Scorecard: The Week's Winners & Losers
by Zachary Burns
The Week's Winners & Losers
 Skid Row Arguably the city’s most derelict eyesore (which is saying something on a veritable All-Star team of blight), on May 25 Central Park Plaza was sold to a local developer. The long neglected site, near-vacant for almost a decade except for drug dealers, dogfighters and ladies of the night, will be be cleaned up and razed. |
 Creative Currencies A Niagara Falls man fled from a local Denny’s in the early morning hours of May 27 after attempting to settle his $9.91 bill with a bag of marijuana. Sounds like a totally reasonable trade, right? Not to NARC’s at Denny’s apparently. After getting rebuffed by the cashier, the man then tried to sell his pot to customers, prompting a call to police. |
 Papal AppointmentsThe Holy Pope himself took time away from his undoubtedly ethical papal duties on May 29 to appoint bishop Richard Malone of the Diocese of Portland (Maine) successor to retiring Buffalo bishop Edward Kmiec. Welcome to New York your excellency, while we do eat fish on Fridays we’re pretty keen on our marriage equality laws too. |
 Financial FreedomThe Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority voted in favor on May 29 of shifting from a “hard” to an “advisory” status. So, after nine years of having all things fiscal subject to the rubber stamp of a state-imposed control board, the city will once again be trusted to manage its own finances. Awwwwwwwwww yeaaa, let’s hand out some graft! |
 International RelationsDespite welcoming our neighbors with open arms—and cashier’s tills—at our local malls and airports, the Consul General of Canada announced on May 29 that they will close their consulate office in the soon-to-be vacant HSBC Center. 200 years after the War of 1812 a question remains: how long will we continue to tolerate this northern aggression? |
By the numbers...
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48,000
Taxpayer dollars stolen by former Buffalo Common Council member Brian C. Davis during his seven-year tenure according to his plea agreement in federal court on May 29. The ex-Ellicott District rep, who resigned in 2009 after pleading guilty to pinching campaign donations and failing to file financial disclosure reports, admitted to demanding kickbacks in exchange for distributing portions of a $100,000 discretionary fund he controlled each year. Davis faces up to 10 years in prison and must repay the $48,000. |
43
Percent decrease in profits—from $16.2 million in 2010 to $9.3 million in 2011—at the Buffalo News. In addition Monday-to-Friday daily circulation has dropped by 18.2 percent—down 26,840 to 147,085—since 2009. Despite the increasingly dire statistics, on May 23 News owner Warren Buffett sent a letter to his newspaper editors and publishers confirming his commitment to print news and re-affirming previous statements that would indicate a movement away from providing news free online. |
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