Get Real Mayor Brown

On Wednesday, Michael Bloomberg the mayor of NYC was speaking at a conference of developers.  He said New York City suffered from shortages of classrooms, roads and housing because it was a victim of its own success. This is where people want to be. “Buffalo,” he said by way of contrast, “would love to have our problems.” For developers, “there’s an awful lot of free space up in Buffalo, New York, if you want to go there,” he said, adding, “I don’t think you do.”

In response, Mayor Byron Brown expressed his anger with a urological metaphor and said Bloomberg owes local residents an apology. "When I heard those comments, I was pissed. It was a cheap shot. Thinking about those comments, listening to them two hours later, I'm still pissed off. Buffalo is a great city with great people."

Our response to Mayor Brown….Get Real. Here are the facts:

·        In Buffalo, 36% of families with children under the age of 18 live in poverty.

·        Buffalo has the third highest vacant housing rate in the nation, trailing only Detroit and New Orleans. Vacant lots and houses attract crime, violence and drug use…and it spreads like a virus.

·        23 percent of the housing units in Buffalo are vacant….18,000 houses, or about one of every five properties in the city. 

Of course Buffalo has great people, every city in America has great people.  It was once a great city but it is now in dire need of repair and a rebirth.  Bloomberg is absolutely right so instead of getting “pissed” at him let’s get pissed at our situation and start to make some changes. Here are some ideas:

·        How about a strategic plan to deal with vacancy in Buffalo, vs. just tearing down vacant houses with no foresight?  Detroit is downsizing their city, creating green livable spaces and moving people into livable areas.

·        How about a plan to bring private sector jobs and encourage businesses to relocate to Buffalo with tax incentives instead of saying “it is a great place to live”

It would be great to have the problems NYC has…traffic, congestion, crowded classrooms, high property prices are all a sign of economic prosperity.

So Mayor Brown...Don’t get pissed - Get Real