I've also seen where it doesn't. Context and situation maybe driving this?

In my opinion, certain things just have to be publicly owned and maintained. Private management is 100% driven by profit. I do not think that roadways, fire departments, drinking water, sidewalks, etc should be driven by profit. They should be managed with safety and accessibility in mind. They are infrastructure, not a path to profit for wealthy folks.

I would also argue that the internet should be considered a utility. Internet access is too important to education and business to be tinkered with by entities who's only goal is to make money.

Thank you for your honesty and straightforwardness! Yes, with the way things are set up now, from govt to economy, I agree.

Thanks for in-depth questions!

What is an average day for you as mayor?

It's a bit different for me because I do so many things. If you're a Mayor, you're always on call. I actually have a day job where I work for 45-hours a week. So my typical day is wake up at 5:45am, eat breakfast, shower, walk the dog, drive to work...Work until 4:00pm. Go to the gym, drive home, eat, walk the dog and then do what I need to do that evening. Sometimes that means go to a meeting, sometimes it means do a live stream or podcast, write an article, etc. While I'm doing any of these things, I'm always talking on the phone, emailing, texting about Village business. It really is a job where you're on the click 24/7. I've been at my office at 11pm before. You just never know what the job is going to demand.

What’s your thoughts on possibly doing the deadpool/Spider-Man interaction and how do you think that’ll play out?

P.S me and my dad are big fans of u and ur an amazing person thanks

It's going to be terrible.

PS- I'm not THAT Ryan Reynolds.

can you give proof that you're not deadpool? lol

Believe me, I wish I had his regenerative powers.

How would you respond if Patrick Stewart approached you with the offer to join his group of like-minded yet misunderstood individuals?

That pretty much describes all of society these days.

What’s your favorite fish fry and why is it Doug’s?

This made me LOL. I'm not actually a fish fan. I can eat breaded shrimp or clam strips but I've never really been a fish person. I know it's healthy for you but...It's just not for me.

Hi not actually a fish fan, I'm Dad👨

Hello Dad

This is not really a question, just an observation, before clicking on the link to the AMA, your picture is cropped in an way that, well, it made me looked twice because the mic placement.

Ok then, question: when and why did you decide that wanted to be a mayor?

I didn't catch the mic placement...Always something. Reddit always manages to notice this stuff. It's like no other. All you can do is laugh it off. I'm surprised no one has referenced the Stone Cold photo that shows through in the mirror, yet.

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to serve in public office. Coming out of high school I wanted to be a journalist to write about government. I started a gaming website in my teens and actually grew it to be a decent size. I went to college for a year to be a journalist and felt that I had already done the things that they were teaching so I took a year off and decided that I actually wanted to work in government, not just critique it. I wanted to take a more active hand in decisions and initiatives. One thing lead to another and I started working on political campaigns. Before I knew it, I found myself managing my county's branch of a 2008 Presidential campaign. Then I got asked to run for office for the first time. I got my butt kicked the first two times, but my hard work spoke for itself and I eventually made my way in. My persistence is really what got me where I am today.

The great thing about being Mayor is that you aren't just one vote in a body of 100 or 400 people. You are in the driver's seat. I actually get to work with my department heads, our contractors, our residents, our businesses and I can see things happening with my own eye (I only have one). I'm blind in the right eye. Tangent...Anyway, I enjoy working in local government because I can actually see the results of our actions, talk with people about them face to face, etc. It's a great experience that I think many in higher office should have. And the lack of that experience is probably partially to blame for so many higher level elected officials being clueless or fixated on parts of their job that don't actually yield results.

It’s good that you had your goals setup since you were so young. There is so much that you have to give and to learn, wish you the best.

I have always had this fear that my life will slip me by and that I don't have a second to lose. I know that my time is limited and I want to accomplish as much as I can in the time that I have.

How many telemarketers call you expecting to talk to Deadpool?

Only one time in my life did I receive a call for the "other" Ryan Reynolds. It was a young man who left me a voice mail that said something like "Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I really liked you in Deadpool. You don't need to call back. Have a nice day."

Oh man, I would prank so much people if I were you.

Thanks for being so cool with this kind of questions :P

I don't look or sound like the "other" Ryan Reynolds so it would probably be pretty tough. I think he is Canadian as well, isn't he? So technically, we're not even from the same country.

My high school social studies is from Whitney Point. That is all I have to contribute to this thread?

Whitney Point, represent! We really are a very tightly knit and unique community.

What do I gotta do to pull a decent sized walleye out of Dorchester?

Oh man, I'm the wrong man to ask this one. I haven't been fishing since I was a kid. My favorite part about the water in Dorchester are the random islands that are out a decent ways. As a kid I always imagined some crazy thing being out there.

how do you feel about the claims against you and your dog? any insight?

I'm not sure what you're referring to here.

What degree do you have?

Awesome question with an interesting answer. I graduated from Whitney Point High School in 2005. I attended SUNY Broome for one-year as a Communications major. I then took a year off and transferred to Ithaca College at a Politics major. After two years at Ithaca, I stopped going. I decided that the degree wasn't actually going to get me anywhere and that I couldn't afford another year of debt. I knew that I didn't want to just go work for someone else in DC, I wanted to serve my community and the area that I live, now. So until very recently, I had no degree whatsoever.

I happened to get in touch with SUNY Broome very recently and it turned out that I had enough credits to receive an Associate's in Individual Studies, without taking another class. So I filed the paperwork and received my degree. That wasn't until 2019 though. So really for the majority of my life, I have technically been a two-time college dropout with no college degree whatsoever.

What are your thoughts on high speed internet in rural communities and how could it be improved? Wrangle any gators recently?

Oh sweet, a gator question! For those who don't know, we had two alligators pop up in one of the rivers in Whitney Point one summer and it caused mass chaos. A media frenzy, etc. Both alligators were captured without harm, no one here was ever harmed and a local business called Animal Adventure took them up and named them Whitney and Lisle, which is a little piece of local history. Alligators do not normally make it to NY, so it was quite a debacle.

Internet speed in rural communities is a tough issue to tackle. Until ISP's see that they can make a profit and return on investment by building infrastructure in rural areas where in their mind, there aren't many customers, they won't do it. From a government standpoint, I think the best thing that we can continue to do is work with ISP's at a state level to contractually mandate them to expand to more and more areas each time their contracts are up. NY went through this with Spectrum, sighting their failure to expand as much as they contractually agreed to. Ultimately, they weren't kicked out of NYS but the fight was probably worth it. They need to be pressured and held accountable. Those contracts are probably the key mechanism that we have.

How did you get started in politics?

What was the first office you ran for, and which was the first you won, if they weren't the same?

The first office that I ran for was Broome County Legislator. After I began getting involved in local campaigns, the Chairman of the party recognized my work ethic and asked me to run for County Legislator as the Democrats had no candidate to run. I ran against an incumbent in a district that was 2:1 Republican to Democrat. As you can imagine, I got beat pretty bad. I learned a ton about the process, met a lot of people, learned a lot of policy, etc. I ran again for the same office two-years later and lost again. Like the first time though, I worked as hard as I possibly could have and learned a lot.

Shortly after that election the Mayor at the time called me, said he had noticed my hard work and wanted to appoint me to the Village Board to replace a member who had resigned. I accepted and that started my public service career. That was December 2010. I ran for re-election to the board twice, unopposed. I then ran for Mayor who the Mayor at that time was retiring. I won election as Mayor in 2015 in a very close election and was re-elected in 2017 and 2019.

My first "real" acts of getting involved in politics were literally just showing up for Binghamton for Obama meetings and volunteering to do things. One thing lead to another and eventually I was leading the group and being asked to run for office.

Do you consider Whitney Point upstate, western, or something else NY?

We are technically located in the Southern Tier. I personally consider "Upstate New York" to be anything outside of the city because we have a shared culture that is different than that of NYC.

I agree. Anything north of Westchester and Rockland counties is Upstate. It’s a materially different mindset.

Definitely. Thanks for the question!

Do you play Minecraft? How do people in Whitney Point feel about their mayor being a gamer, and do you plan on running for future offices like President, Governor, etc.?

I played Minecraft on Xbox 360 for about a month and then gave us. I am looking forward to MineCraft Dungeons though.

As far as I know, no one is really bothered by me being a gamer. If anything, a lot of young people think its really cool. As for future plans, I get asked that a lot. I was heavily vetted and requested to run for NYS Assembly in 2018 but we were getting married that year and it would have been impossible to balance both so I ultimately decided against it. I have a general interest and obsession with government in general so we'll see where my passion takes me. I feel prepared to contribute wherever I am.

I'm chatting live on Theta.TV right now if anyone wants to join the stream; https://www.theta.tv/invite/mayorreynoldswp

How much money do you make altogether annually?

As Mayor, I make a $3,600 a year salary. At my day job, I made approximately $52,000 last year. Streaming, I probably made somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500.

What's the most regrettable thing that you've done in your life?

One of my biggest regrets was shutting down my gaming website when I was 19. I had run it for about 3-4 years and it had grown to be a decent size. During E3 one year, we got 20,000 hits in one day, which was great for a small website run by a few teenagers. We were interviewing developers, receiving review products and had gone to our first expo. We were really building and growing. With college beginning and a World of WarCraft addiction brewing, I just lost interest in the subject matter of the site, which was Nintendo consoles and shut it down. I really should have rebranded it and kept it going and growing. Who knows where we would be now.

What's it like to share the name of a much more famous man?

In reality, it probably makes it easier for people to remember my name when they meet me.

Why did my wife leave me?

I hope things get better for you. Hope you're doing all right.

What color is your tooth brush?

I change it every so often, so I don't even know.

Have you played Borderlands 3 yet?

I have not and don't plan to. I think that the Borderlands games have become really repetitive and kind of have been from the start. Unless they do something interesting with them like push them in a pseudo-MMO direction like Destiny, I don't see myself playing them again. Though Tales from the Borderlands was really great.

You a freemason or a part of any other cults?

You know epstain?

I am not a freemason nor am I part of a cult. I have been reading up on Cthulu mythos lately and I often find occult related fiction to be intriguing but its not something that I would ever want to be part of. The first season of True Detective is one of my favorite TV stories of all time. I also did a live stream of the game "Cthulu Saves Christmas" on Christmas Eve.

Oh ya. True detective is the show!!

The first season was/is incredible. Both main characters turned in amazing performances. The second season was a complete mess from a writing standpoint. The third season was decent albeit a bit disappointing. The performances were definitely good. I liked that the title track was a cover of "Death Letter" as well. The White Stripes version is a one of my all time favorite songs.

Yeah buddy. The intro song to 2nd season was bomb. Leonard Cohen Nevemind is the jam.

Haha. I was not caught tho many tried....

I can't even remember the second season's song...lol

Ahh yayaya. Anyways. Check out Goliath with old Billy bob on amazon

Haha I'll add it to the queue. Thanks Mark!

And for the record, know I didn't know Jeffrey Epstein.

What was it like playing Pikachu & Deadpool?

achu & Deadpoo

I don't know because that's the "other" Ryan Reynolds but it is a bit odd that he has played those two characters, isn't it?

Ryan Reynolds was perfect for Pikachu. Lol. Well. What's it like being a mayor?

It's a big responsibility. It's filled with challenges, stress and moments on excitement and gratification when you are able to achieve something that you know is for the betterment of your community. It's certainly not for everyone. You have to be able to withstand a lot of hate, doubt and more. But then again, we live in a world where we almost all need to be able to withstand that all the time, don't we?

Is it frustrating having his famous name but not his good looks, money or fame?

Is that really you, Sandor Clegane? It's not really frustrating at all. While I do respect his sense of style, I would rather be known for the work that I am doing. I am my own man. I'm proud of my public service, my gaming and content creation work and myself. I like to think I have a pretty good sense of style myself.

Money on the other hand...Yeah, it would be very helpful to have more money at my disposal. I have all sorts of investments and endeavors that I would like to make. Gin wouldn't be one of them though.

I do love chicken and I hate talkers. Keep up the good work though.

I'm going to eat every chicken in this room...

I can appreciate why you skipped the previous line!

If only Dan and Dave didn't run Game of Thrones into the ground...So short sighted.

Who do you think you are?

I am Ryan Reynolds, the 3-time back to to back to back Mayor of Whitney Point, live streamer, podcaster and battle royale specialist.