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Artvoice Weekly Edition » Issue v11n21 (05/24/2012) » Section: Week in Review


A Start of Something Good

Much of the recent criticism levied against the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority from the community has centered on the authority’s organizational design, which effectively excludes the voice of its customers and riders. At the NFTA’s first board meeting with new chairman Howard Zemsky at the helm, the NFTA announced qualitative steps to change course and steer closer to the concerns of the community.

Fisher Joins Scanlon

It seemed that Matt Fisher had a leg up in this fall’s race for the South District seat on the Common Council. As an aide to Mickey Kearns, who vacated the seat to join the New York State Assembly, he’d established a positive profile iin the community. He’d been endorsed by the South Buffalo Democratic Party committee to fill the seat vacated by Kearns. Better yet, he’d been spurned by the Common Council’s majority coalition, some of whose members were eager to win a sixth vote and some of whom were determined not to give the seat to anyone affiliated with Kearns. Instead, the majority seated Chris Scanlon, the scion of a politically influential SoutH Buffalo family.

Coppola Enters the Ring

Welcome another candidate to race the 60th District State Senate seat: Al Coppola, who held the seat previously, has indicated that he will challenge incumbent Mark Grisanti, a Republican.

Steel Standing

Last Thursday, workers were set to begin demolishing the historic administrative headquarters of Lackawanna’s Bethlehem Steel Corporation, despite local preservationists’ outrage. Empire Dismantlement has had its wreckers on the site of the 111-year-old Beaux Arts-style building for a week now, yet haven’t moved farther than putting up red caution tape around the area, warning of asbestos contamination.

Scorecard: The Week's Winners & Losers





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