With the passing of former Buffalo Mayor Jimmy Griffin, local media outlets are printing short surveys on Griffin’s life impact on Western New York over the course of his lengthy political career. In the last two days, the Internet has become much more robust with information on Mr. Griffin now that he has passed than it would have otherwise.
Being the young person that I am, Mr. Griffin has appeared to be little more than an elderly, political patriarch who longed for his former self. I'm happy to find out how wrong I was. The Buffalo News and other have recently informed me that the former Mayor's efforts to developing the city via focusing on downtown were aggressive, if not insurmountable.
Oddly though, reading about the accomplishments of James Griffin sounds painfully similar to the type of development strategies that took place after this mayoral reign, and continue today. That is, they align all to closely with the ageless development myth that big capital investments mean big economic returns. Consider this brief highlight of Griffin administration accomplishments:
• Construction of the Metro Lite Rail
• Construction of the Hyatt Regency
• Construction of Pilot Field/Dunn Tire Park
• Construction of Buffalo Hilton (Adam's Mark)
• An assortment parking facilities, revitalization of the theatre district, and other developments
How different to do they sound from Masiello administration highlights? Consider:
• Marine Midland Arena
Or intended Brown administration highlights? Consider:
• Bass Pro
• Further waterfront development
• Construction of the new federal building
• Construction of the Seneca Casino
Answer: Not very.
This is not to say that downtown capital development is not an important component of local economic development – but it is easy to forget that it is not the only part. While Griffin built downtown, crime eluded him, metro rail construction drove downtown business elsewhere, and he never made the case that Buffalo is worth staying in. Similarly, capital investments of the Masiello and Brown administrations carry little value unless they are part of a large portfolio of diversified local development strategies that are well defined and effectively implemented. Buffalo’s plans have not been well defined until late into Masiello’s third term – and have not been well implemented for over 50 years now.
What all three of these mayors certainly never did forget is that while major investments might not result in major economic returns, they most certainly result in major support at the poll booth. These investments have not been delivered in returns but they have delivered reelections. All elected officials struggle to balance smart strategies against those that will ensure reelection. Buffalo’s most recent mayors have only delivered on programs that are tangible enough to give the impression of effective development, but in the long-run turn out to be little more than more of the same.
While Griffin certainly will have a lasting legacy in Buffalo’s history and improved quality of life, none of his mayoral investments even flirted with sustainable growth in the region. Hopefully, our current administration will learn from his shortcomings.
