Buffalo Rising Online

tHE ONLY PURPOSE FOR STATE PARKS IN BUFFALO IS TO TRANSFER MAINTANANCE FROM THE CITY AND COUNTY TAXPAYER BUDGETS TO THE STATE TAXPAYER BUDGETS. ONE HAS TO WONDER WHY LASALLE PARK AND RIVERSIDE ARENT ON THE LIST OF STATE PARKS BEING PROPOSED!

OTHER THAN THAT WHO CARES!

AND IF THATS THE GOAL THEN TRANSFER THE OLMSTED PARKS TO THE STATE AS WELL THEN FOCUS THE CITYS RESOURCES ON NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS.

The waterfront is a regional asset enjoyed by all and should become a State Park, Buffalo taxpayers carry enough of the regions burdens

Nothing says historic underground railroad like a good ole state park. this reeds to be downtown. All this is a mediocre politician taking a good idea and making it bad.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul? Of course, but how else can anything be payed for, The issue here is Paul (Buffalo) is dirt poor and Peter (the State) spreads the burden around more equally. Infrastructure is already in place at Beaver Island STATE PARK on affluent Grand Island.

you must still be hooked on Red Dog.

Sam Hoyt needs to do something with his dew...

Why didn't Sam "do nothing" Hoyt sponsor a bill for some portable heaters? Oh that's right his bill will probably go no where.... Glad we are paying for him.

gosh, after all, Sam does deserve the 20% raise now being considered for the NYS Assembly

I guess Sam Hoyt has been working on this and not responding to my repeated request of explanation of NY RPTL section 1805 which protects NEW YORK CITY AREA PROPERTY OWNERS ONLY from high tax assessment increases.

WHY CAN'T BUFFALO AREA PROPERTY OWNERS BE PROTECTED ALSO?

All of this criticizing got me wondering: does Mr Hoyt do any legislating, or is it all PR as many comments seem to suggest? So I did something that was actually pretty easy. I looked for the facts!

http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=144&sh=spo

Far as I can tell, this is a state web site, not a Hoyt front, so I'm inclined to believe that he's actually done this legislative work. I also looked at others in the local delegation and the comparison shows that Hoyt is pulling his weight legislation-wise (you know, since that is what we pay him to do.) I will stipulate that the Albany system is broken, and not a whole lot gets done, but I don't believe that's Hoyt's fault. We voters can change that.

Maybe Choc or hodge or nonono or NBJ would care to try their hand? I believe that this is an election year in the Assembly.

ClearResearch - I'm inclined to believe he does legislative work as you say, but he's a great proponent of the bigger-government, higher-spending philosophy of NY state. I realize that's the philosophy most voters in his district must agree with too, since they re-elect him by such wide margins. Buffalo voters are very liberal in economic matters. If Hoyt wasn't in office, that district would be represented by someone of very similar approach as his.

This particular item won't be a big amount of money but they do add up. Always more, more, more, and it results in NYS having near-highest-in-U.S. per-capita rates of taxing and borrowing. By some measures it's absolute highest out of 50 states, or sometimes it's in the top 2 or 3 depending on how the analysis is done, but it's always among the top few.

Just for laughs, Hoyt should hold a news conference on the first day of April announcing some plan to cut some state spending and remove an item from the budget without adding anything. I wonder how long it would take the reporters to look at their calendar and catch on to the joke.

Yes. Please change who is responsible for painting the porch while the whole foundation continues its 60 year decay. Fix something worth while and the parks will take care of themselves.

ClearResearch....

I try to do my part by not voting for him... I am in the minority -I also do not have his dad's name

If all he can get done is to have a new park created- you are right. Albany is completely broken, and he deserves a pay cut. I guess one of the big three in Albany will have to step down before some new blood/hope may surface for WNY. Wasn't Spitzer our great hope?

njJ, exactly; and to clear research, my friend, although I, like sam, was a bartender too (which apparently qualifies me for this position) my daddy wasn't an assemblyman so i don't have shot. and, considering the 98% re-election rate for assemblymen, I don't have the money to challenge sam for his politburo, i mean, assemblyman seat.

ketchum - People having a different viewpoint than you doesn't make them negative and you positive, and it doesn't meant they can't read. Positive and negative labels are subjective.

About the 'funding allocation committed to projects along the Niagara River', why couldn't Niagara Power Project funds be used to offset current NYS spending instead of having Albany take over new land? As pointed out here, Niagara Falls park is one example of land NYS already (mis-)manages on the river. According to this, there's at least *ten* existing NY state parks on the Niagara:

http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/gmaps/?pId=171

(click green marker check box to show park locations on map)

There must be many possibilities the NPP park funding could offset and reduce state spending instead of new parks. If you favor a new state park in Buffalo, fine. But it doesn't mean you're the positive one and people who don't agree with you are negative and can't read.

1. State government is run by 3 people -- Spitzer, Bruno and Silver. Efforts by any other elected officials will always be mediated by these 3 men. That means that the average assemblyperson or senator has much less power than we might assume. That's a problem with the system -- criticizing individual politicians misses the point.

2. It sems clear that NYS has to do something to make itself more business-friendly. It also seems that many of the calls for them to do this are tinged with (ofetn blatant) anti-government, anti-tax hysteria. Bufalo is often years behind the curve compared to other parts of the country. It would be a shame if we repeated that trend by buying into 90's style ideologies like Grover Norquist's goal of shrinking government to the size that it could be "drowned in a bathtub," which has been so discredited post-Katrina.

Nonono:

What does joking about the rape of woman and children contribute to a discussion of an article about a State park.

Rather than laugh at the thought of raping the innocent you would be better off considering yourself lucky to live in Buffalo and not Tehran. President Amedinejad made it clear in his remarks at Columbia University that there is no one like you in Iran. If you had lived there, you would be dead. In Buffalo you are not only alive but you are free to make jokes of incredibly poor taste and get sick pleasure from the thought of sexual torture.

ketchum, do you honestly think referring to a press release should be taken for the truth? It's the same as saying "I saw this on TV so it must be true." The press releases that came out 16 years ago saying that transferring the burden of the Erie Canal system onto the Thruway Authority wouldn't effect toll payers and look how that worked out.

Anyway, isn't that park down by the Small Boat Harbor a state park of some sort?

Colin - Yes system is flawed, but Big 3 membership slowly changes over time yet same policies continue. Legislators could at least push for serious changes, but it seems Hoyt favors status quo spending/taxing - as most voters in his district seem to as well. Hoyt has voted in lock step with Silver probably over 99% oer the years, hasn't he? About your point 2, welcome aboard. Counting you, I think that raises portion of NYS voters who want more business-friendly policies up to maybe 25%. See if you can help convince the other 75%. And don't worry - chances of NYS having Norquist levels of 'anti-tax' and 'anti-govt' philosophies is same as a Buffalo ever winning the World Series and NBA championship the same year. Theoretically possible, but not too likely.

Speaking of taxes, a report today reveals that in addition to high income taxes, high sales taxes, and high corporate taxes - our nation-leading property taxes keep climbing:

Report shines different light on 'STAR' Business First of Buffalo February 12, 2008 New research from the Public Policy Institute indicates New York state's STAR program is not lessening the property-tax burden as hoped. ...local property taxes climbed to $37 billion in 2005, pushing the per capita hit to $2,303 - the highest figure in the nation and more than double the national average. ... Property taxes increased by an average of 3 percent from 1995 to 2000 and an average of 7.1 percent between 2000 and 2005, the report said. ... In addition, STAR offers no benefits to businesses across New York, which kick in 30 percent of school property taxes. ...

whole thing: http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2008/02/11/daily12.html

Atwater -- Hoyt tried to lead a coup against Silver several years ago, and lost. The details are hazy, but Hoyt took a risk to try and break-up that three man cabal.

And I think everyone would like to see a better business climate in NY. The problem is that's typically been defined in very limited terms and has been linked to a very particular ideology and political party.

Colin - You're right he tried a failed coup of Silver once, but does he oppose Silver on any major policies or substance? Not that I know of. Eventually Silver will be thrown out or resign. Same policy directions will continue with new face, new committee chair setups, patronage, etc. Looks to me that in NY state legislatures in recent times battles are much more about power factions and committees than they are about issues and policy. Similar to this year's shake-up in the Buffalo council. Only a small insignificant portion of legislators favor big changes in what could realistically be considered improvements in business-friendliness and private sector job growth upstate. Most favor the status quo or only small tweaks, as does Spitzer and as did Pataki.