Junked Bonds

After a heated March 3 Common Council meeting, in which one councilmember was threatened with disorderly conduct and the subsequent shouting matches called for use of the gavel, councilmembers again voted 5-4 to table the 44 bond resolutions at this Tuesday’s meeting. The majority of the three-hour council meeting was dedicated to the conflict.

Masten Councilmember Demone Smith was especially vitriolic when debating Council President David Franczyk on tabling the resolutions yet again. “Enough with the politics,” he said. “These things are buttoned up ready to go.” Smith also raised concerns that the public—nearly 40 of his constituents came to the session—would not be able to voice their concerns before the resolutions were voted on.

Smith was not the only one to blame bad politics for the 5-4 deadlock. North Councilmember Joseph Golombek claims this is worst he’s seen in his nine years on the council. “For whatever reason, we’ve stopped working as a council,” he said. “Unfortunately, when this council argues, we all look bad. That makes the whole city look bad.”

The bond sales are just part of a months-long dispute over the mayor’s capital budget, submitted last November. By tabling the voting, lawmakers are prolonging any action on the bond sales. But now, some worry that by waiting so long, the funding will not come through in time to begin repairs and new construction before the summer season begins. “We’re talking about Buffalo firemen who need equipment,” said Ellicott Councilmember Brian Davis.

The Council also heard testimony from City Comptroller Andrew SanFilippo, who estimated that once the Council approves the bond sale, it will be at least 50 days until ground can be broken on any projects. This means that improvements to city parks won’t begin until after their July 1 open date, far into Buffalo’s construction season. SanFilippo appeared in favor of the bonds, or at least eager to make the sale once the Council settled the matter. “The longer this body takes to approve the bond resolutions, the further along the construction timeline,” he says. “Time is of the essence if we’re not going to spend the money.”

If tabled until the March 31 Council meeting, another two weeks will be added on to the process. But in an effort to get moving on the bond resolutions, councilmembers agreed to meet Friday for a special session, at which time Franczyk says there could be a vote. When asked what needs to happen in order to get the improvements funded, Franczyk says, “There has to be some give and take.”

Toward the end of Tuesday’s marathon session, Brian Davis moved that councilmembers meet the next day to hammer out a final compromise offer to bring to the mayor. (Despite the statements issuing from the mayor’s office that it stopped negotiating the capital budget weeks ago, negotiations have continued.) They did—all of the councilmembers except Davis himself, who was a no-show. A compromise proposal was delivered on Wednesday.

—ellen przepasniak