Ken Kruly

Mayor Byron Brown’s proposed 2023-2024 City Budget demonstrates a new reality:  Buffalo must deal with financial issues head-on.  Past budgets have relied on if-come revenues from new city sources, exaggerated estimates of established funding streams, and new money from other levels of government to cover the city’s expenses.  With a proposed increase in property taxes … Continue reading Brown’s proposed Buffalo budget deals with reality; OTB is about to

Primary Day in Buffalo and Erie County offers some interesting contests.  The Common Council primaries might produce a shift in control of that legislative body.  The County Legislature primaries are in just one district; they are simply a power struggle between the Republicans and Conservatives. Subject to Board of Elections or court actions, there could … Continue reading Campaign financials for the Buffalo Council and Erie County Legislature; Comptroller’s audit of the Williamsville Central School District

It is nicer to think of the expression “April showers bring May flowers,” but like it or not there are a bunch of primaries sprouting up all over Erie County. In the midst of serious and protracted budget negotiations among Governor Kathy Hochul, the Assembly, and the Senate those parties found time to add an … Continue reading April petitions bring June primaries

As this blog is being published, the New York State 2023-2024 budget is officially three days late. Such a development is hardly news in Albany. Over the past 40 years at least 25 of the new state budgets were approved later than the April 1 deadline. The budgets were late 20 consecutive years between 1985 … Continue reading The Governor has the power to resolve the budget issues; an arresting development

Less than a month into her candidacy for Erie County Executive, Republican Chrissy Casilio-Bluhm has wandered into controversy.  Perhaps she could use some PR help. The focus of her difficulties has been Twitter posts under her former handle, Chrissycaboom.  She passed along comments suggesting the Damar Hamlin near tragedy was a PR stunt; that the … Continue reading Casilio’s superficial knowledge of county issues

John F. Kennedy announced his campaign for the 1960 presidential election in January of 1960.  When did national political campaigns expand and became a 24/7/365 deal?  Maybe in the 1980s  or early 1990s.  Consider what may be the main causes of that development:  the explosion of the internet and the start of cable news networks. … Continue reading There is a whole lot of political junk on the internet