King of the County

[GroundControl]

I read with interest today an article in the Buffalo Snooze written by Jonathan D Epstein.

In it the author mentions the IDA boards of Lancaster and Clarence and also the ECIDA of which King Poloncarz rules over with his usual iron fist. The King of the County has never come off the throne the Governor gave him during the Covid fear mongering she promoted.

The King doesn't do so well in either Lancaster or Clarence. He is regularly called out from any crowd assembled for the 4th of July or other such public outings in these two places.

The King not only took a shot at the Lancaster IDA board, but also at two local developers, Mr. Lucas James and Mr. Tom Sweeney. I wonder what Lancaster Village Mayor Ruda is thinking after reading that article?

I wouldn't be too worried that the King has ANY sway with the LIDA as he is definitely not a favored son of theirs. I would be worried though now with that Buffalo Snooze release timed by the King to send a message that the money tree has ended from LIDA for Mr. Sweeney's Glassco company. But not because the King had anything to do with it. Lancaster is NOT Poloncarz country.

A well known dem who attending a birthday party for the Party Chairman said The King arrived and came through the door and immediately caused a rumble and got aggressive with another person as he DEMANDED his brother's employer promote that same brother at a County office building and got away with it and nobody called him out.

This information comes directly from the mouths of disheartened democrats.
A message directly to The King.......Lancaster is Republican through and through now. In the VOL change is coming soon. In the TOL it has already happened.

Ruda has had a couple of pretty bad weeks in office. It's not going to get any better for her! Mr. Schroeder are you ready for this?

[Lee Chowaniec]

Response to the Buffalo News report you alluded to GC.

I did not take Poloncarz’s remarks as a shot at the current LIDA organization, but at the previous board make-up where Ruda played a significant role in influencing the LIDA approval of Sweeny and James mortgage / sales / PILOT tax breaks – and especially when both developers initially declared that one way or the other their projects would take place.

I would hope, and I believe that the current Lancaster Industrial Development Agency (LIDA) will follow Poloncarz’s lead as reported in the BN: "I do not support giving tax breaks for new-build market-rate housing," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, an influential member of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency board of directors.

"While we need more housing in our country and region, any tax break for market-rate housing, including luxury housing, is unacceptable," Poloncarz said. "Those projects will get built without a tax break being provided because there is sufficient demand for the housing."
Lancaster

Last year’s LIDA board approved tax breaks for two mixed-use upscale, market rate apartment / retail complexes for two developers by a 5-2 vote – LIDA Chair Lemaster and board member Leary cast the two ‘no’ votes. This year’s 5-member board appears to have taken a view / direction – one that favors Poloncarz view, especially when the project is not readapted, but developed on shovel-ready ground.

Historically, IDAs have generally not provided such incentives, or helped projects that are more than one-third retail in nature. The policies were based on the idea that those projects typically don't spur as much new spending and spinoff development as the commercial or industrial projects that IDAs were originally formed to encourage.

Indeed, that was part of a debate among Lancaster IDA board members before they approved assistance for a couple of recent projects by Lucas James and Tommy Sweeney. The projects ultimately received tax breaks.
The trend conflicts with the policy for the Erie County IDA, the region's biggest, where Poloncarz has been adamant about the need to justify the provision of tax benefits, especially when there's little job growth or a company isn't at risk of relocating.


The Sweeny and James projects were not worthy of IDA tax breaks IMHO. I believe this board would have acted differently and more fiscally responsible in protecting the best interests of its taxpaying community. At least I would hope so, as the outcome is always dubious when you have business / special interest types and politicos sitting on LIDA boards.

[mark blazejewski]

I would be worried though now with that Buffalo Snooze release timed by the King to send a message that the money tree has ended from LIDA for Mr. Sweeney's Glassco company. But not because the King had anything to do with it. Lancaster is NOT Poloncarz country...

A message directly to The King.......Lancaster is Republican through and through now. In the VOL change is coming soon. In the TOL it has already happened.

GC, I'll repeat what I have previously have written...

A majority of Lancaster voters, myself included, in large measure supported the sitting members of the Town Board for the purpose of a directional change. The philosophical composition of the LIDA Board is an important component to that change.

GC, many Lancaster voters will see any attempt by a rogue member of the Town Council to reverse that new direction, as an act of overt disrespect for their expressed mandate.

[WNYresident]

Question to the old wise ones...

Do you believe that once a person is elected, any person, that it goes to their head?

Lately when you here many elected official speak they sound a bit arrogant.

[GroundControl]

Sadly Res, in this day and age of voter apathy or too busy of a life to pay close enough attention to what their elected officials are doing they leave the door of influence open to special interests who eventually persuade the elected to make deals that serve only their best interests. The outcome is always the same when this happens, opportunists take action. Career politicians and those who make a living off that environment only amplify the bad situation.

The Buffalo Board of Elections is a glaring example of how the politics of the favored and chosen can corrupt something that should actually safeguard the voters choice of a candidate. The BOE has had its thumb on the scale for many years. It is filled with people how did something for either of the two political parties that as slanted in their political views as anybody.

It seems to me that whom ever does work there would be far removed any political impact like that. Their job is not to carry anyones flag, they are there to qualify the candidates and accredit the election outcome.

When the BOE is playing in the dark it opens the door for everything else to slip into that same shadow of questionable behavior.
When the County Executive DEMANDS his brother be promoted at the BOE it says everything about how far that place has fallen down in serving the voters. Both Chairman Mohr and Zellner are complicit and happy to keep it that way. Blame the County Legislature, for they have oversight. But alas, almost everyone seated there presently owe their souls to the BOE.

There is only ONE way to control your government, control the vote. It is why in the Town of Lancaster things changed 180 degrees after a group of private citizens identified a couple of sincere local party leaders and took on the long entrenched political stranglehold on their town by going directly to the voters with a clear message. It paid huge dividends that are now carrying over to Cheektowaga and the Village of Lancaster.

Oversight is everything.