The mayor's misleading math

4.5 billion is a big number.

Especially when it is used to describe the amount of money being spent on economic development projects in the city.

Mayor Byron Brown has been tossing that figure around, along with words like "astounding" and "unprecedented" to describe the amount of development activity in Buffalo since he took office.

Now, I live in North Buffalo, work in downtown, and get around the city a fair bit. And I wasn't seeing $4.5 billion of activity. So I got a list from the mayor's office detailing all the projects that add up to $4.5 billion, I got building permit data and I asked a lot of questions. And what I found is that the mayor's math doesn't add up. Not even close.

Two-thirds of the work involves proposed projects that have no guarantees of getting built; some of them are actually shaky propositions. Taxpayers are paying for most of the construction. Much of what the mayor couches at economic development is stuff like roads, bridges, school and bike paths.

And, perhaps most surprising of all, when you zero in on just private sector work, activity is actually down compared with the last six years of the Masiello era. Repeat, down.

When I hear "business" and "investment," I think of companies sinking money into projects. But that's the exception to the rule when it comes to Brown's claim.

For the full story, read Sunday's Buffalo News.

Comments

[wcp]

This just in: Elected officials exaggerate.

[atwater]

WCP - The Brown administration's dishoesty about development is way beyond exaggerating. Honestly I like your reporting on BR, but I'm disappointed that you're so excusing of this. You ought to have been applying the kind of analysis that Mr. Heaney did today.

[Tom Zarek]

The government is the economy in WNY. It is like the USSR before the fall of the government. This will soon pass. I am the final cylon.

[Tony]

What I would like the News to look into is the number of companies that claim to operate in the economic development zones for tax exempt purposes but actually operate outside of the zone. One company that is abusing the system is Man O' Trees, Inc. They claim to be working out of a Sycamore Street address but actually only use the building for storage. The actual Company office is located in rented space in West Seneca. Operating outside of the Development zone but using the tax exempt status. I would love to hear how the Mayor addresses these abuses.

[laquila]

when a person is allowed to commit insurance fraud, so called go to school at Harvard, I guess a little exaggeration is nothing

[Tom]

How odd that the Mayor of Buffalo should go around the community, expressing his optimism for the city and point to development and investment interest in the City of Buffalo. Evidently, Jim Heaney is somehow offended that a Mayor, elected by the residents of the city, should be so bold as to assert that city is actually making progress. I'm quite certain that some of the Mayor's political foes, like Heaney, will take great pleasure in an article that attacks, deconstructs and offers no positive alternative. Regrettably, this seems to be all too familiar in a daily newspaper that seems to forget wher it's located.

[Mike Anderson]

In a earlier blog and now in his Brown attack, Heaney quotes Carl Paladino. Carl Paladino? C'mon, Jim even you must realize that no developer in Buffalo has manipulated the system to his personal and financial benefit. Oh wait, that would then mean you'd have to speak with someone else who might actually dispute your thesis. Well, never let facts get in the way your biased opinion, right?

[Bill]

Classic Heaney negativity. What's so misleading? The Mayor exudes optimism (how dare he in this City!) and highlites the progress and rebound in Buffalo and he is criticized. I'm not saying that everything is perfect in Buffalo, and by way, neither has the Mayor. But how is the Mayor supposed to promote the City and attract the private investment needed without focusing on the positive? Open your eyes Heaney, there is progress in Buffalo with plenty of people to give credit to, including Byron!

[Sick of Head-in-Sand Deniers]

Bill, So you're not a believer in "straight talk" from leaders? You feel leaders should say what makes people feel good instead of pushing for reforms to solve big problems?

Just pretend everything's fine?

When former Governor George Pataki would "highlite the progress and rebound" (to use your wording) about the Upstate NY economy with very similar spin to what Mayor Brown uses now - did you support Pataki in that? No? Why not?

[Bill]

Hey Sick in the head,

You obviously didn't read or understand what I said. Of course our leaders should be straight with us. Yes they should push for reforms, and Mayor Brown has pushed for numerous reforms and has implemented a management acountability system to assist in reforming local government. He recently recruited a chief economic development officer who has a track record of success in Milwaukee and Cleveland to imrove the conditions to attract private investment. He is not pretending anything... he understands our challenges and is facing them head on. I believe his optimistic message helps to sell our city. Enough of the negativity in this town and let's give this guy a chance!

[Sick of Spin Doctors]

Bill, Brown is more of the same as Masiello. As numbers published by Heaney's article showed, Buffalo's private sector development has NOT grown since Brown took office.

The only thing that's changed is Brown-Casey are much more aggressive and shameless at spin than Masiello was. This shouldn't be about being optimistic or pessimistic. It should be about being realistic. Realistically at this point Buffalo as a whole is deeply troubled and not on the upswing.

Read the mayor's state of the city speech earlier this year (it's online somewhere I'm sure), and you'll see it's around 98 or 99% positive. Then go look around the city, the whole city and talk to the people - not just a few developers and upscale downtown loft dwellers. Things are not 98% positive, not even close. He should be focusing on problems and making things better for the people instead of just trying to say things are already getting so much better. They're not. Renaissance - what a joke.

[Bill]

I heard the Mayor's speech and I am out in the community, but thank you for the advice.