Jim Keane: Honorary Goo Goo Doll?

I wonder if Jim Keane called Robby Takac or John Rzeznik and asked permission to steal the melody from their song “Better Days” for his latest commercial. I also think it’s pretty humorous to tap into the emotional currency that the Sabres generated with that video during last seasons playoff run. People finding your campaign to be soulless and floundering? Lets subconciously remind everyone how hopeful we were during the Sabres Stanley Cup run last year!

Jim Keane Version

Goo Goo Dolls/Sabres Version

Chris Collins At Clarence Candidate Forum

While Channel 2 was more interested in the fact that Jim Keane didn’t show up and there was little reported on the substance of the evening, we captured the entirety of Collins’ appearance at the Clarence Candidates Forum.

Chris Collins at Candidate Forum from WNYMedia Video on Vimeo.

Vote Alan Bedenko

Last night, our very own Buffalo Pundit appeared at a candidates forum in Clarence, NY. He had the opportunity to answer questions from the community while sitting side by side with 18 year incumbent Mike Ranzenhofer.

We had a camera on hand to capture the event.


Alan Bedenko For County Legislator from WNYMedia Video on Vimeo.

Jib Jab Halloween Greetings

The guys at JibJab have expanded past their typical political satire animations into holiday greetings…this is their first effort.

Erie County Legislature 11th District – Normentum!

As a resident and prime voter, I like to think that I am pretty tuned into the political news in the 11th District in Erie County. Just when I thought the election for Erie County Legislator was decided after Lynn Marinelli handily defeated Joel Feroleto in the Democratic primary last month, I learned just how wrong that assumption was.

Ernie Norman, or as “Normaniacs” in the Parkside ‘hood like to call him, “Normentum”, has launched a fierce challenge to a well entrenched incumbent. The sheer populist fervor that surrounds his campaign has imbued Normentum with a disdain for the typical trappings of a political campaign. Things like signs, literature, door to door visits, phone calls, mailers, commercials, websites, interviews, or any indication that he is anything but a picture on Erie county GOP website are but a mere distraction for Normentum.

None of this means that his campaign isn’t a serious, well-coordinated, stealthy, viral marketing campaign headed up by that guy who lives in the hole by the railroad tracks in North Buffalo. No sir, Normentum is not just a placeholder on the Republican line, he’s a threat to the political status quo in Erie County.

I was able to track down the elusive candidate for an exclusive interview. I had hoped to learn from the Master how we can win an election by essentially staying home. It’s an enlightening and educational two minute interview with the man who will change the face of Erie County forever.

Bill O'Loughlin, He's Fed Up!

Running an independent media outlet is a daily adventure. When Marc and I wake up in the morning, we’re never sure what kind of political rumor we’ll receive in our Inboxes. As a matter of course, we leave the rumor mongering to the less ethical corners of the Buffalo Blogosphere while we wait for hard evidence of someone being a jackass. This is why I don’t get to print half of the cool gossip I’m privy to…Marc being a real journalist and Alan being a lawyer tends to kill all the fun.

So, what did I find in my Inbox this morning? Firm evidence of Candidate for Erie County Clerk Bill O’Loughlin’s social grace, panache, and penchant for hissyfits over perceived social indiscretions at his country club.

Click here to listen to the mp3 of Bill O’Loughlin acting like a petulant child.

Inside Buffalo Memorial Auditorium

Over the weekend, an “anonymous contributor” embarked upon an urban exploration of Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. He went with camera and light kit in tow and brought back some fantastic images.

It’s hard to believe its been over a decade since the Sabres beat the Hartford Whalers in the final game at the arena and Memorial Auditorium closed up shop for good.

The building celebrates the 67th anniversary of its grand opening this month and with rumors of demolition plans and magic city-saving fishing stores swirling around it, the Aud’s future is cloudier than a Sabres/Flyers cup game.

Knowing we might never get another chance to say goodbye, an accomplice of mine and I deemed it necessary to get back inside the Aud one last time to see what was left of this once proud arena and pass along our findings in photos for the world to see.

Click here to read the full story and see all of the pictures.

Erie County Executive Debate Open Thread

WGRZ-TV broadcast a debate between the two remaining candidates for Erie County Executive tonight from the historic Central Terminal on Buffalo’s East Side.

I have made no secret of my support for Republican Chris Collins prior to tonight, so I am aware that I approach the debate with a confirmation bias in my choice of Collins over Democrat Jim Keane.

I’d like to run through my notes from the debate as it happened and give a general take at the end of the post.

- When asked where the candidates would make cuts in the county budget, they both rabidly responded that they will both kill patronage. Uh, right. Patronage is one of the most sacred cows in elective politics. Every politician promises to hire the best and brightest or that he/she will not hire friends and family, but it’s a necessary evil. If Keane is elected, he will most certainly put trusted friends, advisers, and family into positions in government, as will Collins. It’s just the way it goes. I think both candidates have pledged to be transparent and will do their best to avoid the implication of nepotism. After the unqualified patronage-a-palooza of the last decade, the media is on the hunt for any evidence of impropriety. Generally speaking, both candidates err on the side of efficiency to achieve cost savings. Collins with six sigma quality principles, transparency, and business tactics and Keane with efficiency grants, a tough control board, and ErieSmart (his version of Citistat)

- What was with the bad sound work on Collins’ microphone throughout the debate? It looked like he was starring in his own bad kung fu movie.

- Also, was it necessary to give us repetitive shots of Scott Levin nodding sincerely throughout the debate and biting his lip like a low rent Bill Clinton? Channel 2, On The Side of Cheap and Tawdry Production

- On the waterfront, Keane is very good friends with Brian Higgins. Evidently, this means he supports all of Higgins plans for the inner and outer harbor and this should curry favor from the voters. I’m starting to notice a trend where Keane ties himself to the accomplishments (perceived or real) of his contemporaries. Keane wants to be held accountable if Inner Harbor construction isn’t complete on his watch, as if he’s the guy who holds the hammer on the issue. Collins seems to recognize that there are numerous interests at the table on waterfront development and he pledged to be a responsible steward of the process.

- Casino? They’re both for it, although Collins seems to be a bit more resigned to it being a fait accompli rather than something he would champion. Keane notes all of the good jobs that will result from the construction of the casino and in the casino, post construction. Many of these jobs will be of the $10 per hour variety…this will matter later on. Let’s move on.

- Joel Giambra makes an appearance to ask a question of “the candidates”, although it is directed solely at Collins. Essentially, he asks Collins to explain what he means by running county government like a business. Giambra highlights that the largest cost center in county government is personnel and the employees are protected by the Taylor Law, how can he make cuts? My lord, a cogent question! Collins goes on to explain that he will negotiate in good faith and put the full benefit and salary packages on the table for negotiation. Private sector benefit comparison with public sector benefits, define the delta between the two and work towards compromise on give and take. Any savings realized as a result of the new contract will be split 50/50 between the public employees and the taxpayers. Sounds pretty sensible, eh?

Keane is offered a chance to respond and immediately blames Joel Giambra for the mess we’re in, it’s not the fault of the public unions, you see. When he was with Gorski, they were faster, leaner, more efficient, etc. Joel ruined everything. I’d like to have someone check out these facts that Keane keeps putting forward on lower taxes under Gorski v. Giambra and lower personnel costs as well. Are we talking real dollars? Inflation factored in? Why is it that the bloggers are always left to do the heavy lifting on this kind of crap? Also, Keane won’t negotiate contracts in public, but he is interested in using efficiency grants to buy out cost legacies. Not real sure what that means. Also, Keane wants to abolish the Water Authority and bring it under the control of the Executive, Legislature, and Control Board. Mind you, the head of the water authority was a good friend of the Gorski/Keane administration and all commissioners are already confirmed by the legislature.

- An old lady from Cheektowaga asks Keane why he accepted the endorsement of Paul Clark, who called him a racist and a liar about his Vietnam service. Keane would like to take this opportunity to remind all the undecided religicals in the County that he is a Catholic and holds his Christian principles dear. Sure he took Clark’s endorsement, but he had to if he wanted the party to move forward. The Cheektowaga committee made a power grab to back Clark and failed. If everyone is to get along and patronage jobs and fundraising are to move forward unfettered, Keane had to eat shit and take Clark’s endorsement. If Clark ever envisioned doing more than mowing his lawn and building model ships in his basement, he had to eat shit and give his support to Keane. It’s an untidy shit sandwich for everyone, who cares? Sure, Clark turned out to be dirtier than a mafia capo, but who’s counting?

- Will either of these guys work to keep the Buffalo Bills in town? Collins will work towards it, but knows the issue is not completely in his hands, seeing as how the Bills are a private enterprise and the NFL is a profit hungry giant. Keane says he will pressure the NFL to rethink it’s position on publicly owned teams, blah blah blah. A populist answer, but exceptionally unlikely.

I’m gonna take a break for a while, but I thought I’d give my final take…

In the end, I thought that Collins came across as measured, intelligent, patient, realistic, and sensible. He seemed to be shaken with the format and his lack of populist fervor struck me as refreshing. Keane came across as a polished populist but also as an overpromising and petulant jerk. I thought Collins was taking a fresh approach to the problems that have plagued us for so long, but was cautious in promising what he could deliver. It took us 40 years to dig ourselves a hole this deep, fixing it is isn’t going to happen overnight. Keane has some good ideas and agrees with Collins on many of the issues, but his managerial style appears to be dictatorial, uninspired, and bullying. Sound familiar?

Confirmation bias? I’m not sure, I just know that Collins looks like a leader and Keane looks like a second fiddle who has patiently waited for his shot at the big chair.

At the end of the night, I felt that Keane had more in common with Joel Giambra than I ever thought possible. They both represent the past, an ugly past marked by immense failure.

Let’s start looking towards our future.

To watch clips from the debate, head over to WGRZ.com

At the end of the day, it is what it is…

I spent last week in Maryland dealing with some of the most robust users of cliches in the history of business. In my 10 years in the IT and web development industries, I have found that the more often someone leans on a cliche to illustrate a point, the less they truly know about the subject matter at hand.

This is a short list of cliches used by co-workers in the last 10 days, if you have any to add to this list, I’d love it if you’d share them with me in the comments section…

Then there are the web development specific cliches that will help you land that awesome VC investment.

Anything to add here? Anyone with a killer elevator pitch that I can put into a 10/20/30 preso and take to a VC with an itch to find the next Digg?

Collins 38%, Keane 29% In New Zogby Poll

In the most recent Zogby poll conducted by The Buffalo News and WGRZ-TV, Republican Chris Collins has taken a sizable lead over Democrat Jim Keane in the race for Erie County Executive.

28% of voters remain undecided, a large percentage this late in a campaign. It also appears that Paul Clark’s endorsement has given little bounce to Keane’s numbers as 56% of those polled said the endorsement did not change their vote. Over 20% said they would now vote for Collins, and 16% said they would not vote for Keane. I’m guessing that’s not what Keane was looking for when he accepted Clark’s endorsement.

I have to say that I’m personally pleased with these results. This election is not a Republican v. Democrat issue, it is about progress v. inertia.

On one hand, we have a candidate who pledges to return us to the glory years of Dennis Gorski and another who seems capable of taking a fresh look at what ails us as a community. I fail to see how a return to when Erie County was dying a silent death (as opposed to the violent and public death it is currently experiencing) is a good thing.

As much as Keane and his supporters want to make this an issue about class, it isn’t.

Christopher Collins claims that the voters want a businessman and they want the county run like a business…

I believe the citizens of Erie County recognize that in business, a handful of executives live in luxury while most people worry about losing their job or their health care coverage. In the business world, profit is the objective. The government’s duty, however, is to serve the needs of its citizens with efficiency and professionalism.

I can only imagine Collins’ idea of running Erie County like a business. Will we start outsourcing county services? How many more libraries and parks will close so that his fellow corporate executives get tax breaks?

This kind of parochial thinking is exactly why this region is dying on the vine. Collins has openly stated that the motivations of business and government are different, but certain business philosophies and strategies can be brought to bear to increase government efficiency and reduce taxes. Why is this a bad thing? Why do we have to make this about rich and poor? It’s about all of us and the future of our community. A fresh approach to solving our problems is absolutely required if we intend to move forward.

Jim Keane represents protectionism, government sponsored economic development, and old school Buffalo thinking more than any candidate for office in recent memory.

Just askin’, how has that school of thought been working as of late? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

This Democrat will be voting for Collins.