On Thursday, three members of Buffalo's Common Council majority spoke out about proposed Federal budget cuts and, as they believe, misplaced federal priorities. Specifically, the proposed federal budget would slash funding for programs essential to city residents, such as HEAP (which helps low income households pay heat and utility bills) and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), as well as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). At the same time that these cuts are on the table, at least one member of the federal delegation continues to fight to secure funding for a dubious project to replace much of a west side waterfront neighborhood with a truck plaza for the sole use of the Peace Bridge.
These priorities are totally upside down, the councilmembers said today. "We're here to ask federal representatives to support the residents who need help the most."
Earlier this month, Common Council approved the CDBG budget. Today, they expressed concern about how City services would be affected if funding is slashed. "Cuts to CDBG mean cuts to housing demolition, street and sidewalk paving, the Clean & Seal program, and planning," Rivera explained. "At the very time we're undertaking a major transformation of our City's zoning code, we need the planning department to be well-funded and secure."
The councilmembers also stated that cuts to HEAP and the Great Lakes Restoration Fund would have detrimental effects on the City of Buffalo and the Western New York region. They took exception to recent statements by Congressman Higgins that "huge pots of money" are available for funding the stalled and problematic Peace Bridge plaza expansion -- but not for CDBG, HEAP, and GLRI (Great Lakes Restoration Initiative).
"We need our representatives to fight for the City and the region's best interest, and to stand with the people," said Delaware District Councilman Michael LoCurto. "We have residents literally under threat of being left out in the cold, and key city services at risk of being defunded."
Niagara District Councilman David Rivera, whose district and constituents would be directly impacted by the proposed Peace Bridge plaza expansion, added, "the economic case for the plaza expansion has not been sufficiently made. After all these years, there are still lots of doubts and questions about the expansion project. We should not be focusing on it, rather than the seniors and families who are faced with the loss of critical services such as home heating assistance. To fight for an ill-conceived and ill-planned plaza, while cutting HEAP, is not a good idea."
Council President David Franczyk underscored that, saying, "A parking lot for trucks? Tearing down a viable neighborhood for trucks? I will never support that." "Pushing for that, and not these other programs, isn't what our congressional delegation should be doing," he added.
Franczyk, who represents the Fillmore District, also echoed concerns about cuts to CDBG, HEAP, and GLRI. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds, he said, should be a natural priority for all Western New York leaders. "We have an unprecedented opportunity to clean up our greatest natural resources: our lakes and rivers," he said. "That's what we should be spending 'huge pots of money' on." He also pointed out that the Great Lakes have 22% of world's potable water. "Our future is in our water. Congress should focus on things that strengthen us, not hurt us. GLRI is critical, in that our freshwater lakes are critical in the future of the northeast." "We should focus on creating a rising tide to lift all boats, rather than knocking holes in others' boats," he added in reference to recent events in Wisconsin.
In response to a question about the continued viability and priority of the Peace Bridge project, given a decreasing traffic trend in the last decade, Rivera made clear his frustration with the situation. "We've been trying to find out about this, and it's been going on for twelve to fifteen years. Why is this still on the table, when it's against interests of people in the neighborhood? We want them to take a look at the environmental impacts of the plaza. [Federal-level officials] say they don't have money for HEAP, yet they're scrounging for money to pay for this plaza. I don't think our residents are being seen as a priority."
"Recently, we were told there were no funds for projects on the northern border. Then, not long after, we hear from the Congressman that there are "huge pots of money" for the plaza project. But the numbers for economic impact are not there. And there are a number of questions that haven't been answered. When there's a multi-billion-dollar federal deficit, to spend money on a project we don't think is a priority is not a good idea. We don't think it's a priority at this point, and it may not be in the future. We need to look at it as a regional issue -- we need to be looking at the whole Niagara border all the way to Lewiston-Queenston. Look at traffic flow and these other issues regionally. But to continue to try to find money where there's no money is irresponsible."
In talking about the background and importance of the CDBG program, Franczyk had a moment of personal nostalgia relating how he was present, as a young community organizer working for CETA, when the program was rolled out in 1974.
"Everyone met at the Lincoln Academy on Broadway, at least 400 people, and there was tremendous enthusiasm. All of our Federal representatives were there--and we need them engaged now. Block grants go into areas of highest poverty. It is used for local priorities, such as repairing or demolishing buildings, jobs programs, etc. It helped people get involved in serving the community."
Franczyk went back even further with the historic foundations of CDBG. "Roosevelt had direct aid to cities, which was later discontinued. CDBG began in 1974, under President Nixon, and was a recognition by the federal government that they have a role to play in keeping cities strong. We wouldn't need it if cities were as strong as in the 1950s, but they aren't. That was partly due to the interstate highway program building highways into cities, ironically making it easier for people to leave cities."
"Congress shouldn't focus on giving tax breaks to billionaires, at the expense of our cities," Franczyk concluded.
In addition to Higgins, Council is appealing to the entire congressional delegation, including U.S. Representative Louise Slaughter, and Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Let's give Higgins another project to hitch his name to, so that he can feel comfortable letting this one die. Truly, this is one of the most absurd, wasteful and destructive uses of funds I have seen in a long, long time and I find his position on this almost pathological (ie, despite most of the facts that point in the inverse, he continues to try to push this project forward) and certainly negligent.
If we look at the facts, and the facts alone, traffic on the Peace Bridge is down to pre-NAFTA (1994) levels across the board - and almost 50% (2010) at the Ambassador Bridge (North America's busiest border crossing). (For those interested, join "There Is No Traffic on the Peace Bridge", which monitors the traffic on the PB, on Facebook and see for yourselves). Also, join "Homes near the Peace Bridge" on FB if you want to tie in to the local movement to fight this.