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.

Late last night, at the tail end of one of the few weeks in the past year in which we did not publish anything snarky about anybody, someone threw two gallons of paint on our front doors. Seems a waste; we hadn’t even earned it. Nonetheless, we were cleaning up all morning.

Last week, sure, I can see that: maybe Chris Collins, maybe Steve Pigeon. But no…those guys wouldn’t stoop so low. They don’t even return our calls. It must have been someone else.

Buck Quigley had what sounded on his end like a civil conversation with Bob Gioia earlier in the week, so I can’t believe it was him. And I can’t imagine his brother, Anthony Gioia—recently confirmed as a representative to the 63rd session of the UN—would be so undiplomatic. James Williams? No, Dr. Williams loves AV. He told me so last year. And I can’t believe anything would have changed his mind since then.

Revenge, like pizza, is best served cold, but we understand that the folks at La Nova have made peace with their neighbors. So that’s not it.

George Sax is too urbane to have caused us trouble with the Public Bridge Authority or the Erie County Democrats. And though Bruce Jackson frequently draws heat down on the paper, it doesn’t seem like the Seneca Gaming Corporation’s style. Our other Bruce, late of county government and now thinking deep thoughts about public policy at Buffalo State, is generally brisk but not offensive…unless Bob Wilmers has been nursing a grudge against Fisher and occasional AV contributor John McMahon for months.

What the hell. It couldn’t have been former Buffalo News editor Murray Light.

I’m sure the vandal didn’t issue from City Hall, the good offices of which are AV’s most frequent target, because anyone who works for the city would know that there’s one of those new surveillance cameras just up the street. The blue-light specials.

When I called B District to ask if the camera might have caught the guilty party in the act, I was told that a detective would call back later today. Then, maybe, we’ll see.

In our ongoing effort to supply public information to the people, we are pleased to offer this PDF version of the meeting minutes of the Western New York Health System, a.k.a. Newco.

I began this pursuit with a FOIL request sent on April 25, 2008, asking for both the meeting minutes dating back to January 1, 2007, as well as a complete and detailed list of financial receipts and expenditures of the Western New York Health System, a.k.a. Newco, going back to the same date.

The initial response was this, received on April 29:

Dear Mr. Quigley:

As counsel to Western New York Health System (sometimes referred to as Newco), I have been asked to respond to your request of April 25, 2008 for certain information and documents under the Freedom of Information Law (Article 6-A of the Public Officers Law of New York State).

We regret that we cannot comply with your request as the Freedom of Information Law does not apply to Western New York which is a New York not-for-profit corporation and is neither a state, municipal nor public entity as defined by General Construction Law Section 66. Further, Western New York does not perform a governmental or proprietary function for New York State or for any municipality (see also General Construction Law Section 66).

We can also advise for the same reasons that Western New York is not subject to the Federal Freedom of Information Law. (more…)