In other, unrelated-to-David-Archuleta news:

• North District Councilmember Joe Golombek will open a discussion next week on whether Buffalo might benefit from a city manager form of government. In that form, a (0ne hopes) professional city manager is hired by the legislative branch, and the office of mayor becomes largely ceremonial rather than adminstrative. The notion is that the political acumen that’s required to be elected mayor of a big city does not necessarily guarantee the adminsitrative experience and skills required to run it. Golombek has invited Darnell Earley, city manager for Saginaw, Michigan and president of the International City/County Management Association, to speak at next Tuesday’s meeting of the Buffalo Common Council’s Legislation Committee at 2pm.  At 7pm, Early will speak in the auditorium of the Buffalo Historical Society.
• I’m no fan of Erie County Executive Chris Collins, but I think he got a bum rap on the Volland Electric contract. And I admire his response: He has instructed all the companies in which he has a stake to refrain from bidding on county work.
• Battaglia Trucking and Demolition, down on Seneca Street, has applied for a modification of its solid waste managememnt permit from the New York State Department of Environmental. The modification would raise Battaglia’s capacity from 3,800 tons of waste per month to 1,600 tons per day. Battaglia also wants a new, 13,000-square-foot building and increased operating hours. A letter from DEC to Mayor Byron Brown, asking the administration to help determine who the lead agency in the environmental analysis of the request ought to be, was filed with the Common Council today. Expect the Seneca-Babcock neighborhood to, um, react. More on this and other South Buffalo waste yards later in week.