There is an old expression that goes, “if you don’t like the weather in Buffalo just wait a few hours, it will change.” Heat waves, tornados, remnants of a hurricane. Ah, summer in Western New York.
Here are some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets:
- What a difference a month makes. Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign is only three weeks old and a lot can happen between now and November 5 but she and Tim Walz have some great momentum going.
- For those who may not think that Donald Trump is in decline, here’s the word salad that he spoke last week when asked about whether he would use his power as president to require the Federal Drug Administration to revoke access to mifepristone, the drug first approved in 2000 that is used to end a pregnancy: “You could do things that will be, would supplement. Absolutely. And those things are pretty open and humane. But you have to be able to have a vote, and all I want to do is give everybody a vote and the votes are taking place right now as we speak. There are many things on a humane basis that you can do outside of that, but you also have to give a vote and the people are going to have to decide.”
- Campaign rallies are one indication of how a campaign is going. Harris has the big crowds; Trump has his imagination. A JD Vance event in Detroit seemed to attract more media than Trump loyalists. The Harris-Walz enthusiasm can help flip the House to Democratic control.
- It’s looking more and more like Robert Kennedy Jr.’s campaign may have been left for dead along with that bear that he dropped off in New York’s Central Park several years ago. The media created him as a campaign wonder and now they are now finally putting his candidacy into proper perspective.
- Former Buffalo-area Republican Congressman Jack Quinn is among a list of prominent Republicans who are now supporting Harris. There is always a “Republicans for …” or a “Democrats for …” in a campaign that is trying to show bi-partisan support but this one has legs. And how about those right-leaning media types like Joe Rogan who are moving away from Trump. What’s that all about?
- There will be four cross-party endorsements for State Supreme Court in the 8th Judicial District this year, which will re-elect incumbents Henry Nowak Jr., Catherine Nugent Panepinto, and Deborah Chimes, along with current Republican Assemblyman Michael Norris. The Conservative Party began the endorsement process this past Saturday.
- Investigative Post recently reported on the city administration in Buffalo reviving an unimplemented law that allows the city to charge a venue fee for music clubs and other facilities for ticketed events which they produce. Reacting to the uproar, the city has backed off of the fees “temporarily”. There are concerns among facility operators about how the fee would impact their businesses, but here’s the thing as Deidre Williams in the Buffalo News tagged onto her story about the fee: the city’s next year’s budget is already $46 million in the hole with the prospect of that deficit growing to $55 million or more. If City Hall leaders are unwilling to impose unpopular fees, including the proposed increases in parking rates, how will they ever handle budget deficits that will run into the tens of millions of dollars each and every future year to come? If the city were to look to close a budget hole of just $46 million via a property tax increase, that increase would approach 30 percent.
- But then you have the situation reported in the Buffalo News concerning the failure of the city’s Permits & Inspection Services Department to fully enforce a program requiring owners of one-or-two-family properties they don’t live in to annually register and pay a fee or $50 or $100. Landlords are probably happy about that, but the general constituency in the city would applaud complete enforcement and the revenue that action would produce.
- Governor Kathy Hochul, on the recommendation of Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, has reappointed former City Comptroller Andy SanFilippo as a member of the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority. There is no one more qualified to understand the city’s fiscal problems than SanFilippo.
- SanFilippo has been a member of the Authority’s Board for several years but there still remain four vacancies on the Board that require gubernatorial appointments. In the face of the city’s impending financial crisis the Authority has had to cancel recently scheduled meetings for lack of a quorum.
- Republican members of the Cheektowaga Town Board have once again demonstrated that politics are more important to them than governing. They failed to attend a special Board meeting last week that was required to place a referendum concerning the creation of district Board seats on the ballot this November.
- Republicans who control the Hamburg Town Board may have a dilemma to deal with concerning the proposal to build an asphalt processing plant in Hamburg. There has been significant public opposition to the proposal based on environmental and public health concerns. The dilemma comes from a decision of Justice Emilio Colaiacovo to permit Roseanne DiPizio to build the plant on property which she owns. Town Supervisor Randy Hoak is looking to appeal the decision. DiPizio supported Stefan Mychijliw in his unsuccessful campaign for supervisor in 2021 and also supported Republican Board member Frank Bogulski’s campaign. DiPizio’s attorney in the legal matter is Ralph Lorigo, Chairman of the Erie County Conservative Party. The party has endorsed the Republican Board members in their campaigns.
- Training camp in Rochester is over and the first exhibition game for the Buffalo Bills is in the books. The biggest question marks this season: how will the revamped receiving corps perform and will Von Miller and Matt Milano return to their former outstanding performances? Once again the schedule is very tough. More on all this in a subsequent post. Go Bills!
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