Home > ADVOCACY > Where We Stand > BERC letter

January 14, 2010


Hon. David Franczyk
Chairman, Buffalo Common Council
1315 City Hall
Buffalo, NY 14202

Dear Chairman Franczyk:

This letter is in response to your January 6 communiqué seeking the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s reaction to the Common Council’s resolution to “Eliminate The Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corp. as a Step Towards A New Approach For Economic Development.”

Overall, the Partnership agrees there is a need for a better approach to economic development in the City of Buffalo, but disagrees that eliminating a single agency and reallocating its funds is the appropriate means to that end.  

The Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corporation (BERC) is one capacity in the City’s economic development “toolbox,” and we believe it is a useful one, if utilized strategically. Moreover, neither eliminating it creates a better approach in and of itself, nor would elimination of any of the City’s other economic development entities without a more strategic content.  To achieve such a direction, a thorough review of all the City’s economic development tools should be considered to identify the best system that allows the greatest amount of economic benefit to the City, its residents and taxpayers – including employers. The Partnership is currently completing such an effort and believes the forthcoming recommendations make good sense and thus should get your careful consideration before further actions are taken by the Council.  

The City plays a critical role in economic development – well beyond development-related loans or grants – in the project approval process as well as developing, communicating and following master and neighborhood plans. These development functions should be considered as part of your “toolbox,” as well.  

The City’s commitment to economic development must be set by the City’s leadership – both the administration and the Council – and should utilize the best combination of available tools possible. Whether or not a single economic development entity remains or is eliminated should be determined in the larger evaluation of effective tools, strong development policies that are supported by the leadership of the City and talented, experienced staff to manage and implement.

In addition, given the acknowledgement at the bottom of the resolution about the types of organizations that play a role in effective economic development in the City of Buffalo, we recommend any reevaluation of the BERC board should the approach above. With the Partnership’s existing relationships with all of the City’s development entities, we are happy to facilitate this discussion and potential reconstitution of the BERC board.

On behalf of employers doing and looking to do business in and with the City of Buffalo, I urge you to take this type of strategic approach to Buffalo’s economic development. The Partnership continues to be quite interested and capable of assisting you in doing so.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Rudnick

cc:    Honorable Members of the Buffalo Common Council