Unlike in New York City with Tammany Hall, the largely-Irish Democratic establishment in Utica collaborated with Italians rather than resisting them.
Roosevelt, who spoke at the event, seemed grateful to Elefante and other local Democrats such as M. William Bray and Charles S. Donnelley (who would be elected mayor the next year).
[6][7] Democratic political machines like in Utica were Roosevelt's islands of support in a largely Republican upstate New York.
[9] While the machine provided patronage to working people, it distanced itself from left-wing labor movements that had been active among Utica Italians.
Utica's most powerful mob bosses were the Buffalo crime family leaders Salvatore Falcone and his brother Joseph.
The machine withstood this criticism until 1957, when it was revealed that three Uticans (the Falcone brothers and a partner) had attended the Apalachin meeting of Mafia members.
Although none of the men were involved in Utica politics, the papers contended that the Elefante machine turned a blind eye to mafia activity.
Federal, state, and local agencies made investigations into corruption in Utica, including a special commission by governor and former Elefante ally W. Averell Harriman.
These resulted in the resignation of the chief of police, the replacement of the district attorney, and the arrest of many other Utica government officials and employees on charges related to prostitution, gambling, fraud, and conspiracy.