Coming to a fork in the road
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
5d ago
Sometimes major problems for governments come at them out of nowhere like a punch in the gut.  Pearl Harbor; 9/11; COVID.  Recovery is hard and speed is of the essence. Then there are problems that grow even though they don’t look menacing and unmanageable.  Such matters are often handled tentatively or not at all.  The towns of Amherst, Cheektowaga, and the City of Buffalo come to mind. Part of the explanation for why property taxes in Amherst are 11 percent higher in 2024 appears to be a lack of serious long-term planning.  For many years taxes were not increased and ..read more
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Is past prologue?  A look at results and turnout in recent presidential election years in Erie County
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
1w ago
Since the 2024 presidential election is likely to be a re-run of the Biden/Trump election in 2020, it might be helpful for political aficionados to take a look back at what happened that year.  Spoiler alert:  Biden won handily in Erie County and in New York State.  Turnout was pretty good. Nationally, of course, the presidential election in 2020 was hotly contested.  Election officials, including Republicans, pretty much everywhere agreed that the elections were free and fair and that Joe Biden’s winning margins, particularly in battleground states, were accurate. Presiden ..read more
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The NY26 campaign takes shape; additional analysis of Kennedy’s campaign receipts
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
2w ago
We now have the official lineup for the special election on April 30 in NY26.  State Senator Tim Kennedy is the candidate of the Democratic and Working Families parties.  West Seneca Town Supervisor Gary Dickson carries the banner of the Republican and Conservative parties.  The special election will be run in the district boundaries drawn by the court-appointed special master in 2022.  The Independent Redistricting Commission’s new lines will likely soon be tweaked by the state Legislature to serve as the new districts for the primary and general elections later this year ..read more
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Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
3w ago
The political parties are gearing up for candidate petitioning, which starts on February 27th.  Spring thankfully seems like it wants to start early.  Here are some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets: The old guard of the Republican Party has basically said nothing about Donald Trump’s comments that suggested Russia could feel free to expand its war against Ukraine into other parts of Europe.  Condoleezza Rice, Dick Cheney, George Bush and many more – all silent.  As Simon & Garfunkel wrote, “’Fools, said I, ‘You do not know, silence like a cancer grows.’” T ..read more
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New York State is about to start providing money to run political campaigns.  How will that work in practice?
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
1M ago
One of the most difficult and awkward chores in a political campaign is about to get easier for some candidates in New York.  If they are eligible and can decipher the complexities of a new system, some state legislative candidates are going to be able to fatten up their campaign treasuries with public dollars. The state Legislature in 2020 approved a system for public campaign financing and created a new bureaucracy to administer the program.  The Public Campaign Financing Board (PCFB) has published procedures and has been conducting training sessions with candidates and campaign co ..read more
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WNY congressional campaign financials; Kennedy raises three-quarters of a million dollars
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
1M ago
It’s off to the races in this year’s congressional elections.  The only problem is no one knows what their districts will look like. When we last left this story, the New York Court of Appeals had determined that the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) should update their work to set the lines for the districts that would be used from 2024 through 2030.  They would report the plans and the state Legislature would have the option of accepting or rejecting the new districts. The problem is that we are now into February.  Nominating petitions for congressional, state ..read more
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Interesting times in the Republican Party; the Bills at the bye bye week
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
1M ago
So it’s over.  Two demographically unrepresentative states that will not be in play in November have spoken – well at least the relatively few voters who participated in those states have spoken.  Trump is the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party.  Republicans in the other 48 states can rest up. None of that is a surprise.  Trump’s takeover of the Republican Party has sucked all the oxygen out the party.  His grievance laden campaign is about the past – mostly his past – and his future outlook is focused on his legal problems.  Issues will be m ..read more
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The race in the 26th congressional district; Kennedy’s million dollars
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
2M ago
Western New York seems to like congressional elections.  We like it so much that sometimes we do it three times in a congressional election year. Consider the case of NY23 in its present design and its linear predecessors, a district which in the 2010s became like the Bermuda triangle of congressional districts. Max McCarthy held the seat for three terms in the sixties. After Jack Kemp held the seat for 18 years Bill Paxon was elected. He was a rising star in the House Republican caucus until he wasn’t and left Congress unexpectedly after five terms. Paxon was succeeded by Tom Reynolds wh ..read more
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The money keeps rolling in as mobile sports wagering grows, but what about the consequences?
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
2M ago
We have arrived at the height of interest in pro football, the playoffs.  Go Bills! Many fans live or die with the success or failure of their team but most folks can settle into waiting for the next opponent or next season if things don’t go their way for the team.  The sun will come up tomorrow. But another growing approach to sports enthusiasm is upon us: mobile sports wagering (MSW). The state Gaming Commission reports that “more than 5.6 million unique sports betting accounts have been created since [the mobile sports wagering] launch in January 2022.” Those account holders can ..read more
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Some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets
Politics and Other Stuff
by Ken Kruly
2M ago
The widely anticipated DeSantis-Haley debate is just a day away!  Followed next week by the Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa!  Try to contain your excitement. Here are some facts, observations, and heard-on-the-streets concerning government and politics: Something less than 200,000 Iowans will participate in the Republican presidential caucus next week.  It is a state with less than one percent of the nation’s population and its demographics are hardly representative of the United States.  Interesting fact:  the winner of the Republican caucus in Iowa has won ..read more
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