Politics Now

By Jill Terreri

The Common Council kicked off its budget workshops this morning in relatively brief meetings with some of the city's largest departments. 

The questions tended to deal with matters of concern to the Council, not necessarily what was in the budget. 

The Taxation and Assessment Department discussed the inquiries they were getting about the state's STAR program, which offers property tax breaks to homeowners. Basic STAR recipients must re-apply this year - senior STAR recipients re-apply every year. The city department doesn't administer the program, but it does send out the tax bills. Department officials said they worried that the state won't be able to tell them all of the properties that should be getting the exemption until June, and property tax bills must be mailed by July 1. 

Continue reading "Today in City Hall: Budget and Broderick Park" »

By Jill Terreri

An effort to designate the Trico Complex a local landmark failed in the Common Council today in a 4-4 vote. 

Voting against the measure was Ellicott Council Member Darius Pridgen, whose district includes the building, and Council President Richard Fontana, Majority Leader Demone Smith and Council Member Chris Scanlon. 

Voting in favor of landmark status for Trico were Council Members David Franczyk, Joseph Golombek, David Rivera and Michael LoCurto. 

Council Member Bonnie Russell did not attend Tuesday's meeting. 

The Council requires five votes to approve any measure. The matter will not come up for another vote unless another landmark application is made. 

Pridgen said his vote was not based on the desires of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, which owns development rights to the property and was against the landmark designation. But Pridgen said the campus should work with the preservation community to find a re-use of the building and should move swiftly to develop the property, though he believes some of the structure is too far gone to rehabilitate it. 

Council members who voted in favor of the designation said the city's own preservation law provides for landmark status for buildings that meet one out of nine criteria, and that the Trico building meets seven. 

Public comment is generally not permitted at Council meetings, and those in favor and against landmark status weighed in during two previous Council committee meetings. 

By Jill Terreri

Good morning, 

Today the Common Council will meet at 2 p.m. and will vote on whether a massive former windshield wiper factory at Washington and Goodell streets should be designated a local landmark. The decision could play a key role in determining whether the structure, which housed the Trico factory, is demolished or remains. The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, which holds exclusive development rights to the property, is against the landmark designation, saying it would inhibit what can be done on the property, while preservationists say it can be re-used. 

Ellicott Council Member Darius Pridgen - whose vote is key because he represents the area - yesterday did not say how he would vote on the designation. 

The Council will also pass a resolution calling on the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to grant development rights for the Outer Harbor to a group that is interested in building a 72,000-seat football stadium, museum, and convention center. The NFTA said it will not do that. 

Continue reading "Today in City Hall: Council to vote on Trico" »

By Jill Terreri

Good morning, 

Preservation Buffalo Niagara will hold a news conference at noon today on the steps of City Hall in an effort to pressure the Common Council to designate the Trico complex a local landmark, which would give the city's Preservation Board more say in any proposal to demolish it. 

The Council is set to vote tomorrow on Trico's landmark status. Ellicott Council Member Darius Pridgen's district includes the building, and other lawmakers will likely take their cues from Pridgen. Pridgen did not say last week how he will vote, but noted that many from the neighborhood who spoke during Tuesday's Legislation Committee were not in favor of saving the building. 

UPDATE: During a brief interview this afternoon, Pridgen said there will be a vote on the landmark designation tomorrow, but he would not say how he would vote. 

In a separate interview today, Matthew K. Enstice, president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, which owns development rights to Trico, said the Medical Campus is not in favor of landmarking the building, but is willing to work with developers and preservationists on re-using the former factory. 

Continue reading "Today in City Hall: Trico" »

Council Member Darius G. Pridgen today will introduce a measure calling for the city to study and implement a system of neighborhood parking permits around the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The city lawmaker, whose district includes the Fruit Belt neighborhood adjacent to the medical campus, said he has heard from residents who have had trouble finding parking spots near their homes due to those working at and visiting the campus.

Pridgen's resolution also states the Council will pursue state legislation allowing the neighborhood parking permit system.

Here's a copy of Pridgen's resolution.

--Aaron Besecker
Follow me on Twitter: @BeseckerBN

In order to operate a corner store in Buffalo, you have to get what's known as a food store license from the city.

Applications for the license filed in City Hall have to be approved by the Common Council. It costs $115 to apply.

Some city lawmakers have said they think the city has too many of these types of stores, which sometimes can cause problems in a neighborhood, including loitering, illegally high fees for check cashing and expired products.

Earlier this year, Ellicott Council Member Darius G. Pridgen said some gravy that expired in 2009 was found on one store's shelf.

Continue reading "By the numbers: Corner stores in the City of Buffalo" »

Every Sunday, we'll publish a quick Q&A with someone from the local political world. Instead of touching on the latest in policy issues and proposed legislation, the intent is to catch a glimpse of the person behind the title. The interviews are done via email.

Ellicott Council Member Darius G. Pridgen speaks during a Jan. 24 meeting of the Buffalo Common Council. (Derek Gee / Buffalo News)

Darius G. Pridgen

The basics
Age: 47
Job title: Buffalo Common Council member, Ellicott district
Family: Father of three girls and two boys (all adults); grandfather of six.
Education: B.S. in criminal justice (Buffalo State); master's degree in organizational leadership (Medaille)
Party affiliation: Democrat
Other current employment: Senior servant of True Bethel Baptist Church
Previous work experience: U.S. Air Force; U.S. Postal Service; Spanish teacher at School 43
City salary: $52,000 + $1,000 stipend for chairing Legislation Committee

Continue reading "Five Questions with Darius Pridgen" »

Continue reading "Recent hires in City Hall" »

Update 4:33 p.m.: Kearns did not keep Finance Committee chairmanship -- that went to Delaware Council Member Michael J. LoCurto.

Here's my story.

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Masten Council Member Demone A. Smith said he expects to be named the Common Council majority leader when city lawmakers reorganize this afternoon.

Smith also said University Council Member Bonnie E. Russell will become the new president pro temp of the Council -- which will come with additional duties but no $2,500 stipend -- when the Council holds its reorganizational meeting at 2 p.m. in Council Chambers.

As we already knew, current Majority Leader Richard A. Fontana will take over as Council president, with Fillmore Council Member David A. Franczyk set to lose the post he's held for eight years.

Also according to Smith, who was packing up his Council office today getting ready for a move to the majority leader's office:

--South Council Member Michael P. Kearns will stay chairman of the Finance Committee.

--Ellicott Council Member Darius G. Pridgen will become the new Legislation Committee chairman, with the previous chairman, North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr., taking over the Community Development Committee from Delaware Council Member Michael J. LoCurto.

--Russell will keep the chairmanship of the Civil Service Committee, and Niagara Council Member David A. Rivera will stay chairman of the Claims Committee.

A majority vote of the Council is required for leadership and chairmanship posts.

Fontana, Smith, Russell, Pridgen and Golombek are part of the new Council majority, as Fontana had been aligned with Franczyk, Kearns, LoCurto and Rivera.

Leadership positions, except for president pro temp, and chairmanships come with stipends: $10,000 for president; $5,000 for majority leader, and $1,000 each for the committee chairmen.

--Aaron Besecker
Follow me on Twitter: @BeseckerBN

Council Member Darius G. Pridgen has heard many complaints about food stores in the Ellicott District during his first 11 months in office. 

From the sale of marijuana-shaped candy and synthetic pot to loitering to selling loose items, like cigarettes and diapers, the city lawmaker believes store owners need to be more accountable.

Pridgen will meet this morning with business people in his district who hold city food store licenses.

"I am pro-business. I want businesses to come to the Ellicott District," Pridgen said during a meeting of the Common Council's Legislation Committee on Oct. 11. "...However, I want business owners to be responsible."

Pridgen sent a letter to licensees about the meeting, being held at the Pratt Willert Community Center.

City lawmakers, who hold the power to grant food store licenses, regularly set conditions for the licenses to include bans on the store selling anything that would be considered drug paraphernalia.

Pridgen has said he wants the owner of each store applying for a license in his Council district to appear before the Council prior to a vote being held.

--Aaron Besecker
Follow me on Twitter: @BeseckerBN

(Photo by Charles Lewis / Buffalo News Staff Photographer)