Buffalo Rising Online

If John Martin actually read any of the stories on BRO he would realize that no one is calling Buffalo an utopia. But why let facts get in the way. We don't need to know about anything that is actually positive or potentially positive about Buffalo.

I think this is so awesome...this is just what Buffalo and the entire rustbelt needs. We need to band together and shatter our rustbelt image....in my dreams and fatasies i see all of us rebranding ourselves as the greenbelt...if only our politicians and community had enough courage to get this accomplished.

What have these folks done? I only know a few of them, but . . .

Allison Duwe: led a campaign that lifted hundreds of workers out of poverty and into wages that can support home ownership and investment in the community.

Amy Kedron: founded Bufalo First, which links local businesses while raising awareness of the importance of buying local.

Aaron Bartley: should befmiliar to BRO readers. Led a campaign responsible for making MBBA housing practices an issue. Also working to solidify westside neighborhoods by transitioning people from renters to homeowners.

Michael Gainer: should be familiar to BRO readers.

These folks and their organizations get by on a shoestring, with little or no public funding. Anyone who would claim they are part of the problem is stupid.

Also . . .

1. I doubt that any of these folks are hippies -- for one thing, they have jobs. "Hippy" is not a synonym for "idealist," "progressive," or "activist."

2. The list of accomplishments for "non-business oriented hippies from community activist groups" is long and distinguished. It includes ending slavery, gaining women's suffrage, ending child labor, ending segregation, ending apartheid, etc. It's certainly more impressive than the track record for pro-business folks like Andy Rudnick or Bob Wilmers, which consists entirely of lining their own pockets.

so apparently if you don't own a business you have no right in trying to improve the place you live...

come on, people and non-profit groups have done what businesses have forgotten. How many businesses moved out of buffalo to mexico, china, atlanta in the last 50 years... taking with them thousands of jobs.. woohoo a couple stuck around but I would hardly call their their mass exodus from the North East something that they did in our best interests.

How come you ASSUME that they young urban leaders are not entrepreneurs to begin with. What is wrong with getting people together to figure out how to solve the problems you speak of. I would be willing to bet that making the great lakes a better business community is high on their list of things to do. It is probably also to attract new jobs to the region. It sounds like you are just looking for people to call hippies.

Colin: I'm with you on point no. 1 and the misuse of the term "hippy."

On point no. 2, you really lost me. The bank Bob Wilmers runs employ thousands of Buffalonians and has created real wealth for many of these people. M&T is also one of the largest benefactors of Buffalo's cultural institutions and a variety of other civic organizations, events and causes. M&T staff sit on nearly every major board in town and volunteer their time, energy and cash to these organizations. Not to mention that Wilmers has personally donated millions of dollars to local causes. This is a truly enlightened corporate citizen, both the institution, its Chairman and the people who work for him.

olaf -- my point was really about how odd it was that folks would attack civic-minded activists for the crime of not being business leaders. Particularly when these folks get results with few resources, while the bigwigs in the local business community have presided over decades of decline despite having enormous resources at their disposal. There was no Wilmers-specific content to the point I was making, except that he's probably the most prominent local businessperson and Rudnick has always seemed like Smithers to his Mr. Burns.

Bob Wilmers and M&T are great citizens of Buffalo. Wilmers started moving jobs from the suburbs into Buffalo in the mid and late 90's while Mayor Tony was giving Richard Taylor $400,000 to take the infamous A&MA's building off the dity's hands and giving Paladono the Berger's building for a buck. Think about the start of the A&MA's fiasco when the current owner shows or doesn't show in Housing Court soon. As for Rudnick, besides wearing bowties, does anyone know what this guy does?

Colin, Are you serious about the Wilmer's comments? He has helped create thousands of local jobs that have pumped millions and millions into this real estate market and economy. He is also very involved with the community and the buffalo public school system. He has made a lot of money for himself, and what is wrong with that? He has made his employees lifes a lot better financially than any community activist trying to stop business and just stategizing about the peace bridge and bass pro.

I would guess you don't own your own business nor have much of a desire to make some money or create a business.

BTD Why are they censoring me

BTD -- uh, name dropping is the practice of trying to impress people by casually mentioning prominent people one has a connection with. There was no reason to think I had any connection to Wilmers or Rudnick from anything I said. That's not name dropping.

Racist and stupid, too.

While I'm not thrilled this event was not more 'transparent' or 'open to the general public,' knowing some of the 'young leaders' that were invited to attend, I know some of them have a track record organizing, task oriented, and accomplishing specific goals. Moreover, I think it would have be wise of the local event coordinator - the UB Regional Institute - find a way to open at least one component of the event 'open to the public.'