Year: 2015

County Executive Mark Poloncarz is riding high on a poll that says his favorability is at 67%. But asking a respondent whether they have a favorable or unfavorable view of the County Executive doesn’t translate into votes. When you change the

In response to a complaint about the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority’s legal expenses and contracting processes, the New York Inspector General’s Office has issued an audit report that slam’s the agency’s management and Board. The BMHA has spent millions on

A petition was started on Change.org this morning that claimed to support changing the name of the City of Buffalo. The petitioner alleged that the use of the world “Buffalo” was offensive because it recalled a history of genocide and

Brenda Christopher, a former school board member, is riling the Lancaster community against changing the school district’s “Redskins” mascot. Christopher has announced on Facebook her plans to run for her former school board seat — which has infuriated deep pocketed Indians

Housing Commissioner Joe Masica has been targeted for political retribution by the Board members of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority ever since he began asking questions about a suspect asbestos removal contract last February. In February of 2014, Masica began

Councilman Joe Golombek, who is considered politically unbeatable in the Common Council’s North District, has announced a fundraiser for March 4th — this Wednesday. The fundraiser will be held at the American Legion Post on Amherst Street, which is a departure

Two days ago, the New York Daily News reported that Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie was unhappy that Governor Andrew Cuomo is planning on pursuing ethics reform this legislative session. Today, the New York Post is reporting Heastie’s ties to convicted mobsters.

Westside. More than one of his colleagues says that Councilman David Rivera (D-Niagara) is considering retirement. Rivera is up for reelection this year, and has grown deeply unpopular with Westside residents who are concerned with public health threats posed by

In the 2010 redistricting process, Senator Tim Kennedy’s district was redrawn to ensure minority representation in the State Senate. It is heavily Democrat-enrolled, and anchored by the large African American population on Buffalo’s Eastside and in West Cheektowaga. He even

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has been roundly criticized for failing to pursue public corruption cases against elected officials who have been accused of enriching themselves with public dollars. So it is curious, they say, that he would allocate

Cheektowaga Town Supervisor Mary Holtz says that she doesn’t use her Town-owned vehicle improperly, despite not owning a personal vehicle for personal use. The longtime elected official, who served as Town Clerk for over a decade before taking the Supervisor’s

Councilwoman Diane Benczkowski has served in office for a little more than a year. In that short time, she has emerged as the maverick outsider who isn’t afraid to dig in, get to work, and — at times — to

The Albany Times Union is investigating Counsel Financial, an investment vehicle connected to Buffalo based venture capitalist Jordan Levy, Weitz & Luxembourg, and former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. The firm is mentioned in US Attorney Preet Bharara’s indictment of Silver. Counsel

The governing board and staff of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA) has engaged in a deliberately orchestrated campaign of retribution against Housing Commissioner Joe Mascia, he has alleged. In February of 2014, Masica began asking questions about an out-of-control

Buffalo School Board of Education By: Mike Madigan Activist Gary Orfield is currently investigating Buffalo Public Schools. The investigation was initiated as a result of several Buffalo parents’ complaints regarding segregation and potential related civil rights concerns focused on the

Twenty year incumbent elected official Mary Holtz is in hot water over her personal use of a taxpayer funded vehicle. Operatives say that the revelations make her chances of reelection as Supervisor very unlikely, and they’ve started to wonder aloud whether

County Executive Marc Poloncarz is feeling the political pressure on the issue of term limits. He has been reluctant to articulate his views on the issue while his political allies, including Legislator Betty Jean Grant, openly oppose term limits. Legislature Majority Leader

The New York Posts’ longtime Albany bureau chief Fred Dicker is reporting that Republican Senator Catherine Young, of Olean, is rumored to be Majority Leader Dean Skelos’ successor. Skelos considering stepping aside, ahead of a public corruption probe launched by US