Watertown, N.Y. -- Upon returning to my hometown of Watertown, after years away working a much larger area of coverage in the Florida State Capitol, I expected to be greeted by the quiet old small-town vibe I left behind. What I didn’t expect upon arrival, to find so much of the city in disrepair, nor was I expecting the droves of homeless that seem to have settled in most of our public areas. So i really had to question, to be blunt, What the Hell Happened? So I decided to start digging into the past years, during my absence, thinking how could this city that I love( for better or worse) have fallen apart so quickly, that is until I was to stumble across a local political sideshow starring none other than Watertown Councilman or is it "activist" Cliff Olney? A man who has somehow managed to turn what should be a routine small city council position into a never-ending circus. I had noticed, in my time away, his name kept popping up in conversations with locals while checking in, in headlines when i felt homesick and wanted to see how the North Country was doing, and most bizarrely, even in the memes that began surfacing on my timeline. Olney has perfected the art of turning every controversy into an opportunity to play the misunderstood martyr. But what I soon discovered is that, in this political drama, Olney is less of a protagonist and more of the punchline. The self-proclaimed ‘political activist’ who somehow managed to get himself elected to the very office he claims to be ‘activisting’ against. Because why fight the system when you can be the system?" So, I thought to myself, let’s take a deep dive into this walking spectacle.
Olney Appearing on Egberto Willie's Podcast, with the subtitle, "Political activist Cliff Olney turned his political activism into electoral politics. Call him councilman."
The first controversy I came across (a topic some locals say has been beaten to death) was the 2023 formal ethics complaint filed by then sitting Mayor Jeff Smith. Olney, it seems, couldn’t resist leaking confidential executive session information about the city’s purchase of the Watertown Golf Club. But when the ethics board came knocking, Olney’s response was typical: dodge, deflect, and deny. Rather than stand up and take responsibility for his actions, Olney declined to testify, conveniently citing a conflict of interest because the meeting was in executive session—the very kind of meeting he was accused of undermining.
Next I began stumbling on to stories about the GoFundMe involved to pay his legal fees by donations. Olney, the acting hero without a cape, turned to crowdfunding, asking for the city to pay his legal defense for his own unethical behavior. Of course, he framed it as a “political witch hunt,” because when you’re a local politician with a track record like his, you’re either a hero or a victim—nothing in between. While the city did the right thing, Olney played his victim card to the hilt, painting himself as the lone warrior battling the forces of corruption.
In 2023 a formal ethics complaint was filed against Olney, by former Mayor Jeff Smith, after confidential information had appeared to be leaked from executive sessions, a move in which he Olney framed as a “political witch hunt.
Olney’s latest attempt to cling to power ended in spectacular failure when his nominating petitions for the 2025 election were rejected by the Jefferson County Board of Elections. Out of the 260 signatures he submitted, 95 were invalidated, leaving him 11 signatures short of the requirement. What a shocker—altered dates, unregistered voters, signatures that shouldn’t have even been there. It’s almost like the petitions were a poorly written script for a drama that was destined to flop. And when Olney was caught in the act, what did he do? He threw a tantrum worthy of a reality TV star, storming the Board of Elections office and having to be escorted out by security. If the guy spent half as much energy on actually following the rules as he did on his performance, maybe his political career wouldn’t be in freefall.
Olney later admitted to making changes to the petitions—crossing out names, altering dates—but, naturally, he blamed everyone else. According to him, the city was out to get him once again. His grand plan now involves salvaging these invalid signatures by any means necessary before his April 24 hearing. If that doesn’t work, you can bet he’ll roll out a write-in campaign, because why not add more chaos to an already messy situation?
After the rejecting of Cliff Olney’s nominating petition paperwork—no wonder he had to be escorted out of the Board of Elections. Paperwork this messy deserves a dramatic exit.
Also in recent events, a move that could only be described as comedy gold, Olney recently found himself embroiled in a full-blown meltdown over the Facebook meme page I mentioned earlier. This page, with a community of just over 5.5K followers, has been lampooning him for months with a series of memes that expose his many failings—basically giving the internet what it wants: a local politician who can’t handle being roasted. But Olney, ever the drama king, took it upon himself to try and shut the page down, claiming that the page was misusing the city’s logo.
This isn’t just a man who can’t take a joke—it’s a man who thinks using public resources to fight internet trolls is somehow justified. Instead of focusing on actual governance or even acknowledging the criticisms, Olney took his grievances to the city’s legal department, threatening action over memes. It’s almost poetic: a man who can’t hold a position of power, let alone hold onto his own dignity, trying to control free speech with a legal hammer. Newsflash, Cliff: You’re not going to win the battle against memes. The internet never forgets, and neither does Watertown.
Councilman Olney calls for a resolution to seek actions against the City of Watertown Meme Page.
Cliff Olney loves to play the martyr. In his mind, he’s the lone truth-teller fighting a corrupt system, but the reality is far messier. From his ethics violations to his botched petitions to his absurd vendetta against a public meme page, Olney has created a trail of self-inflicted disasters. And yet, he continues to paint himself as a misunderstood hero—the kind of guy who would rather destroy his own reputation than admit when he’s wrong. His refusal to engage with legitimate criticism, particularly from journalists and citizens who hold him accountable, only reinforces the idea that he’s obsessed with rewriting his own narrative.
This isn’t political courage; it’s political theater—one where the only person who matters is Olney himself.
One of the many light-hearted Memes posted through the City of Watertown Meme Page that seems to live rent free in Olney's head.
Olney may provide some entertainment, but after years of his stalling antics, you have to ask at what cost? His constant distractions and self-centered theatrics have real-world consequences. Public trust erodes, time and resources are wasted, and the actual work of governing is constantly put on hold as he makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. Watertown deserves leaders who are focused on real issues, not on constructing an ego-driven drama that only benefits one person: Cliff Olney.
In a city that needs clarity and REAL direction, Olney’s antics only add confusion and chaos. But the question remains: What happens when the spotlight finally turns off, and there’s no one left to play to?
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