Listen Up Buffalo!
Last week I wrote an article on my blog (www.storywriteronline.blogspot.com), suggesting that there should be a concise strategy for the rebuild of Buffalo. I think it needs to be stated again, harder this time, and with a few choice lines.

Let me say at the outset. I didn’t come from Buffalo. I have lived in Los Angeles California for 25 years until just this year. I have travelled the world, seen most cities in America. I didn’t even plan to relocate to Buffalo, but the city caught my attention and I decided to locate here. Foremost, I was struck by the charm and beauty of the city. The architecture, the classic buildings, streets and turning circles. All of it portrayed the heart of America to me. Yet, like a single rose in a patch of weeds, I was shocked by the condition of areas around the beauty. I was even more shocked when I looked into it, to find out that the city has stayed this way for decades and that elected officials have repeatedly passed the buck to the next guy in office.

I see tremendous amounts of effort, valiant in fact, truly passionate and dedicated, from groups and individuals to improve and help Buffalo regain itself. I am networking with them as we speak. They are real heros. But I think some strong words are in order. I quote a passage from Lee Iacocca’s new book ‘Where Have All The Leaders Gone? as I think it is appropriate:

“Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘Stay the course.’

Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned, ‘Titanic’. I’ll give you a sound bite: ‘Throw all the bums out!’”

With that said, a few facts should be tabled, again:

1. Buffalo, statistically speaking is reportedly rated as the 4th best housing market in America. Hello!!
2. Buffalo still maintains a better work-force/employment ratio than most states in America.
3. Price of living in Buffalo, is comparatively good.
4. Despite any downside, Buffalo is a great place to raise a family and has a good infrastructure.

In light of that, why keep talking to Buffalonians about improving Buffalo? People who live here KNOW it’s a great city, inspite of the blights and neglected areas. We all pass it every day.

Any campaign, any war, any any is won by a STRATEGY, unless it is a complete fluke, which is not worthy of mention then.

Buffalo cannot solve it’s issues through insular means. Buffalo needs to tell, through simple, word of mouth, low-cost campaigns, the rest of America, that this is a great place to live. It is time to DRIVE people INTO Buffalo to fill the massive hole created from the earlier exodus. This place has a lot to offer. Housing is good. Cost to raise a family is good. Infrastructure is good. Simultaneously, it is time to zone-out the parts of Buffalo for rebuild, NOT just demolitions. Zone it out. Give an incentive package to developers to come in and develope these zones. Tax breaks, discounted land, whatever. If someone screams about it being unfair (which there are always some screamers), then put it to the vote by the people since this is a democracy, so that the screams stop. It is time to stop messing around with the rebuild of Buffalo.

If Downtown LA, can rebuild itself from a once abandoned and quite degraded area (2 decades ago) that was the victim of decentralization like Buffalo, then Buffalo can do it too. I saw it happen in the time I was there. But it’s going to take sticking to a STRATEGY, not a political platform, and not some other agenda to gain popularity. To stop a sinking ship you have to HANDLE the ship. You can put all the flowers you want around the decks, throw all the parties you want, but if the ship sinks, so do the flowers and so do the people.

Come-on – let’s stop talking about Buffalo to Buffalo. Let America know about it. It’s not a dying city or a city with an inferiority complex. It’s a city with fantastic opportunity and it’s time to open the doors and take the brakes off.

PS I work for a construction staffing agency in Buffalo. I’ll get the people to help build the place. I know about a hundred guys right now that would happily go to work! Honest!

Real J. Laplaine
www.storywriteronline-rl.com
storywriteronline@gmail.com
RLaplaine@cpgworks.com

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