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Artvoice Weekly Edition » Issue v12n26 (06/27/2013) » Section: The News, Briefly


Carpe Diem, Sergio

by Geoff Kelly
This week, the Buffalo News reported that Democrat Bernie Tolbert was prepared to step up his challenge to incumbent Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, which is good news for those who believe a vibrant campaign season has a salutary effect on both politics and governance.

Grisanti Campaigns Against Campaign Finance Reform

by Geoff Kelly
The line between informing one’s constituency (for which state legislators are given taxpayer money to produce and mail literature to voters in their districts) and campaigning for re-election (which is essentially a full-time job for all state legislators, but particularly for a fellow like State Senator Mark Grisanti, a Republican in a heavily Democratic district who has a target on his back so big you can see it from Long Island) is rendered so fine by the laws by which the Assembly and Senate govern themselves that it’s hard to fault any of them for inadvertent irony.

Call It Sour Grapes, But...

by Geoff Kelly
Twice, when Chris Collins was Erie County Executive, stacks of Artvoice newspapers mysteriously disappeared from our distribution point in the first-floor lobby of the Rath Building, which hosts county offices. Both times, the issue featured cover stories less than flattering to Collins. The distribution point was within the scope of a surveillance camera, so the second time it occurred, we requested access to the video recorded by that camera, arguing that the apparent removal and disposal of the offending papers amounted to petty theft. We were told by the fellow in charge of the property that he would not release the video for privacy reasons. We chose not to press the issue with a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, because who really cares if Collins sent some underling to grab the papers and throw them in a dumpster? We’re not petty people.



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