The Buffalo Chronicle
City
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At housing court, Franczyk undermines claim that he’s a preservationist
Earlier this week, Fillmore district Councilman David Franczyk appeared in city housing court to support the demolition of a property that preservationists in the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood say is key to keeping the community’s…
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What is Byron doing with the Housing Authority?
Sweeping layoffs at the badly mismanaged Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority is leaving residents aghast. Dozens of key staffers are being dismissed in the face of a bleak fiscal outlook that stems from…
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Christopher, Giambra in spotlight as the conspiracy to smear Joe Mascia unfolds
Earlier this year the regional manager of Sheen and Shine — a local minority and veteran owned business that that does work for New York State Gas and Electric (NYSEG) — traveled to Albany…
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Diversity of district makes Fillmore council race a toss up
The Fillmore district is a gerrymandered concoction that was drawn in the 2010/11 redistricting process. Then Council President David Franzcyk, a deeply unpopular figure who was first elected in 1988 and watched…
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Despite misstep, Mascia pledges to be “an advocate and fighter for the people”
Housing Commissioner Joe Mascia, the Fillmore district candidate for Common Council, intends to be “an advocate and fighter for the people.” Despite the coordinated, deliberate, and long planned smear campaign executed over the…
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Control board rejects BMHA financial plan, renewing threat of federal receivership
The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority’s 2016-2019 Financial Plan has been rejected by the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority. The Financial Plan had been architected by Hal Payne, the Buffalo State College administrator who…
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Mascia: “I’m profusely sorry and deeply embarrassed”
It was brought to my attention today that I was recorded without my knowledge, and on the recording said something that I am deeply embarrassed by and ashamed of. The statement was…
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Franczyk rejects the Democratic endorsement to become a Republican nominee
According to Democratic Party rules, accepting the Republican nomination for an elected office immediately and automatically disqualifies that candidate from receiving the party’s endorsement. As a nearly 30 year incumbent, David Franczyk received the…
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Jacobs breaks silence to play defense for Paladino’s school board faction
Chris Jacobs has avoided education policy issues since his resignation from the school board to become County Clerk. In that special election, he was dogged by criticisms of his long tenure on…
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Sharon Belton-Cottman could face Mike Woolford in Masten
School board member Sharon Belton Cottman is emerging as the leading Democrat contender to challenge Mike Woolford, the widely respected Buffalo businessman, for Common Council from Buffalo’s Masten District. Woolford is running on the Conservative…
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Sources say Garner fears he may be focus of FBI investigation; wants peace deal with rival club
Two prominent Democrat officials tell me that Maurice Garner, the founder of Grassroots, Inc, is brokering “a peace deal” with Unity Coalition — a shocking development that would have been unthinkable a…
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Veronica Nichols slams Mayor Brown on SUNY appointment
Veronica Nichols, the community activist who challenged Assemblywoman Crystal People Stokes in a tree way primary contest last year, is calling out Mayor Byron Brown. Brown’s surprise appointment to the SUNY board…
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Sharp change of tone on school board after Orfield report
The tone was subdued after the presentation of Dr. Gary Orfeild, a national civil rights expert who was charged with investigating the the selection process that governs admissions to the city’s highest…
