Month: February 2016

BY MATTHEW RICCHIAZZI Development in downtown Niagara Falls remains at a snail’s pace, with Governor Andrew Cuomo unable to advance development projects or to grow the volume of tourists visiting the city. A prominent local developer argues that the Cuomo administration’s failure to

BY FRANK PARLATO  There has been a lot reported in local media about a recent New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYSOPR) proposal to dewater Niagara Falls.  “Dewatering is necessary for two reasons,” a report from

BY TERRENCE ROBINSON Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA) Commissioner Joseph Mascia, who is currently suspended from acting in an official capacity by order of Mayor Byron Brown, is outraged that the Development Committee of the City of Buffalo Common Council

BY BARBARA NEVERGOLD, PHD Over the last few months I have raised a number of questions, in written and oral communications, about the use of the NYS ELA/Math standardized test scores as part of the admissions criteria for Criterion Schools

BY TONY FARINA Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs, a Republican and a member of the prominent Jacobs family which owns the Delaware North companies, has told political leaders he is going to run for the 60th District State Senate seat

BY M.J. RICCHIAZZI The widely respected elder statesman of local politics, State Senator Al Coppola, intends to circulate an Opportunity to Ballot petition so that his name may be written in on the Republican primary ballot — in addition to appearing

BY C.B. MILLER Jennifer Mecozzi has announced her intention to seek the Board of Education’s West District seat currently held by James Sampson, a member of Carl Paladino’s majority bloc. The education activist Adrian Fitzgerald Harris, who is not aligned

BY A.J. BELL A source close to United States Senator Chuck Schumer says that he is receptive to Federal District Court Judge Diane Humetewa’s potential nomination to the Supreme Court. The White House has said that an extensive vetting process

BY TONY FARINA Fresh from his unanimous endorsement by Democratic Party leaders last Saturday, Tonawanda Town Attorney John Flynn is chomping at the bit to get started on his primary campaign for Erie County district attorney against Acting DA Mike

BY TONY FARINA Erie Community College has gone into damage and spin control now that the state audit has confirmed what I’ve been reporting for several months about how President Jack Quinn and his crew have run the college into

BY T.W. HEWITT The high profile elected Housing Commissioner Joe Masica is likely to seek reelection to his office this May, in a campaign intended to draw a sharp and compelling contrast with the administration of Mayor Byron Brown. At the same time,

BY TERRENCE ROBINSON The impact of the people of Buffalo on the nation and the world is a topic that is discussed from time to time among the women of the city, as they are known for their sagacious discernment.

BY C.B. MILLER Governor Andrew Cuomo promised to rebuild Buffalo with great fanfare, branding his economic development spending as the Buffalo Billion. While Elon Musk received $750 million of Buffalo’s Billion, the city’s aging sewer infrastructure received nothing. The Scajaquada Creek sits

BY TERRENCE ROBINSON When the public hearing on Mayor Byron Brown’s attempt to remove Joseph Mascia as Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA) commissioner concluded December 30, 2015, the City of Buffalo had 60 days to present a transcript of the

BY DIANE BENCZKOWSKI We are all aware of the outdated sewer infrastructure in our Town.  We are reminded every time sewage overflows and is dumped into our waterways or when residents experience backups resulting in flooded and damaged basements.  Cheektowaga

BY C.B. MILLER The former Republican candidate for Governor and Buffalo area developer Carl Paladino is asking the City’s planning board to demolish a landmark building that the local gay community likens to New York’s Stonewall Inn, in terms of historical

BY A.J. BELL The Obama Administration needs a nominee for Supreme Court who is so moderate that the Republican controlled Senate has no choice but to confirm the nominee, and whose centrist views would keep the Nation’s highest Court in

T.W. HEWITT The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority has been ignoring complaints from tenants for years about the lead paint that coats the interior of many older units. A source inside the housing authority speculates that as many as 1,200 of