The Buffalo Chronicle
The Buffalo Chronicle
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The Pigeon faction contemplates candidates for Chairman
The high profile political operative G. Steven Pigeon and his associates recognize their strategic missteps last year. The faction backed Amherst Councilman Mark Manna for Chairman at the last minute. Manna was…
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Politician photobombs opponents, making for awkward moments
When you tell someone that David Franczyk has been on the Common Council since 1986, they expect a seasoned and well-groomed statesman — a skilled orator with charm, a conversationalist with personality. But…
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Source: Delaware North was preparing to hire Chris Grant the day of Pigeon raids
Delaware North is interviewing for a senior communications advisor. They were close to hiring Steve Casey, the former Buffalo deputy mayor, for the job. Before he got the offer, he removed himself from consideration due to…
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Bishop Malone’s relevance fades as activists raise questions about his sexuality
Bishop Richard Malone, who leads the Diocese of Buffalo has angered Buffalo area activists with a “bitter” statement opposing today’s decision by the Supreme Court to legalize same sex marriage. Malone’s statement appears…
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Deep unpopularity has made Franczyk “paranoid and delusional”
The longtime Fillmore district councilman who has grown deeply unpopular among his constituents is cracking under pressure, says a longtime city employee who works at city hall. David Franczyk is “visibly paranoid…
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Winnie Fisher refuses to meet with prospective candidates
Alden Democrat Chair Winnie Fisher, who ran unsuccessfully for county legislature in 2013, is now causing some her party stalwarts concern for not interviewing prospective candidates for public office. A longtime Democrat…
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Quinn stays cool despite criticism from Mills
By Tony Farina, The Niagara Falls Reporter Jack Quinn, the former congressman and Hamburg supervisor who has been president of Erie Community College since 2008, didn’t seem too rattled last week when fellow…
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Hamister seeking big return on Hyatt Place deal
By Tony Farina, The Niagara Falls Reporter City and state leaders promised a hotel to save downtown Niagara Falls if only Mark Hamister were treated kindly enough by taxpayers with a gift-wrapped, nearly…
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Senator Coppola comes out of retirement to advocate for lighthouse restoration
The widely respected former State Senator Alfred T. Coppola is advocating for the restoration of an outer harbor lighthouse near the former Bethlehem Steel plant. Coppola, an elder statesman of local politics,…
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Carney takes heat from preservation community over lax enforcement
For the last three years, preservationists have been pushing for tougher enforcement of building codes and a more aggressive pursuit of slumlords for violations. City Housing Court Judge Patrick Carney is taking…
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Teachers insist that NYSUT’s badly tarnished image demands a new public face
Now more than ever, teachers deserve a friendlier public face on a “pro-public education agenda” that has been badly disparaged by real estate developers and policy reformers. New York State’s teachers’ unions…
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Does operative Mike Deely have the temperament for political work, ask teachers
Teachers from across Western New York have been questioning the political leadership of Mike Deely — whose short temper and gruff demeanor make him unsuitable for such a sensitive and pivotal leadership…
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Public procurement ‘S-words’ and cronyism
By Rich Purtell Standardization. Single Sourcing. Sole Sourcing. Strategic Sourcing. These have all become common techniques used in the purchase of government goods and services. “Procurement” is the term used to mean…
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Will school integration become a catalyst for district restructuring?
Desegregation has become an increasingly pressing issue for the Buffalo Public Schools. The national civil rights expert Gary Orfeild offered the district a bleak assessment of decades long trends that has led…
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Cuomo’s medical marijuana law designed for kickbacks, say operatives
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s medical marijuana law — which passed the state legislature last year — is being characterized by local political operatives as “designed for kickbacks.” The law authorizes only a handful…
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Does Brian Magierski understand Cheektowaga politics?
Town Clerk and former Councilwoman Alice Magierski is running for town supervisor, but after early missteps observers wonder if she is being well served by her campaign manager. Brian Magierski, her son,…
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Franczyk sends goons to Marine Drive to smear Joe Mascia, harass residents
The embattled and deeply unpopular Councilman David Franczyk is resorting to mudslinging early this election cycle, in what observers call “an obvious sign of desperation.” On the first day of petitioning, the…
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The Blackrock-Riverside waterfront deserves transformational planning
The Blackrock and Riverside sections of Buffalo could be nationally renowned neighborhoods with an extraordinary quality of life. But rather than securing a gorgeous waterfront as public space, we have allowed a massive…
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Pigeon attorneys may file abuse of process complaint against Schneiderman
Most political observers (particularly those in Western New York) think of Attorney General Eric Schniederman as the quintessential “career politician.” He was a little known and under accomplished State Senator from Manhattan…
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It’s time to think beyond the Scajaquada Expressway
One of the most profound urban design mistakes in Buffalo’s history has been our treatment of Scajaquada Creek. In Black Rock, the creek winds though industrial brownfeilds and functions as a sewage…
