The Read: What they're saying about WNY
From Carl Paladino to Mark Grisanti, our local pols, political issues and policies are making news elsewhere. Here's a quick look at a few of the highlights.
City & State's weekly roundup of winners and losers found plenty of good for freshmen State Sen. Mark Grisanti in the Legislature's proposed redistricting maps. How well did they think Grisanti made out? Here's a teaser: "Holy favorable partisan gerrymandering, Batman!" -- Winners & Losers, Jan. 27 Edition, City and State
The Observation Deck, the Albany Times Union's Editorial Board blog, questioned whether investing in upgrades to Ralph Wilson Stadium to keep the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park really warrants state economic development efforts. "But aren’t there better ways to spend the state’s money and to save a city?" they asked. -- New York has other bills to pay, The Observation Deck
The Auburn Citizen's blog, Eye on NY, points out that when former Syracuse Mayor Matthew Driscoll brought the governor's State of the State message to Auburn earlier this month, he left out one important component: The $1 billion promise for Buffalo. "It's a tough spot for Cuomo and state leaders to be in," writes Robert Harding. "While Buffalo does have its troubles, other upstate cities (Rochester and Syracuse come to mind) also have problems. But they aren't getting $1 billion from the state." -- Glaring omission in regional State of the State presentation, Eye on NY
The New American's Bob Adelmann says that one problem with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to shower Buffalo with $1 billion in economic development incentives is a history of "political corruption" in Buffalo. The piece refers back to the Wall Street Journal's recent "How Stimulus Spending Ruined Buffalo." "Cuomo failed to say where the money was going to come from, but that didn’t stop politicians from salivating," Adelmann writes. -- Another $1 Billion Won’t Help Buffalo, New York, The New American
The Times Union's Jimmy Vielkind, over at Capitol Confidential, caught up with Carl Paladino by phone and learned that Paladino thinks of Newt Gingrich as a "kindred spirit." Paladino told Vielkind he plans to be a delegate for Gingrich. "He campaigned in New Hampshire, and now Carl Paladino says he is working to help fill Newt Gingrich’s slate of delegates. — starting with himself," Vielkind writes. -- Paladino says he’ll be a Newt delegate, Capitol Confidential
