Category: Local Politics

Nothing like a 22-Tweet thread to show everyone how not mad you are.

Never let it be said that Out-of-Date Nate doesn’t have a vision. He has ideas. You can MOCK THEM IF YOU WISH, but he really has these visions and ideas. Visideas. Ideisions.

Whether those ideas actually comport with reality, or fall under the job description of “County Executive” or can be done by such an executive pursuant to the County Charter – that doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you SAY THINGS.

What are you SCARED OF?

We can DO IT.

Let’s sample.

There exists no political will to move the convention center closer to Canalside, much less moving the Bills stadium downtown. We come down to that old tug-of-war between “would be nice” and “must”. (For examples on this theme, see here and here and here.) We must have a new stadium. It would be nice if it was downtown, but this is not of critical importance to the city’s future or the Bills’. Suffice it to say that if the Bills thought it was of existential importance, it would be happening.

The problems plaguing the East Side of Buffalo are many and complex, but in one breath to demand redevelopment of the Central Terminal as a train station and then in the next to decry “hail Mary schemes for big developers” strikes me as a bit rich. As for “micro loans”, there are already programs that offer these, including WEDI and the ECIDA. You would think that an informed candidate would promote that, rather than pretend nothing of the sort exists.

In any event, you cannot have a “Lake Ontario regional economic zone” with free movement of people and products without there being a Schengen-style binational agreement, something that is not only outside of a County Executive’s remit, but frankly unlikely for the foreseeable future, given the political situations on both sides of the northern border.

But Nate seems to think the border is closed. For God’s sake, get a NEXUS and you can go back and forth to shop at the Niagara-on-the-Lake outlets or the Walden Galleria to your heart’s content. That way we can have government invest in roofing companies and auto repair shops some more.

An “ecotourism hub.” With “camping and glamping” because evidently that doesn’t exist in WNY.

As for Scajaquada Creek, that work is already underway, my guy. I don’t know how we become the “Yosemite of the East” without a National Park or a big mountain, but someone remind him that Niagara Falls isn’t in Erie County, and there is very little in Niagara Falls, NY that would compel a visitor to stick around this side of the river in any event. I guess that’s why the rest area on Grand Island that isn’t visible to traffic from Canada until you’ve already passed the exit exists.

Nate doesn’t know his Buffalo from his Erie County.

It was only the City’s water supply that was not fluoridated. The Erie County Water Authority, which has not been contracted out to a private company, never stopped the fluoride. Municipal broadband is actually a Poloncarz initiative.

Nate has a plan for poverty, he says, because no one else cares and just points fingers. He sees people for their economic activity (or lack thereof). Imagine he presumes that he is the only person to “encourage new immigration to Buffalo” as if somehow Poloncarz or anyone else in County government has discouraged it. The delusion is just so insulting to everyone who’s been doing this stuff already. I mean, apart from spending trillions to force utilities to put all the electric lines underground, what has he suggested that isn’t already being done or is in the process of being done?

Yes, Mark Poloncarz – famously stingy with culturals. The balls on McMurray. When’s the last time he attended a play at a local theater or a concert at Kleinhans? A gallery opening? He’s going to, what? Fund culturals more? How much more? How much is missing? Which culturals have approached him to complain that Poloncarz is too stingy? And what makes him think Canadians are clamoring to come here to work?

What does that mean – a “County Executive who eats, sleeps, and lives progressive values?” I mean, in what way is Poloncarz not progressive, exactly? Because he lives in reality and not cloud-cuckoo land? Because he doesn’t make a sport of burning bridges and then demanding fealty and attention?

Not sure how Poloncarz has dropped the ball on “urging” others to do progressive things, but the only way you think that is if you haven’t been paying attention.

But regionalism to include Ontario, Canada? So, would we be implementing the EU’s Four Freedoms to accomplish that?

• The Free Movement of Goods
• The Free Movement of People
• The Freedom of Services
• The Freedom of Movement of Capital

But his biggest hit against Poloncarz is that he’s been CE for 11 years and was Comptroller for five before that. OK, so Mark’s been in countywide office for about 16 years. He’s been pretty good at it, too. He’s competent, he’s a policy wonk, he’s detailed, he’s diligent, but he also has plenty of time for big-picture advocacy, such as what Nate accuses him of never doing.

But he’s been in “office longer than any County Executive ever, longer than any President ever?” I dunno, FDR was President for 12 years, and before that he was Governor of New York from 1929 – 1933, and before that he served in the State Senate from 1911 – 1913. I make that out to be about 18 or 19 years in office. JFK was only President for 3 years, but before that he was a Senator and before that he was in the House. He held public office from 1947 – 1963, which is hey look at that 16 years.

Nate has campaigned for office longer than he ever held one.

All of this is a rehash of things that have already happened, have been discussed, are in the process of happening, or are absolutely and completely outside of the wheelhouse of a County Executive. But more to the point, what the hell is stopping McMurray from advocating for all of these things all at once and altogether for the last 16 years?

But good luck with North American Schengen, there. I think I saw it in the County Charter somewhere about international treaties.

One more thing. In the time that this “elderly blogger” has been blogging – since 2003, if we’re counting – I have been insulted by a lot of people. Only a small handful of them insulted my appearance, and now being attacked for my age is a new one. I’m 54. If that makes me “elderly” so be it, but when someone uses a term like that as an insult, how do I reconcile that with their professions of peace, love, and inclusivity? One of the things that actually exists in the County Charter is a Department of Senior Services, which is run by the Erie County Executive. If using “elderly” as an adjective negatively to describe my age and relevance, I shudder to think how this individual would deal with actual seniors.

I remember being signed up for updates from the Nate McMurray Democrat-running-against-a-Republican-for-Congress campaign. I do not ever remember signing up for updates from the Nate McMurray Democrat-primarying-one-of-our-most-effective-local-Democratic-politicians campaign.

In fact, I’m sure I never did. So, let’s take a look at this spam folder reject, which seems only slightly more poorly targeted than the letters he sent to the committeepeople earlier this week seeking their support against Mark Poloncarz for County Executive.

I ran for Congress in rural New York—in the reddest district in New York State, where Trump won by over 20 points. Despite the odds, I stood proudly for democracy, for healthcare as a human right, for choice—and I almost won, defying convention and without national party support… TWICE!

Almost won. Didn’t win. Despite going up against an insurrectionist. Despite going up against a felon. And you didn’t have “national party support?” That will come as news to the DCCC. But, as usual with a malignant narcissist, a failure cannot be his, but must be blamed on someone else. It is literally the driving rationale behind this primary campaign itself.

Now I’m back again. I see the creep of right-wing radicalism on school boards, state legislatures, and in our small-town councils. And I know that the only way to combat threats of extremism is through grassroots leadership. So, I’m running for Erie County Executive.

How does running for County Executive stanch the ills cited earlier in that paragraph? The County Executive, as I’m sure he knows, has no authority to alter school boards or other governmental bodies. Perhaps he means he would use his bully pulpit – something he already has with his name recognition and verified Twitter account.

Erie County boasts the nation’s second-highest arrest rate for January 6th insurrectionists. And although Democrats outnumber Republicans here, our problems extend beyond MAGA fundamentalism.

One would think that a guy who ran in the former Collins/Jacobs district would realize that there are a lot of very conservative, nominal Democrats in this region.

Erie County is home to the City of Buffalo, where on May 14, 2022, a gunman entered a busy grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood and murdered 10 and wounded three others in a racist attack. And late last December, nearly 50 people died in a brutal blizzard—most by hypothermia in historically disinvested neighborhoods—because our local leaders failed to properly warn and prepare residents.

Chalk this up as the first overt politicization of the Tops massacre and the blizzard. It’s pretty grotesque for him to blame the mass murder by a racist lunatic on the failure of “local leaders”. Each story of death and deprivation from the blizzard is entitled to more than clumsy, slapdash accusation of governmental negligence within the context of the County Executive race, but the crass exploitation of tragedy is right up this guy’s alley. I think Nate believes he’s running for Mayor of Buffalo, a city which does actually operate a housing authority. But let’s keep it simple and see this for what it is.

I have never taken corporate donations, and I’ve consistently been an independent voice in the Democratic Party fighting for change. I believe that true change starts locally, where you have the ability to touch and change the lives of those who need it most, and that’s why I’m running for Erie County Executive. Will you chip in $7.16 to help make my vision for Erie County a reality?

Corporate donations are not allowed in federal races – they’re usually filtered through 501c4 special interest charities, PACs, and SuperPACs. There’s always the $500 he received in 2019 from the Erie County Town Chair’s Association. There’s $500 he received in 2017 from Hodgson Russ, LLP – a partnership. Higgins for Congress supported McMurray in every one of his races. On September 20, 2020, he received $40.40 from now-defunct Maroon Technology, LTD. He also received $400 from Montana International, LLC that same month. On October 30, 2019, SolarPark Energy – a Delaware LLC – donated $500. ECDC Chair Jeremy Zellner gave McMurray $750 in October 2019, $150 in 2015, and $150 in 2012. An LLC is not technically a corporation, but something called “Ltd” probably is, so let’s chalk this up as a bit of a stretch.

If true change starts “locally, where you have the ability to touch and change the lives of those who need it most” why would you run to be executive of a million-person county? Why wouldn’t you run for the town board of wherever you live? Or Mayor? Make it make sense. And no, I will not chip in $7.16 or even another cent of my family’s money.

To win this campaign, I need your financial support to disrupt the status quo of party politics. With your help, we will prevail and bring about a new day for a community that needs it most. Read more about my vision for Erie County on our website, nateforerie.com.

It’s interesting because nothing in the earlier paragraphs really builds a proper foundation to end on “disrupt the status quo.” We don’t need an Elon Musk type character “disrupting” government, because the last guy who tried that was an utter disaster. Next thing you know, we’ll be hearing about Six Sigma again.

It’s easy for a candidate to solicit prime Democrats for aid and financial support in a close race against a genuinely repugnant Republican candidate, as McMurray had the privilege of doing a few times. It’s a whole different ballgame for you to challenge one of the most respected and competent, winningest Democrats in the region and set out to kneecap him. There is not a syllable uttered here to explain even a mild – much less a compelling – reason to get rid of Poloncarz in favor of McMurray.

McMurray is, in the end, no different from the Republicans from whom he once sought to distinguish himself. He gleefully parrots their anti-Poloncarz talking points and is like the dime store version of Mychajliw or some hackneyed Pigeonista. His “disruption” would come at great cost. The best argument he can muster is to blame the Tops shooting on Poloncarz? I doubt even Chris Collins would have stooped so low.