Jun 25
2023
Monday Morning Read
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Jordan Poyer just doesn’t get it. The Bills safety called off his charity golf tournament scheduled for next month at a Trump course in Florida because a number of participants balked at patronizing a business owned by the former president. In doing so, he threw shade at people for having political beliefs they act on. He equates it to ego. Poyer wants to put money in Donal Trump’s bank account and wonders what the fuss is about. Read all about it in the New York Post and Buffalo News.
Mark Scheer of the Niagara Gazette has been bird-dogging the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., which has been a busy place of late.
You might recall the state Legislature in April reconstituted its board of directors in an effort to promote reform and break the hold of rural counties, whose representatives were considered enablers of embattled CEO Henry Wojtaszek. (In exchange, many received perks such as free health insurance and tickets to sporting events and concerts.)
One of those rural counties, Niagara, is contemplating legal action to challenge Legislature’s action. Republicans who control the county Legislature took a step in that direction last week. Noteworthy: Wojtaszek is the former chairman of the GOP in Niagara County and remains influential. So it seems he does not intend to go quietly.
Meanwhile, not all of the 15 counties and two cities who comprise the OTB have appointed their representative. Buffalo and Erie County are among them.
Finally, OTB continues to drag its feet in releasing the contract extensions recently granted Wojtaszek and a handful of other executives. Sheer and the Gazette have sought their release under the state Freedom of Information Law. Given they are off-the-shelf documents, OTB could have released the documents shortly after receiving the request. Instead, OTB told Scheer they’d get back to him within 20 business days. Erie County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick has subsequently requested the contracts, among other records.
Speaking of stonewalling, Ken Kruly offers a tale of woe involving his effort to obtain information from the Erie County Board of Elections under the Freedom of Information Law.
The HoliMont ski resort in Ellicottville has its hand out for a tax break. Because, ya’ know, if they don’t get it, they could move.
There’s a call in New York City to act in the face of its declining tree coverage. Too bad lawmakers here in Buffalo don’t give a hoot.
Buy your tickets to our benefit concert featuring Tom Toles
New York Focus sums up the recently completed session of the state Court of Appeals. It notes some interesting trends.
ProPublica unmasks another Supreme Court justice caught in a conflict of interest.
Remember the cheating scandal that helped the Houston Astros en route to their 2017 World Series championship? Commissioner Rob Manfred investigated and granted players immunity in the process. Looking back, he now says that granting immunity was “maybe not my best decision ever.” No kidding.
