A know nothing theme at City Hall

On May 26, in the wake of a Buffalo News investigation into the city's role in the failed One Sunset restaurant, we reported on Mayor Byron Brown's response.

Two weeks ago, BERC President Brian Reilly informed Brown he was launching an internal review of the agency to assess its handling of One Sunset. Would the inside probe have been launched even if The Buffalo News hadn't been seeking documents and other information? Brown said he didn't know the answer to that question.

On Monday, reacting to my story about one of his commissioners e-mailing her employees about working on the mayor's re-election campaign, Brown said:

“I did not know the e-mails went out when they did.” 

In today's paper, we report on the mayor's reaction to my story about changes in health insurance options at the city's major economic development agency made late last year that allowed its president to obtain health insurance for his live-in girlfriend:

 Brown said neither he nor other members of BERC's board were aware of the changes in insurance coverage until recently.

Anyone see a pattern here?

Comments

[Mark]

I have something better than that, do the words "out of control" mean anything?

[Cheryl in Accounting]

Still, I'll bet the mayor does know a lot that you don't, OP.

And this site is out of control in not posting the author of the Original Poster.

I'm not "volunteering" for the campaign, and I'm looking forward to being out of work if the administration changes. I look better when my belt is worn a little tighter, anyway.

[Cindy]

Makes you wonder, "Who is running City Hall"?

[qwfVz]

Itwould havebeen nice if they let the employees know about the insurance changes

[john]

Mr. Brown is ALWAYS saying he does not know anything or have any knowledge about anything. He doesn't seem very knowledgeable to be the mayor. Does he know anything at all about anything? I voted for him once, but never again. Once shame on him, twice shame on me.

[BROWNOUT]

Seriously, what else should we expect from Byron Brown? He's nothing but an incompetent Brooklyn carpetbagger.

[Anthony]

It's amazing to find that those whom in the past and currently running for office, blast their opponent in the media so much, that they have place themself at risk of losing the election. Due to their failure on trying to make a difference in the City of Buffalo.

Instead they continue spending time in everyone else district and not paying close attention as to what's going on in their own back yard. Your running for Mayor NOT Councilmember.

I'll co-sign to what someone else stated in the above post "I'm looking forward to being out of work if the administration changes."

This is a prime example of as to what will happen if the administration changes- "Poor Leadership."

[Hodge]

If he didn't know, he should have. If he did know and did nothing about it, he is complicit in these incidents. Can anyone point out to me one significant thing that has improved in the city of Buffalo (other than patronage jobs!) since Brown took over?

[Hans the Butcher]

Well, Byron has 2 supporters here, both at the trough. Cheryl, who likes wearing her clothes to tight, and Anthony, who couldn't construct a proper sentence to save his life. Do you think they are reading this and replying here while at their desk's in City Hall ?

[theneghan]

Note how slow BERC has been to put up this year's board minutes...

http://www.berc.org/about_boardmeeting.php

[O'Reilly]

Brown has not shown leadership. A leader can acknowledge mistakes and move on. A leader can accept criticism and not only call for "internal investigations". A leader has vision not mainly a reactive management style. A leader can get others to follow not through fear and retaliation but through motivation.

I had hopes when Byron Brown first became mayor but those are gone now. He lost my vote.

[Stan]

Combine this with the county's foulups with family registration and scheduling in picnic areas, when "six sigma" was said to be effective, and it comes down to a basic managerial concept: supervision.
These people are ill-trained, as people with "supervisory" skills, and are little more than glorified clerks. It's an age-old system of the Peter Principle. The "know-nothing"
offering by top officials is a copout. What they are telling their voters is: "We have better things to do."
Unacceptable.

[OPMike]

So, here you have yet another sterling example of how the City of Buffalo spends the majority of federal funds that are intended to help fight poverty and promote economic development.

This makes you roar with laughter, especially when you think about goofballs like Kevin Gaughan who constantly complain about all the suburban "politicians" making five or six thousand dollars a year. In the great City of Buffalo you have countless incompetent "public employees" like Brian Reilly ripping off the taxpayers to the tune of $127,233 a year, and more. And an idiot for a mayor who always says he knows nothing.

This is the kind of government that Kevin Gaughan wants the county to get in bed with. To make matters worse, Kevin wants to take it even further with his "vision" of an "Urban Centric" government that has the City leading the way.

How crazy does he think suburbanites are?

P.S.

Why does a "domestic partner" health plan cost so much more than a regular city plan - $3,730 Vs. $9,099 ?

Who in the City government has the arbitrary power to increase benefits to such a high degree?

Who is watching the store? Obviously not old Byron Brown.