When Grandma Goes Bad

Only in Buffalo* could senior  housing be a detriment to a neighborhood, and Jill Joseph Tower is becoming a serious problem in an area with too many problems already.

Residents living near the complex tell us about drug dealing, all day drinking, and illicit daycares with unsupervised kids running wild around the neighborhood.

Lately seniors have taken to stopping us on the street to tell us of drug dealing, rampant crime and filthy conditions. Seniors pay at least $600 a month to live there and are desperate to get out.

Jill Joseph Tower is owned by University Garden Apartment, LP and managed by Clover Management, Inc both operated out of 1430 Millersport Hwy, Williamsville.  The President  of Clover Management is Michael L. Joseph.  If that names doesn't sound familiar, it should because Michael is quite a bigwig in local circles. Michael has served served or still serving on a number of civic and non-profit boards including the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the Jewish Federation of WNY, Buffalo Seminary, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the University at Buffalo Foundation and most recently headed the transition team for the Mark Poloncarz administration.

I'm pretty sure Micheal doesn't want anyone to think of him as a slumlord and that Roswell, the Jewish Federation, Buffalo Seminary, the Buffalo Philharmonic and UB don't want a slumlord on the Board,  but read the definition of slumlord below and decide for yourself if Michael isn't coming way to close.

A slumlord (also spelled slum lord) is a derogatory term for landlords, generally absentee landlords, who attempt to maximize profit by minimizing spending on property maintenance, often in deteriorating neighborhoods.

In 2000, AG Elliott Spitzer got a $15,000 settlement against Clover Management for failing to deposit tenants' security deposits in trust accounts and failure to inform them of their ability to access the interest on such accounts. The settlement also required that Clover Management end the practice of charging tenants up to 50 percent of their security deposits if the company finds that their smoke detectors are not in working order.

*Buffalo is not the only place to have serious crime problems in senior housing complexes.  It is becoming a nationwide problem. But, you know, that's no excuse.  Perhaps Michael needs to take some time off from his busy social schedule and tend to business.

The Next Big Fight

Photo WGRZ

Just got back from the Buffalo Convention Center and a standing room only crowd at the Mark Poloncarz swearing in ceremony.

It was great to see a crowd of black, white, rich and not so rich applaud labor and people who work for a living and government that cares for what we have built so that it is worth passing to the next generation.

Mark's speech highlighted the fundamental difference between democrats and republicans; government by and for the people versus government as a business paid for by the people for the insider 1% well connected/positioned enough to profit off it.

This fight for who will control Erie County government is a microcosm of the fight going on across the county, and for today at least, the people won.

Taking Niagara out of the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise

The spawn of Andy Rudnick experienced the tax cuts he is always proponing first hand when Niagara County decided they had better things to do with the $50,000 a year they were paying to be members of the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise.

Apparently, even republicans in the Niagara County Legislature could no longer stomach the Andy and Company's teabagger politics.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-county/article680886.ece

Another UB Student Beaten and Robbed at Gunpoint

A University at Buffalo student was recently severely beaten and robbed at gunpoint in my neighborhood.  This is just one of an escalating series of crimes that have plagued this area all fall. Muggings, car break-ins, burglaries  and armed robbers hiding in a local garages are just some of the highlights of this fall's crime spree.

You would think that some of this might get the attention of the Mayor, but no, apparently he's too busy do clean up in preparation for the Tim Wanamaker tell all to make sure one of the busiest police districts in the City has a full time Chief.  E district has been managed by the A district commander since August when the beloved (not) Chief White quit just in time for Party Season.  Chief Pascall is great.  We are all pleased with the effort he has put in for our district, but managing 2 of the 5 police districts in Buffalo is more than a full time job and more than one person can handle.

And what does our useless Councilwomen Bonnie Russell have to say about all of this.  Well, you know, there's nothing she can do.  She more or less indicated that we all just need to get used to it.

Planet Rudnick

I don't know what planet Andy Rudnick lives on but here on Earth, if you are going to call for $100s of millions in state and federally funded spending  and tax cuts, you better offer up some revenue increases (taxes to non-teabaggers) to pay for it.

The latest Buffalo Niagara Partnership agenda offers up the same old, tired projects we have heard about for years now, Peace Bridge, UB2020 (aka moving the medical school will create MILLIONS of jobs) and Route 219 (now the Continental 1 Super Highway - part of an even faster way to send jobs to Mexico, cheap labor into the US and bypass all those onerous unionized US dock workers)




The Partnership is also backing an bizarre assortment of wingnut issues:

• Immigration reform to import more high skill guest workers.  ~ Guess there aren't enough unemployed high skilled workers in WNY already.  Bring in enough to suppress wages to 3rd world standards, yeah that'll do it.
• Block any attempt to re-introduce the DISCLOSE Act.  ~ Corporations are people damn it, and we like it like that.
• Free  up those IDA (Industrial Development Agencies) to do more industrial development like  dorms at Buffalo State.
• Frack the shit out of New York.  
• Absolutely NO prevailing wage legislation.
• No fair labor practices for NY farm workers.
• No analysis of proposed telecommunication mergers.  ~ Just costs money you know and who cares if not taking a closer look costs you money anyway.
• And lastly, my person favorite, Oppose workplace bullying legislation.  I mean what good is being the boss if you can't bully your workers when you feel like it.

All this wingnut teabaggery doesn't come cheap.  In 2009 Andy received $323,814 in salary/bennies, including health insurance and paid memberships to the Buffalo Club and the Buffalo Country Club.

Guess thats the prevailing wage for creepy guys in bow ties.

Made in America

This year I decided I wasn't going to buy gifts for anyone unless the items were made in America.

Sticking with this theme, I took a ride to Elma to visit the Made in America store. This place is really worth a visit. Its amazing to find tools, knives, clothing, pet supplies, toys and camping equipment (among other things) that are still made in America.

The thing that struck me most though, was the high quality and ingenious design of many of these products. America - we still rock when it comes to designing and making things.

One of the things I got was this cool bird feeder. Made in America, the birds love it and I get to recycle a pop bottle too.

Bonnie Russell just LOVES Chris Jacobs

Got a stinky little missive in the mail today.  To me it smells like Byron Brown, constrained by political considerations from planting a big wet one on his BFF Chris Collins, came up with the next best thing;  a real black woman to endorse Chris Collins Jr., aka Chris Jacobs.

For those of you who get a complete brain wipe from the sight of Bonnie and Chris smiling like they just did something that used to be illegal in many states, a little reminder:

Chris Jacob's tenure on the Buffalo School Board has not been very helpful to the poor children in Buffalo who have had the Buffalo Public School System inflicted upon them.

• Bennett High School, in Bonnie Russell's district, has been an under performing school for the entire time Chris Jacbs has been on the board.  This school is not only failing the students, its failing the people that own homes around it as the kids incarcerated there spread the misery with a trail of crime and destruction to and from school everyday.  (Thanks, Chris)
• Chris was instrumental in getting Superintendent James Williams hired and keeping him there for for 6 years.  (artvoice.com/issues/v7n22/james_williams_pt2)
• During the Jacobs/Williams reign of error
• Buffalo  graduation rate for black males plunged to 25%, making Buffalo the fourth-worst graduation rate for black males in the United States. (Buffalo News)
• Buffalo Schools lost out on millions of dollars for failing to put together acceptable plans to turn around the failing schools (Buffalo News )
• Puerto Rican students have suffered as well, with only 40% graduating from Jacobs' schools.  

On the bright side, at least now we know what good ole Bonnie might be up to while missing all those onerous City Council meetings; sitting for nice portraits with millionaire Chris Jacobs, a member of one of the richest families in Buffalo. (We can't blame the aliens for everything)

Note to Bonnie, Byron and the Chris-es:  Your love note is not playing all that well in the neighborhood.    Everyone I asked had torn it up and thrown it in the garbage in disgust.

Execute the Rich

Andrew Cuomo hit a new level of stupid this week, when he compared his opposition to the millionaires tax to his Daddy's opposition to the death penalty.  Hint: both were/are supported by over 80% of the population. (State of Politics Blog)

Cue the usual propaganda re: how the rich will all move to New Jersey of we tax them any more than they are already being taxed.


Well, no problem there.

In 2009 (the year the millionaires tax was implemented) there were 345,892 household in NY making over $1 million.

 In 2010, a year after the millionaires tax was implemented there were 381,197 worth over $1 million, an increase of almost 10%. (CNBC)



Obviously, the more we tax them, the more millionaires we make.

Regular readers know where I stand.  After being fattened up on tax cuts, there's only one thing thing they are good for ..

Byron Brown Chooses Politics Over Jobs?

After working for years to bring an ethanol refinery to Buffalo, Rick Smith threw in the towel and announced that the project is dead.  Mayor Byron Brown's refusal to  allow Rick's company to seek $8 million in tax-exempt Recovery Act bonds killed it.   These bonds would have cost the City nothing and been paid off by ethanol sales.

The ethanol plant would have employed 65 people directly in high paying manufacturing jobs and supported about 260 jobs indirectly.  Hundreds of farmers would have been helped as well.  (Each farmer  supports 7 other people in their jobs).  That adds up to about 3000 jobs all together.

Now why would Byron Brown kill off any chance to bring good jobs to Buffalo?  Maybe because the plant would be in South Buffalo, rival Mickey Kerns district?  Maybe the boys on Jefferson wanted the money to build more barbershops? Maybe the Mayor wants to fund more fancy restaurants like One Sunset?


 
But not to worry, all you unemployed people out there,  with UB 2020 you have a future selling yourself for medical experiments.


 

Synergy or Sinergy

Medical stenographer Henry Davis and the Buffalo Snooze  (Medical campus sees growth in synergy, Sept 24, 2011) treat us, once again, to SUNY Buffalo PR masquerading as news and the lie that our future depends on building over $500 million in medical buildings.

Guess those recent Regional Economic Council hearings,  where standing room only crowds yawned at the "eds and meds" will save us mantra and demanded infrastructure improvements and green energy investments, got Rudnick, "Trippy" Tripathi and Ciminelli a little nervous.  Looks like the boys felt the need to restore a little UB2020 discipline.

Let's take a little look under the Medical Campus Synergy hood, shall we?

Erie County Population Growth (not)

As a county, we have been been loosing an average of 4861 people a year for the last 40 years.  The remaining population (14% of which live below he poverty line) are being told that spending a minimum of $500 for every man, woman a child in the county to build a playpen for Rudnick, et al. is the best, if not only way to save the county.  $500 is only the down payment mind you, we'll need to spend to more to move Childrens Hospital, staff all the buildings,  heat, cool and maintain them.

The real lie, that this is growth that creates jobs, is there in the article too.  We're going to shut Children's and move it to another place in the City, cut $100 million out of SUNY Buffalo South Campus investment and spend it downtown instead, shut Milliard Filmore Hospital and move that somewhere else too.  Hollowing out one area of the City to build in another is not growth, its a money grab designed to funnel public dollars to the already wealthy (who don't want to do anything risky like actually creating jobs in the private sector).

And in the meantime people are fleeing this county by the thousands, hard to see how "The Medical Campus" is going to stop that.