Month: December 2011

Tobe to be Deputy County Executive

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County Executive-elect Poloncarz has appointed Richard Tobe to be his Deputy County Executive. Tobe is a lawyer and held the Erie County post of Commissioner of Environment and Planning for a decade, and was Mayor Byron Brown’s Commissioner for Economic Development until 2008.

During the County Executive campaign, Poloncarz said that his deputy would be a “jobs czar”, concentrating on growing the economy and job creation.  From the press release:

Poloncarz stated, “As I have said, my Deputy County Executive’s will focus on job creation and creating a streamlined, sustainable and efficient approach to economic development in Erie County.  This position required an individual that not only had a proven track record of successfully navigating the often turbulent local economic development process but who could also help create a better system for tomorrow. Today, I am proud to announce Richard Tobe will serve in that role.  It is time that Erie County taxpayers see a return on the investment of their tax dollars into economic development initiatives that show results.  Richard’s decades of successful and multi-faceted economic development experience in the public and private sectors make him the perfect choice to lead these efforts.”

Transition Chairman Michael Joseph added, “The County Executive-elect has made an excellent choice in recruiting Rich Tobe to serve the county. Mr. Tobe’s decades of public service in economic development and planning, including a lead role in negotiating complex deals and public infrastructure projects makes him an ideal candidate to serve in the key role as Deputy County Executive.”

Mr. Tobe has more than 30 years of economic development experience in the public and private sectors as well as academia.  During his 12 years serving the Gorski administration as Commissioner of Environment and Planning, Tobe led the County’s successful effort to negotiate a new long-term lease agreement with the Buffalo Bills, and construct the Buffalo Sabres’ arena (now First Niagara Center) in downtown Buffalo, while serving as the point-person with New York State and local municipalities on economic development initiatives.

Since then Tobe has served as an adjunct professor at the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Planning and School of Law, Vice President of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, and Commissioner of the City of Buffalo’s Department of Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services.

Tobe said, “I am supremely honored to serve County Executive-elect Poloncarz as the Deputy County Executive.  I strongly agree with the County Executive-elect that, for too long, Erie County has been devoid of a cohesive and focused economic development strategy.  I know and love this community and I am confident that by working together with local, state and federal economic development agencies and by leveraging our abundance of resources and strategic location we can realize real, sustainable growth.”

Artvoice? Art!

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On Sunday, I attended the “Santa’s Brunch” at the iconic “Salvatore’s Italian Garden” in Lancaster. (Yes, it was a buffet. Yes, they added the gratuity. Yes, they added 18% after tax for a buffet).

Lest anyone think Salvatore’s is full of nothing but tack, the work of a local artist is featured in a hallway towards the rear of the building. The “crying Santa” series is something to behold, as is the whole concept of Santa Claus interacting with the infant Savior.

Only baby Jesus can console Santa

Santa and the Hobo

Santa holds baby Jesus

An Angel appears to Santa and the Hobo

Santa prays over baby Jesus

How can the hobo afford clown makeup?


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Invented People

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At the Republican debate where multimillionaire candidate Mitt Romney bet slow candidate Rick Perry $10,000 as to whether Romney was a member of the Obama revolutionary socialized medicine cadre or not, book hawker and corrupt former Congressman Newt Gingrich averred that Palestinians were (a) all terrorists; and (b) an “invented” people.

Setting aside the tea party pandering about all Muslims being terrorists, I’m more fascinated by the “invented people” crack. Members of, say, the Navajo or Seneca Nation might very well ask what the hell Gingrich thinks “Americans” are.

The Hospital Business

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When Chris Collins said that Erie County was out of the hospital business, he was being deceitful – in this year’s case, to the tune of $23.8 million.  That figure would have been $40 million, but for a credit that the hospital is holding to the county’s credit.

It may be a tough nut, and depending on to whom you listen, it may  be fair and lawful. But it’s a huge subsidy that goes disproportionately to assist poor families in a poor county, and the county remains decidedly in the “hospital business” as long as the payouts continue.

Irony

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I was unable to attend the Erie County Legislature’s final session of 2011, which was the last for six lawmakers, including Chairwoman Barbara Miller-Williams.

Miller-Williams led a breakaway faction of three Democratic legislators who aligned themselves with the Republican majority, thus helping Chris Collins move forward with an agenda that was oftentimes at odds with that of Miller-Williams’ constituents.

Chris Smith and I did this video two years ago to explain it all (language NSFW)

The Buffalo News reports this:

“I implore you to please put people before politics,” Miller-Williams told her colleagues as the meeting wrapped up. “It’s always the right thing to do.”

Ironic, seeing as how Ms. Miller-Williams seldom took her own advice on that point. Unless, of course “putting people before politics” has something to do with ensuring political jobs for certain people.

Reacting to Miller-Williams, Joseph N. Welch had this to say:

$100 Million Here and There

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Is Governor Cuomo’s division of the state into economic development zones and then having them compete against each other for hundreds of millions in state money a cure for the disease, or is it more of a Band-Aid?  $100 million here and there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.

I’m pleased that the WNY Regional Development Council won over $100 million for local development priorities, but query whether the awards reflect its intended goal of “prosperity”:

Western New Yorkers aspire to create a sustainable prosperity by utilizing and enhancing the strengths of our people, by continuing our rich tradition of human innovation in arts, education, health, and manufacturing; by leveraging our regions natural beauty and abundant natural resources; and by taking full advantage of our unique and strategic location in the world. We will create a region that is admired worldwide, that attracts more people to live, learn, work and visit; where entrepreneurs and businesses want to invest their time and capital, and where all our institutions reflect a culture of inclusion, continuous improvement, adaptation and excellence.

That sounds great, but when you look at the money that was awarded, some of the money doesn’t seem to do much towards attaining that goal. Certainly, awards to institutions of higher learning and knowledge-based industries are positive, and can help set the foundation for future prosperity. Frankly, we should be prioritizing and speeding up our slow and hesitant transition from a manufacturing past to a knowledge-based future.  We should also prioritize the clean-up of contaminated, unusable land for future development. I’m looking at you, Outer Harbor.  Here’s the application that the council submitted to the state.

Final Plan – WNY Regional Development Councilhttp://www.scribd.com/embeds/75208514/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-1wqa8ql718ziqoouam1l//

There are some awards (e.g., renovate 20 homes in the town of Friendship, rehabilitate 25 owner/occupied homes in Allegany County) that don’t make sense from a build-prosperity perspective. There are some infrastructure projects (3 miles of rail in Cattaraugus County, an airplane hangar in Olean), tourism priorities (grape discovery center in Chautauqua County), grants to help the poor and elderly update their homes, but when you get out of the rural counties, the grants here in Erie County are heavily weighed towards helping growing and improving local small businesses, which I think is a fantastic opportunity.

In what we perceive to be an unfriendly business environment, it’s a good thing to help promote, improve, and grow small businesses in a weak economy, giving them the opportunity to grow and create jobs.

Ultimately, however, the best thing Albany can do to help revive upstate and WNY counties is give them a break on taxes, and to streamline the business development red tape – not hold an awards show without the glitz.

Frankly, the WNY Regional Development Council should replace and hopefully de-politicize the entire ESD/IDA structure throughout the region. Just as we have too many layers of government, we have too many hands in the “build business” pot. Formulating region-wide goals and priorities to prevent the sort of petty poaching, and incentivization of Titanic deck-chair rearrangement that takes place now.

Finally, for a governor who went out of his way to underscore that there is “one New York” during his campaign, the notion that there are winners and losers is head-scratchingly odd. By way of comparison, the Finger Lakes RDC, which includes Rochester and Genesee County, was not a big winner, but still got $68.8 million.


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Beyond the Border

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On Wednesday, the United States and Canada signed an agreement that Congressman Brian Higgins’ office describes as, historic…declaring a shared responsibility for enhanced security and efficient access for the legitimate movement of people, goods, and services between the northern border.”

I could go on a tangent about how post-9/11 border security stymies our ability to properly create a Tor-Buff-Chester megaregion / regional economy, but harmonization of customs regulations and easing the flow of commercial and tourist traffic between the US and Canada is a good start.  If we had true high-speed rail in North America, it would be completely possible for someone to live in Buffalo and commute to Rochester or Toronto. And vice-versa.

Under this “Beyond the Border” agreement, we’ll see expansion of NEXUS lanes for trusted travelers (a $50 perk that gives you a dedicated bridge in Niagara Falls and speedy inspection), Customs pre-screens at point of departure, rather than at border crossings, and what amounts to somewhat of a re-think as to how we handle cross-border cargo traffic.

Some Canadians are upset because the agreement will require the CBSA to share information about suspected terrorists with the TSA, and participate in the no-fly list we keep.  Canadian screening of visitors from visa waiver countries will be more closely aligned with that of the US.

Easing the flow of traffic at the border crossings themselves may obviate the need for Peace Bridge expansion and other changes that have been debated to death in our community. It’s too early to tell whether this new agreement might lead to a renewed interest or second look at shared border management, but the Canadian border hasn’t exactly been an Administration priority in the last few years, so it’s heartening to see something change, however small.

Ultimately, though, it would make sense for Canadian and American immigration and Customs schemes to be harmonized and unified, so that entry to one is entry to both, creating a North American Schengen zone.

 

Contracting the Economy Doesn't Grow It

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American Conservatives have been agitating for what amounts to an austerity budget to address the debt and deficit, arguing that the economy will grow if finances are sound.  They have – and will continue to – hold the country hostage to their faith-based “tax cuts will solve everything” ideology.

That’s what British Prime Minister David Cameron’s government did, and the results have been an epic disaster. British society is fraying at the edges, mass layoffs have led to strikes, services on which people depend – and for which they pay – are suffering.

The austerity budget is fraying at the edges, amid strikes and protests over layoffs and rising fees. Growth has been slowing, despite Mr. Cameron’s insistence that businesses would pick up the pace when it became clear that the government’s finances were sound. And now Britain looks to be in an unusually poor position to defend its interests in Europe.

Members of the Labour opposition lost no time exploiting what they saw as Mr. Cameron’s weakness on the issue.

“Six weeks ago, he was promising his backbenchers a handbagging for Europe, and now he’s just reduced to hand-wringing,” the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, told Parliament, as his party members whooped their approval. “The problem for Britain is that at that most important European summit for a generation, that matters hugely for businesses up and down the country, the prime minister is simply left on the sidelines.”

So maybe the whole austerity budget, abolishing Medicaid, privatizing Social Security and other Republican payoffs to their ultra-wealthy benefactors might not be what’s best to get the economy moving again.

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