City, county redistricting may impact West Side

By Craig Learn and Taylor Steinberg
Bengal News Reporters
 With the 2010 census out, the West Side is in jeopardy of being split-up and not being properly represented. If the district lines for Erie County are changed, the city of Buffalo’s West Side could be divided into three separate districts.

County legislative district boundaries today

 The legislature will not draw its own lines. The County Charter requires a 15-member advisory committee to aid in the process. However, the legislature does not have to follow the committee’s advice and can vote against any proposal. Republican County Executive Chris Collins can also veto any vote passed by the legislature.
 The West Side is represented on the Erie County Legislature by Democrat Maria Whyte. Jeremy Toth, Whyte’s designee to the advisory committee and West Side resident, said Whyte represents about 63,000 people. According to Toth, after the downsizing she will represent approximately 20,000 more people. This will happen with no raise in salary or increase in staff.
 “It’s not easy to see how this will impact the West Side directly since each district will be similarly expanded,” Toth said. “However, I think it’s safe to assume that wealthy suburban districts have less need of their county legislator than do poor urban districts; particularly since so much of what the county does is administered state and federal programs for the poor. So it is quite likely that West Side constituencies will feel this negatively while different groups say Clarence residents won’t even notice.”

Current city district lines

 Toth said it does not stop there for West Side residents.

 “The other issue West Siders need to pay attention to is the new lines of the districts,” he said.
 Toth said republicans control the redistricting process and may cut the West Side up into many different districts. West Side voters would then be divided so that they could not have an impact on any district. This is the greatest threat to the West Side right now.
 For the city of Buffalo, the impact to West Side residents might be small according to Kirk Laubenstein, Legislative Assistant to Niagara District Common Council Member David Rivera, who represents most of the West Side.

 Kirk Laubenstein addresses redistricting and the city:


 Another concern for West Side residents is the election in November. If voters elect Whyte she may not represent them after the lines are officially drawn. Toth said he encourages voters to pay attention to the redistricting process.

Edited by Erica Lindo and Amanda Steffan

Buffalo impound lot in need of makeover

By Heidi Friend and Kristine Starkey
Bengal News Reporters
 At 166 Dart St., the City Impound lot is unassuming. In fact, if you don’t live in the neighborhood and have never had your car towed, you would never know it was even there.

City of Buffalo Auto Impound lot located at 166 Dart St.

 Travelling west on Letchworth Street from Buffalo State College, the lot immediately comes into view. Its pale, cold exterior is generically unidentifiable beyond the small sign near its entrance.  Driving along the Scajaquada Expressway it becomes clearer what the lot itself is, and for many in the community, that is precisely the problem.
 In March, Buffalo Parking Commissioner Kevin Helfer announced plans to change the appearance of the lot because there have been complaints from drivers that from the expressway it looks like a junkyard.
    “We want to rearrange the space so that the most damaged cars are moved to the interior lots, where they are less visible to the surrounding areas,” he said.
    Helfer also says there are plans to use steel vertical panels in the interior of the parking centers to block the view.
He said that the cost of this project would be minimal.
    These changes may not even matter in the long run however, according to Councilman Joseph Golombek Jr., whose district includes the impound lot.
    “For quite some time they’ve been talking about getting rid of the impound lot and moving it to [another] site,” Golombek said.
    This move, he believes, will be good for the neighborhood. Right now, it looks “terrible” and is not very secure. Because of its size and lack of adequate security measures, it is often broken into and vandalized.

 North District Councilmember Joseph Golombek Jr. talks about Buffalo State College purchasing land where the Buffalo City Auto Impound lot is located:


    A major reason for moving the lot, Golombek said, is Buffalo State College.  He said Buffalo State is very interested in the current property, which they have suggested they could use to build a stadium.  However, with the state’s budget crisis, he believes it will be at least two or three years before the college can seriously consider this move.
    “It all boils down to money,” Golombek said. “The school can’t be spending that kind of money and raising tuition at the same time.”
    This is exactly the sentiment that the college itself is expressing.  Stan Medinac, associate vice president of facilities planning for the school, confirmed that at this point in time the school has no plans to acquire or renovate the Dart Street property.
    The city is open to cooperating with whatever plans the college has and will entertain offers at any time, said Helfer.
 In the early 1900s, the site was home to the Buffalo Structural Steel Company.  According to “A History of Buffalo: Delineating the Evolution of the City” by J. N. Larned, the plant had a capacity to produce 8,000 tons of structural steel per year and supplied for most of the large commercial properties in the city at that time.
    After the property was foreclosed on in more recent history, the city took it over and turned it into the impound lot that stands now. 
Plans are still up in the air, however Helfer says, “The city is remaining hopeful.”

Edited by Jessica Chetney and Allyson Trolley