You can't say the Blogger is biased

I received this email today (presumably from a Fahey supporter). Despite what the writer implies, I have no problem looking into poor government practices from either side. I could care less who likes me and who doesn't...

Hey Mike,

I notice you take great pride in presuming Chris Fahey leaves Brian Higgins' office every day at noon to start campaigning. But I guess it's ok when both of Kearns' assistants take their two hour lunch together leaving an answering machine to handle citizens concerns. What does this say about Kearns' leadership skills when he doesn't have enough gumption or common sense to make them go at different times? I know you won't print this because you are completely biased towards them.

Shows what you know, Aristotle. If this is true, Mickey should establish office rules and make sure someone is in the office at all times during work hours. In any event, neither candidate has bought, err, I mean earned my vote. Also, you should know the city hall Rooster was recently laid off and is currently volunteering his services to the community. Is there anyone on Fahey's side that would ever do that? I doubt it. The entitled aren't wired that way.

Hello
Is it me you're looking for?...

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Corruption in city clerk's office

Hello all you city hall employees. It's Monday morning. I'm glad to see you're all hard at work reading the blog. Actually, you're off today because of the holiday.

What's going on in the City Clerk's Department these days? I was contacted recently by a former employee, with tales of nepotism, no-show jobs, and widespread corruption within the department. There was even one story of an employee taking a week long tropical vacation, yet reporting in her time-sheets that she was hard at work in city hall. The things you can get away with when your relatives run the department...

I urged the whistle blower to report these incidents for further investigation. The last I heard, he was considering contacting the FBI with his information.




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Mayor Schroeder?

We always have our ears to the ground around here. A canary told me of a recent meeting at Spot Coffee between Mark Schroeder and former NBA director of Security "Weekend at Bernies" Tolbert. The topic of discussion was the mayoral race of 2013. According to my source, Tolbert has given Schroeder his blessing and backing to challenge Mayor Byron Brown in 2013.

That wasn't the only thing the two agreed upon. Both are 100% committed to having the Blogger as their chief Spokesman. Mike DeGeorge: Keep that seat warm for me you little effer! Seriously, do we need four more years of this indecisive, empty suit wearing, Steve Urkel looking, catastrophe of a mayor? He has had long enough to get some things done. What has he done, besides bring corruption to the 2nd floor of city hall?



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Letter to the Control Board re: Lorey Schultz hiring

Many of you have expressed shock and anger over the recent hiring of channel 4's Lorey Schultz at $81,000/year as an Assistant Spokesperson to the mayor's Spokesperson. I've fired off this email to the city's Fiscal Stability Authority (Control Board) in an effort to prevent this unnecessary, politically motivated hiring from taking place. I'd like to emphasize that I don't have anything against Lorey Schultz personally (I've never met her and I admire the work she's done at WIVB). I'm simply against the position itself and not the person receiving it...

To whom it may concern:

After reading of the newly created appointed position (Assistant Spokesperson to the mayor) , I felt insulted as a taxpayer and lifelong city resident. We are constantly hearing about the need to "create revenue" for the city because it is broke. Teaching positions are being eliminated, class sizes have been increased, and our police and emergency responders are being asked to do more with less.

Mike DeGeorge and Lorey Schultz had the audacity to describe the duties of this new position as "writing speeches" and "putting out press releases" for the mayor. Can the city afford this blatantly unnecessary post at a time when many of it's residents are scrambling to pay their bills? People read about an $81,000 salary and wonder how out of touch our city officials must be. College graduates are leaving this region at an alarming rate, because they cant find $30,000/ year jobs. The people I've spoken to about this new position are very upset about it. There is also the issue of residency. Is Lorey Schultz going to sell her house in Eggertsville or is she going to rent a token apartment in the city, so it looks good?

As an active taxpayer, I am asking your body to question this new position. This is exactly the type of nonsense which made the formation of a Control Board necessary in the first place. We will not let this issue drop. Please take a stand for the taxpayers of this city. Thank you.

Mike Blake
Blogger

*If you feel this newly created position is a slap in the face to taxpayers, I encourage you to write to the Control Board at nfo@bfsa.state.ny.us

If you're not a writer, you can call them at (716)853-0907

They tried to sneak this by the taxpayers. The city is hurting and one thing we don't need is another politically appointed job in City Hall.


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Casey's garbage games

Instead of looking inside city hall to save money, Buffalo Mayor Steve Casey has instead directed his efforts towards the garbagemen. I can tell you this. Garbage is a tough job. I worked as a seasonal garbageman in the pre-tote era. These guys work in all sorts of weather and have to deal with getting stuck with needles or having objects fly out of the trucks at them. It is a dangerous job at times.They do more work in 5 hours than most people in city hall do all day.

This is what will happen. Casey will crack down and come up with "reforms" in the sanitation department. The reforms will last for a few months and then everything will go back to normal (because workers will not lift garbage for 7 hours per day). I do agree with Casey that the workers should be more careful about leaving garbage out on the street as well as totes.

I know everyone would love to work a shorter day but very few people could do the work the garbagemen do day in and day out. I hear the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority just hired Crystal Peoples' husband (who also happens to be Leonard Stokes' uncle) as their new "crime prevention specialist." No word on whether Mayor Casey is as outraged over this obvious waste of taxpayers' money.
City aims to revise garbage routes, increase efficiency : City Hall : The Buffalo News

Ethics training under way at City Hall?: April Fools!!!

Oxymoron of the week: City Hall ethics training under way. Do they realize most of these people get into the positions they're in through unscrupulous means? Weren't most of us taught ethics by our parents and teachers? Now we need to pay some lawyer to come in and do it? I'm not sure, but I think this might be some kind of April Fools joke gone awry...
Ethics training session under way at City Hall : Latest Local News : The Buffalo News

I could tell some bad jokes about people from South Buffalo political families falling backwards while others catch them, exhibiting "trust". However, I'll just print some of the comments left on the Bflo News website under the story:

Ethics are for those who possess a conscience
Posted by: gorgon on Mar 29,2010 at 01:00 pm

Ethics are complicated? I sure as heck don't need a law or rule to tell me what is ethical and what isn't! Most of us learn ethical behavior as we are growing up.
Posted by: Justathought26 on Mar 29,2010 at 12:45 pm

Who could've seen this coming? Lawyers teaching ethics?... weren't any used car salesmen available.What next? Tiger giving classes on fidelity?
Posted by: ugottaluvit on Mar 29,2010 at 12:03 pm

They should hire a motivator next. The people in City Hall are disgustingly lazy.
Posted by: repomania on Mar 29,2010 at 11:32 am

Are the Mayor and Casey attending?
Posted by: getreal on Mar 29,2010 at 11:19 am

I just spit my coffee all over my monitor!! Is this for real??
Posted by: bflogloria on Mar 29,2010 at 11:18 am

Talk about ethics...just take a look at how much money attorney Adam Perry (individually) and Hodgson Russ (as a corporate entity) donate each year to Byron Brown. You will see an ethics issue there as well.
Posted by: HarryStone on Mar 29,2010 at 10:59 am

Rumor has it, they will be getting this guy next year as a motivational speaker. He's not that good but he is second cousins with the Comerfords. So of course, that makes him qualified, doesn't it?...

City Hall Scandal #611

Today's incompetent Byron Brown appointment is brought to you by Proctor & Gamble. Apparently, the city has been overpaying on health insurance premiums ($526,000) and might be paying for health insurance for the deceased. That's understandable, as you know dead people get sick too.

In what might be the understatement of the century, it sounds to me like Commissioner Karla Thomas is in slightly over her head. It is no wonder people get frustrated when they go to city hall (not just during this administration) and are met with arrogance and indifference. According to the article, when Thomas was informed of all the problems within her department, she rebuffed the Comptroller's office and told them she didn't want to receive any more emails from them.

The whole mentality the common person sees is, "I'm better than you. I make more money than you. You are not connected." It's no wonder disgust in government is at an all time high. I do hope they get to the bottom of this. However,some of the comments underneath the story are troubling. People are trying to bring race into it. Believe me, Mayor Brown has just as many incompetent white people working for him as he does black people. At least Thomas resides within the city unlike Interim Commissioner and East Aurora resident James Comerford. And I'm sure there are many qualified black people who can't get jobs like Thomas' because they don't play the political prostitution game. There are many people from South Buffalo and all over the city who could write a book on this game. All it takes is a lack of self respect and a willingness to forfeit whatever pride you have in yourself. I'm done preaching. I gotta go get some fast food. All this talk about mismanagement and incompetence makes me hungry, but then again, not much doesn't.
City audit describes management 'meltdown' : Home: The Buffalo News

Assessment Games

Here is a story that affects many regular citizens. The city of Buffalo sent out assessments of city homes this past month. 14,400 homeowners received notifications stating that their assessments are set to increase. Fewer than 400 of them have filed challenges. Looks like the city's plan to raise their taxes is working.

Can you blame the 14,000 or so people that haven't challenged the assessment? First, research and time is involved. Then, they might have to take time off from work and deal with city hall parking. If they make it into city hall, the politically connected, often incompetent people behind the counter are always very helpful when it comes to assisting common citizens. Many people probably just throw their hands up in the air and say, why bother?

In any event, the city is granting a 15 day extension to file appeals. Last year, according to statistics compiled from The Buffalo News, 70% of the 1,638 people bothering to appeal their assessments before an independent panel were successful. City Hall is hoping you're one of the 14,000 that doesn't have the time or know how to fight them.
Later deadline likely for contesting assessments : Buffalo/Erie County : The Buffalo News