BRO Reader Submission….
I’d like to see BR step up and devote some space to holding our city government accountable. Doing so would also allow many passionate and thoughtful BR readers the opportunity to suggest solutions and demand real answers, rather than simply complain. Right now I am really pissed off about the plowing. This is a basic service that city government performs that is not rocket science, yet we hear the same BS every year, mayor after mayor.
I can honestly say that since Friday I have seen three plows. Three! As a Realtor I’m on the streets throughout the day. I’ve listened to business owners complain about downtown and Allentown still being in terrible shape. The side streets are beyond a joke.
An hour ago I had an experience that was the last straw. I bumped into a client of mine while shopping at the store. He is a young professional and has been looking with his fiancé at homes in the Elmwood Village in the $350,000 range. They WANT to live in the city. He said, “My fiancé and I have been talking about how bad the streets are and how the city cannot even perform basic functions efficiently and we are not so sure that we want to buy a house here. Really, they are raising assessments and cannot even plow the streets. Where are the plows?” he asked. A $350,000 home pays almost $10,000 per year in taxes. Can we afford to say goodbye to that revenue?
The worst part is that the suburbs are fine. Those residents are watching the news at night and seeing an inept city, known for its snow that cannot even figure out how to overcome the same challenges that plow crews have faced for decades. We hear the same excuses from a new cast of characters. It’s bad PR and bad for business, but we sit back and accept mediocrity in Buffalo in almost every area of our lives.
I realize that BR is really about highlighting the positive things going on in Buffalo, but with so many problems and the new state budget fiasco, Donn Esmonde might have been right yesterday. He said, “The only sane response is to pack up and flee”. I’d hate to think so. Any ideas?
Entry image: lori.d