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Buffalo Niagara Partnership: Are You Serious?

by Buck Quigley - posted 1:20 pm, August 28, 2010

Filed under: Local Politics, State Politics
Tags: , ,

Continuing a long tradition of promoting pipe dreams, the Committee for Economic Growth—which is the Political Action Committee run by Andrew Rudnick’s Buffalo Niagara Partnership—is now plastering this message on NFTA bus stops, blaming Antoine Thompson because UB2020/PHEEIA legislation didn’t make it through the legislature.

This hunk of propaganda bemoans 20,000 UB2020 jobs lost.

Let’s pause for a moment and listen to Elvis Presley pose the musical question: “How Can You Lose What You Never Had?”

In 2009, UB issued this economic impact report, using IMPLAN software.  It’s a virtual report using virtual numbers to suggest a virtual future. Even so, the 20,000 figure used in this ad is picked out of thin air, or hot air, as the case may be.

“Are you serious?” Yes, Mr. Rudnick, as a matter of fact, I am.

Let’s take a look at the Regional Agendas put out by the Buffalo Niagara Partnership for:

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

New Peace Bridge, shared border management, Bass Pro, downtown casino, BNMC, UB2020…these agendas read like a laundry list of failed visions, although they do get credit for demolishing a municipal auditorium designed by E.B. Green that was built to commemorate American War Veterans.

Calling for change in Albany, are ya? How about change at the Buffalo Niagara Partnership?


  • Kate

    I do think the BNP could have spent their money better than on these ads, but do feel that the demolition of the Aud was a positive step. It was outmoded, asbestos-ridden, and extremely purpose-built. No one was going to be able to redevelop it. Now we can do something on the site…or not, actually, if we don’t feel like it. I’d be cool with some green space in that concrete jungle.

  • UBProfessor

    Ditto

  • Peter A Reese

    Wow! You would need Himmler and Riefenstahl working together full time for years to come up with more absurd propaganda. Kudos to the Bow Tie of Death. I guess this tells us who would actually benefit from the UB2020 boondoggle. And it won’t be students or the citizens of WNY. Makes Antoine Thmpson look ten feet tall.

  • Betty jean Grant

    I have never seen such viciousness directly toward a candidate of any elected office in New York State as I have seen in the 60th Senatorial race this year. Other than work his butt off serving parts of Buffalo,and Tonawanda, Niagara Falls and Grand Island, what has Senator Thompson done to garner so much wrath? I think Andrew Rudnick might have a couple of Sarah Palin’s tea bags hidden away in his in his coffee canister!

  • Hugh

    Beyond being completely ineffective, Antoine Thompson is an absolute embarassment to Buffalo. The voters have a chance in November to get this guy out of office before the FBI does.

    Betty Jean – now, are you charging taxpayers for the time you’re on Artvoice bashing Andrew Rudnick? Does that count as time “on the clock”? Is this what service as an elected official has become? Have to give you credit, though – you hit the nail on the head: “What has Senator Thompson done?”

  • Carol

    Contrary to what Kate believes, I think that ANY money that goes towards getting Antoine Thompson out of office is well-spent. First thing they need to do when they re-do districts next year is get Grand Island away from the East Side of Buffalo. Thompson couldn’t find Grand Island on a map. We haven’t had a state senate representative in years.

  • Martin

    Are we to assume that ArtVoice and you, Buck, didn’t support any of these projects? The irony is that you’re attacking an organizations supporting these things for calling out a person who actually could’ve made them happen! Your shots are misdirected.

  • Betty Jean Grant

    @ Hugh:
    I posted my comment @ 1:04 A.M. That is in the early morning, Hugh. Even though I work 10-12 hours every day, I only get pension compensation for 6 hours a day. Also, the county legislature has been on recess since the last week of July and will return Sept 23rd but here I am working in my district office every day, anyway.
    In anticipation of a thank you from you, I will say, “On behalf of the taxpayers, you are quite welcome.”

  • Hugh

    Wow.

    Don’t hold your breath for a “thank you.” At what point did public service turn into Betty Jean Grant, who clearly is concerned mainly about her pension and about being appreciated. I’ve never seen an elected official bash their own constituents (BJG’s first post) and then the second one is making it extremely difficult for me to maintain that Antoine is the worst elected representative in our region.

    Betty Jean – what are you doing for 70-84 hours per week as a county legislator? Particularly when the sole purpose of the county legislature is to approve a budget? Are you spending your summer crunching numbers in anticipation of the County Executive’s budget? For the record, attending Antoine’s many fundraisers is not part of your duty as a county legislator.

    Probably would’ve left your first paragraph alone – but the “anticipation of a thank you” line was WAY over the top. You’ll get a thank you when you demonstrate to taxpayers that you’re doing this for more than what’s in it for Betty Jean.

  • Jim Holstun

    Poor, anonymous “Hugh”: Ms. Grant eviscerates you in one paragraph, and you mumble and stumble your way through three. You can answer your rhetorical questions if you go back and read: she’s in her district office working, talking with constituents, etc.

  • Hugh

    Sorry, Jim, I don’t see your point, though I’m sure Betty Jean appreciates your defense of her. What kind of elected official says, “In anticipation of a thank you from you”? And what on earth does “On behalf of the taxpayers, you are quite welcome” mean? Is BJG saying the taxpayers are thanking me? For what? For electing to office someone as hard-working as Betty Jean? Is that BJG sticking it to me? Better look up the word “eviscerate,” Jim.

    I am impressed when a constituent talks about how hard-working their elected rep (public servant) is. Not when the rep, herself, is the one perpetually telling everyone how hard she works.

    This conversation is ludicrous, and I’m embarrassed that an elected official from Buffalo has conducted herself like a teenager with a new Facebook account.

  • RaChaCha

    Hugh, WNY’s elected officialdom provides no shortage of targets for righteous wrath, but Legislator Grant is assuredly NOT one of them. She epitomizes public service, and if all our elected officials followed her example — working across the lines of east side/west side, black/white, male/female, rich/poor and always looking to do what’s right — our community could be so far ahead that others would be scrambling to keep up with us and learn from us. Does that sound like a dream–? Well, with more people in public service like Legislator Grant, we as a community could get to that promised land.

    As for Mr. Rudnick…I don’t know that man, but I understand that one of the region’s largest employers last year suggested, in a letter, that he has “exceeded his shelf life.”

  • Kevin

    Antoine Thompson VOTED TO LOWER ELECTRIC RATES FOR NYC! WE PAY HIGHER ELECTRIC RATES IN BUFFALO THAN THEY DO IN NYC BECAUSE ANTOINE IS SO STUPID THAT HE JUST VOTES THE WAY THAT THE ELITIST PARTY LEADERS FROM MANHATTAN TELL HIM TO.

    After taking a vacation to Jamaica to smoke weed on the beach with his Chief of Staff, the “brilliant” Mark Boyd on his birthday. For that alone the asshole should be impeached.

  • Kevin

    By the way, Mark Boyd has been leaking information to a prominent opponent of Thompson. Boyd is trying to fuck over Thompson so that he can run two years from now. He’s an ambitious and mischievous little fucker. Antoine is too stupid to realize it though.

  • Whitney

    @Kevin: I wouldn’t doubt it. I know that now Antoine travels to all his events with 5 women staffers wherever he goes. He’s afraid that he’s going to get run down, and figures that no one would run down a guy who is surrounded by 5 women. Great way to man up, ‘Twanie.

  • OutWithAndy

    Andy is a total inept, self-absorbed idiot. The fact that he can point the finger at anyone else around town mystifies me–what has he done for Buffalo? I have trouble finding anyone who can point to any concrete achievements. STEP DOWN ANDY!!

  • Peter A Reese

    How about firing Rudnick and splitting the money into a half dozen decent paying jobs? Looking for a job? Make $67K and do nothing just like Andy.

  • MaryAnne

    Back to the point of the article, which was about the failure of the 2020 plan. I appreciated the point about the software modelling behind the projections of the plan. Modelling tends to be predicated on homogeneity. Regional economies do not tend that way, so it was an inapt tool. You use those kinds of tools you’re going to get someone claiming that one of the jobs created was someone who invented the time machine and the place gets transported back to the time when there were jobs.

    It’s too bad that the Partnership doesn’t have a leader who knows anything about economies and what makes them work. It’s too bad that the Partnership (or UB for that matter) doesn’t understand strategic investments that rely on collaboration, not monopoly control.