2007 Endorsements - Buffalo Niagara Partnership

The Partnership is not endorsing candidates in next Tuesday's local elections, and here's why.

Based on a strong recommendation from our Government Affairs Committee, the Partnership Executive Committee agreed that, in local elections, it seems most important and relevant to our members to focus on where candidates stand on issues critical to the business community - communicating TO the candidates what those issues are, evaluating the ACTIONS of incumbents and the SPECIFIC PLATFORMS of challengers regarding those issues, and maintaining close/positive working relationships (including accountability) going forward with the candidates who win.

Endorsing in any race just to create visibility may make some people feel good (while inevitably upsetting others.), but it really only makes sense if that endorsement actually is based on fundamental differences between candidates on actual business-impacting issues. Moreover, in local elections - where our endorsement has much symbolic importance and thus is actively sought - with so many of our members having personal and/or business connections with so many of the candidates, we inevitably receive very strong and often competing requests for us to endorse one opponent or the other in the same race! Not only can that divide scarce business activism/leadership, but it also can do so for the wrong reason.

Applying this concept to the Erie County Executive race hopefully makes its case. As delineated in my last member email, BOTH Chris Collins and Jim Keane have explicitly expressed their support for the specific county government issues we've told them are most important to business development - dedication of the "bed tax" to the CVB, implementation of the Framework for Regional Growth, improved management of county government, and close collaborations with the business community (click here for the candidates' positions). Given that, our objective has to be to have the best possible working relationship with whichever of them wins the election, so that there's the best chance those positive positions are turned into real actions with measurable business benefit.

At the same time, I have to admit, applying this concept to the Erie County Legislature (Click here for Erie County Legislature candidate scorecards and questionnaire responses) races is not so comfortable, at least for me.

As you know from several of these emails from me over more than a year, we have been clear - including continuous direct dialogue with members of the legislature - that dedication of the "bed tax" to the CVB for tourism/convention marketing is our top county government priority. In the midst of periodic rhetorical support from various members of the legislature for this, no action has even begun to be taken! Indeed, over this entire period of time, the majority leadership in the county legislature has used every possible excuse NOT to take action here (while, in the meantime, providing inadequate funding for the CVB). I cannot overstate how disappointed we are with the legislature's leadership, virtually none of whom is facing any real opposition in next week's election.

In sum, advocacy is both a core competency and a prime activity of the Partnership. But it doesn't end with Election Day; actually, our most effective advocacy starts the day AFTER Election Day with the winning candidates, and it continues 24/7 thereafter.

So, please review how the county executive and legislature candidates stand on important business impacting issues, communicate that to your friends and work associates and then get out and vote accordingly next Tuesday.