Our Best of Buffalo poll this year included an essay question: How would you invest a billion dollars in the welfare of Western New York? We’re posting an answer every couple days until we run out of good answers:

Jennifer Fecio Mcdougall writes:

I would do the following:

**make Buffalo’s waterfront into a multi-use public space area for the benefit and enjoyment of our citizens.

**replace the Skyway with something safer and would not block the view of the waterfront

**create shelters in every neighborhood of the city and not restrict their use to temperatures of 10 degrees or lower

**fund a citizens campaign aimed at eliminating patronage and corruption at all levels of government

**invest in initiatives that can actually have an impact on our city’s employment rate, image, and future

**establish an agency of private citizens (not politicians or wanna-be politicians) aimed at figuring out how to strengthen our city and keep our kids here

**establish a tourism bureau that would truly showcase our city’s strengths