When Erie County Executive Chris Collins called Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver an anti-Christ last Saturday night at a Republican dinner, it wasn’t the first time he’d pulled the line out of his bag.

He recently made the exact same comparison to a group of Buffalo State political science students, who were visiting the Rath Building. Two Buffalo State faculty member were present.

Yesterday I asked Grant Loomis, the county executive’s director of communications, if Collins had ever made a similar reference to Silver before. He assured me that Collins had had not, that the remark was “unscripted” and “off the cuff.”

He then paused a moment and backed off a little, adding, “…to the best of my knowledge.”

I told Loomis about the Buffalo State students, and the two members of the faculty, and Loomis said, “Oh.”

He told me he’d look into it and get back to me. He did not, until this morning, when I wrote to him that I would take his failure to reply as a refusal to comment. He replied to that email immediately: “The CE has said everything there is to say in the statement,” referring to the apology Collins issued on Monday:

“Saturday night, I made a poor joke regarding the Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver.  I want to extend my sincerest apologies to him for my comments.  I have placed a call to the Speaker’s office to offer my apologies directly.

While we may disagree strongly on policy matters, my statement had no place in our political discourse and I am truly sorry to both the Speaker and to anyone else who I may have offended.”

I’m not going to take issue with the apology—it’s too easy to undermine the sincerity of a public apology, and it’s not fair: I can’t see into the heart of Chris Collins.

But it’s clear to me that his remark comparing an orthodox Jew to Hitler and the anti-Christ was not “off the cuff” or “unscripted”; it was not a momentary lapse in judgment. The joke is part of Collins’s repertoire. He has used it more than once, who knows how many times. Perhaps he wasn’t even aware that it was offensive until the uncomfortable silence he met at the Adam’s Mark on Saturday night. Maybe he didn’t know it was offensive until Elizabeth Benjamin exposed the remarks in the New York Daily News on Sunday. Maybe he still doesn’t believe what he said was offensive.  He certainly did not recognize it to be offensive between the time he made the remark to that group of college students and the time he made the remark on Saturday. Or he did and didn’t care. The former makes him an idiot, the latter makes him arrogant and heedless.

And, as Bruce Fisher writes in this week’s cover story, giving him a pass on this makes us all look bad.

UPDATE: Grant Loomis sent out a second statement this morning, after our email exchange. Here it is:

“The County Executive, at times, uses very harsh language in taking on what he believes are opponents of the taxpayers.  As the descendant of a Jewish grandfather, the County Executive recognizes that this characterization of the Speaker is wrong.  He has apologized for that characterization publicly, and personally apologized to the Speaker.  The County Executive will not let this mistake, however, distract him from his focus on protecting taxpayers and challenging the status quo locally and in Albany.”

Still no denial. So he’s called Silver hateful things before, and now that he’s been caught out, he recognizes what he said was wrong. Call it adult education, on Erie County’s dime.

Archeologists believe they may have found a long-lost quatrain penned by the famous renaissance seer Nostradamus, in the remains of a room once used as a salon by Catherine de Medici. The four-line verse is thought to be one of the fifty-eight quatrains missing from the his collection of predictions known as the seventh “Century.” He composed ten in all. Believers around the world point to the uncanny accuracy of his forecasts—including envisioning the rise of Napoleon and Adolf Hitler.

Alas, the discovery comes a few days late for Erie County Executive Chris Collins, who might’ve benefited from the soothsayers words:

The great suit will stumble at the mark

Among a crowd of his followers

From his lake, clad in silver, on horseback, he will cross the state

Seeking the letter sigma, whose number shall be six

County Executive Chris Collins’s proposal to build a new lockup at 120-134 W. Eagle Street is not a new idea, according to this 1998 Buffalo News Article.

The original section of the Erie County Holding Center was designed by renowned architect E.B. Green, who also designed the Albright Knox Art Gallery, the First Presbyterian Church and the Market Arcade, among other area landmarks.

The article identifies the separate, W. Eagle Street building, which currently houses the Erie County Board of Elections, as a “contributing structure” to the Joseph Ellicott Historical District.

Green also designed Buffalo’s War Memorial Auditorium, which was demolished this year and is soon to be commemorated as a coffee table book. A Bass Pro store may or may not take its place.

Below is Assistant Erie County District Attorney Mark Sacha’s complete statement accusing his boss, Frank Sedita, of refusing to prosecute Steve Pigeon for election law violations, as detailed by Mike Beebe and Bob McCarthy in this Buffalo News article:

My name is Mark Sacha and I am an Assistant Erie County District Attorney.  I have served in that capacity for over 22 years.  I was hired by the Honorable Richard Arcara in 1987.  I was promoted to supervisory positions by the Honorable Kevin Dillon and District Attorney Frank Clark.  Until January 2, 2009, I held the position of Deputy District Attorney with signing authority on behalf of District Attorney Clark.  I have been in charge of most of the specialized units of the District Attorney’s Office and in that time supervised over 100 Assistant District Attorneys.  I have been the chief public corruption prosecutor in Erie County over the past ten years.

As such I am thoroughly familiar with the New York State Election Law and the importance of Election Law prosecution.  I was the lead prosecutor in the investigation of the Paul Clark campaign for Erie County Executive.  It is in that capacity that I feel legally, morally and ethically obligated to speak out about matters that effect the public’s right to free and fair elections.  These matters involve conflicts of interest, abuse of discretion, and abuse of power.  These matters involve the District Attorney’s sworn responsibility to enforce the law and do justice in the public interest.  These matters include instances where the power of the District Attorney has been used improperly to protect political interests and to retaliate against me for pursuing an ongoing investigation.

(more…)

While writing today’s story about next week’s Democratic primary, I noticed that in the 2005 Democratic primary for mayor, 2,420 ballots out of 30,308 were discarded for being “blank,” “void,” and “scattering.” That’s nearly 8% of the vote. In the 2001 Democratic mayoral primary, the number of discounted ballots was 3,920 out of 32,888—almost 12%.

In Albany’s 2005 Democratic primary for mayor, 366 votes out of 15,330 cast were discarded as blank, void, or scattering. That’s just 2%.

I understand that in 2005, there were seven primaries in Buffalo: Four County Legislature seats were up for grabs, as well as the South District Common Council seat, plus the city and county comptroller’s offices. More races yield more ballots with blank lines. But that was true in Albany in 2005, as well: There were 11 primary races in Albany in 2005, but still only 366 bad ballots in the mayor’s race, which is generally the marquee event in any municipal election—the least likely to be left blank.

I checked Rochester’s 2005 Democratic primary for mayor, and found that exactly one scattering vote out of 21,200 cast was discounted.

Maybe 8% is par for the course here. Does anybody out there know?

Here’s an election contest that’s easy to call: Judge Patrick NeMoyer has ruled to strike Ralph Hernandez from the ballot in the Erie County Legislature District 6 race citing problems with his  signature petitions.

Maria Whyte will retain her seat, uncontested.

AV’s courts and utilities correspondent, John Duke, sent us this dispatch today, occasioned by Monday’s front-page Buffalo News piece on Kevin Gaughan’s downsizing government campaign:

In a poorly written and misleading article printed on the front page of the Buffalo News on Monday, a reporter claimed that the man who started the government downsizing revolution in Erie County, Kevin P. Gaughan, may not be able to control it and should let local politicians assist him in removing their positions from the taxpayer’s bankroll.

The Buffalo News doesn’t agree with Gaughan’s common sense.  He has always said, “The petition process to get downsizing on the ballot must be pure; and purely grass roots.  This effort is nonpolitical and citizen-driven. There’s just one class of people I don’t think have a place in it, and that’s people running for office. I do have to guard the integrity of the effort.”

Supporters and opponents say Gaughan has tapped into a pent-up desire for change.  After pointing out a provision in state law allowing the votes, Gaughan organized the successful petition drives and campaigns to reduce the town boards in West Seneca and Evans from five members to three.  He can also take credit for downsizing efforts in North Collins and votes in Lancaster and Depew.

“It’s very difficult to find a politician who supports this, but it’s almost impossible to find a citizen who doesn’t support this,” Gaughan said.

Gaughan has accepted the support of West Seneca Supervisor Wallace C. Piotrowski, who welcomed him into the town.  “I would tend to agree with Gaughan. After this decade long fight for him, he doesn’t trust politicians. We don’t need any help from political parties,” Piotrowski said.

Paul Becker, of Orchard Park, the former municipal liaison for the Erie County Water Authority, said he always has been interested in good governance, and he thought Gaughan’s proposal sounded good.  Becker collected signatures to get the measure on the ballot in Orchard Park.  “People have a pent-up desire to see some kind of change. People feel they want a voice. I think this is a good opportunity to have a voice,” Becker said.

Downsizing votes are scheduled next month in Alden and Orchard Park. Gaughan said those two communities can expect a discussion on the nature and purpose of local government.

Will the movement continue in Orchard Park and Alden; is it unstoppable? Opponents in both towns predict it will pass.

With successful votes taking place and with thousands of Erie County residents signing on to the idea, Gaughan said many of his volunteers found him through his Web site, http://www.letpeopledecide.org/ , where more than 19,000 people have registered.

“Sometimes I ask myself why the hell I do this,” Gaughan said. “I think this is the finest community in America, and it deserves the finest government.  It doesn’t have it.”

It may be news to the News; but Erie County is very fortunate to have an activist such as Kevin Gaughan looking out for us.  Can you imagine if we left it to the politicians?

I believe—and I’m pretty sure Gaughan would agree—that the number of politicians in our region is not as big an issue as the number of governments, and the duplication of services, and the resulting proliferation of patronage jobs and contracts whose beneficiaries protect the status quo like a growling dog hovering over a bone. (You can read about Gaughan’s campaign here and decide for yourself if you agree with what he’s doing.) But, like John Duke, I also didn’t quite get the point of the News article. Gaughan should not take credit for his work? He should welcome the co-option of the campaign by politicians and the politically motivated?

As I write this post, the Great Lakes Health system is conducting a private retreat at the Hyatt Regency downtown. The event is closed to the public and press. The retreat follows a half-hour “open meeting” conducted by GLH board chair Robert Gioia, and board members Edward Walsh, Jr., Sharon L. Hanson, and Kevin E. Cichocki, D.C.. At the end of the brief presentation (click here for the outline), the two reporters present were told to leave. Below are screen shots of the various “breakout” meetings taking place in private.

	And let’s not forget lunch…

Wonder what’s on the menu?

When you visit the Great Lakes Health Web site and read that they are “unveiling a bold new healthcare delivery system for Western New York,” what they really mean, obviously, is that they are “unveiling” it to one another, behind closed doors.

The Western New York public will then have the opportunity to live, and die, with their decisions.

Abandoning claims that a steady stream of red light runners will fund the hiring of 20 new police officers once surveillance cameras are installed at 50 city intersections, city officials now say that a windfall from the Seneca Casino will pay for the new hires.

The Buffalo News reports that $2.5 million—twice as much as was expected from Albany—will be coming to the city, based on receipts from the small blue building on sovereign Seneca territory in the cobblestone district.

One can only hope the new cops will be enough to cope with the increased crime that comes to places with casinos, as described in this May 2006 report in the Washington Post. Columnist Richard Morin writes, “Crime began to rise after the first year, slowly at first and then more quickly, until it had far surpassed what it would have been if the casino had never opened. By the fifth year of operation, robberies were up 136 percent; aggravated assaults, 91 percent; auto theft, 78 percent; burglary, 50 percent; larceny, 38 percent; and rape, 21 percent. Controlling for other factors, 8.6 percent of property crimes and 12.6 percent of violent crimes were attributed to casinos.”

Here is some interesting research by Earl L. Grinols, Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois, and University of Georgia Economist David B. Mustard, whose work is referred to in the Post column.

Some may see this as a wise use of an unpredicted windfall, but I say it’s time to parlay. Why quit when you’re on a roll with Albany? Just think of all the improvements that could come to the city if the mayor were to take the extra $1.25 million he wasn’t even counting on, and put it all into tickets for the Mega Millions! It only takes a dollar and a dream.

In the interest of transparency and openness, here’s the press release that arrived in my email at 11:30am this morning. I requested it after hearing Tom Quatroche, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Planning for ECMC mention tomorrow’s “community forum” at the end of the Erie County Legislature Health and Human Services Committee meeting this morning.

Artvoice wasn’t included on the mailing list to receive this important community info that apparently went out last Thursday, May 7.

GREAT LAKES HEALTH TO HOLD COMMUNITY FORUM ON MAY 12TH

BUFFALO, N.Y. (May 7, 2009) – Great Lakes Health System of Western New York will hold a community forum on May 12, 2009, at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library.

The forum will address the topic, “What will the future look like for healthcare in Western New York?  The area’s largest healthcare network has the answer for you.”

Participants in this forum will include: James Kaskie, President/CEO, Great Lakes Health and Kaleida Health; Jody Lomeo, CEO, ECMC Corporation and Vice-chair of the Board for Great Lakes Health; plus various members of the Great Lakes Health Board.

The forum will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at 6:00 P.M., in the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Auditorium at the corner of Clinton and Ellicott Streets.

Community residents wishing to attend are asked to RSVP by calling 716-898-4823.  Those individuals who are not able to attend this event, but wish to have a representative speak with their group should call 716-898-4823 to make other arrangements.

###

According to Quatroche, the information was transmitted to the public through advertisements taken out in the Buffalo Criterion and the Buffalo Challenger, as advised by the Great Lakes Health Strategic Planning Committee. Committee members include Great Lakes Health board members Kevin Cichocki, Brenda McDuffie, Mary Gresham, Sundra Rice, Irene Snow, and Hon. James A.W. McLeod.

Isn’t it nice that public hospital ECMC had to pay 40% of the cost to run these ads that were targeted to these two publications?

Evidently, a meeting about the Erie County Medical Center, which is still a public benefit corporation set up to care for all residents of New York State regardless of their ability to pay is not of sufficient importance to merit an ad in Artvoice, much less the Buffalo News. Heck, we didn’t even get sent the press release in a timely fashion, and would not have received it had we not asked for it.

But you don’t have to read the Criterion, the Challenger, or Artvoice, for that matter, to attend this public forum. You just have to be among the priviledged few who happen to find out it’s taking place.