by Betty Jean Grant
Betty Jean Grant
The underbelly of dirty politics in Buffalo is being exposed. Some of the people who taken oaths to serve us have only served themselves. When the powerbrokers want control of people or the neighborhoods, they try to compromise the elected officials who represent those areas. Our community elders and the older politicians used to warn the newer elected leaders to beware of certain persons bearing gifts.
We need to mindful that nothing is free and that all who gives usually expects something in return. Carl Paladino and other developers used to hedge their ‘bets’ by donating money to both candidates in any political race; so, it didn’t matter to them who won the election. Also, politicians from outside the black community used black ‘gatekeepers’ to help maintain that access to the loyal, democratic voters by filling up black churches every Sunday morning from May until November.
On a side note, this past campaign, it was comical to see some of the Democrat candidates calling Mr. Paladino awful names when he has given money to most of the politicians in both the Democratic & Republican Parties! ECDC was one of his former tenants and maintained their headquarters in his Ellicott Square Building for decades!
Millions of dollars have come into our communities, but some of us have used that money for personal use— and some of us driving expensive cars and giving ourselves undeserved bonuses because of greed. Cultural and community centers are either closed or are not serving the public because of theft or mismanagement. We have allowed the love of money to blind us to ignore the shortcomings of those who have financially and successfully bought us.
This writer left government and political service as broke as I was before I served as an elected official because I was honest, was mentored by the Hon. Arthur O. Eve, Sr and I never entered the political field to get rich or to fleece the community’s resources. The African American Cultural Center is only a shell of its former self, since some of those who were charged to protect it, stole from it. We must do better to protect our community’s assets and their limited resources because we are all that we have.
There is a future vacancy in the Ellicott District Council seat. Even though many potential candidates have expressed their desire to run for the office and to serve in the Common Council, rest assure the Erie County Democratic Committee has already selected someone to be anointed, then appointed to the seat. I have heard of at least three residents of the district who have expressed an interest in being appointed by ECDC for the seat that will become vacant after January 3, 2027.
They also know that to keep the Ellicott District seat, after they are appointed, they will have to get signa tures for a petition in cold, frigid February, to get 500 valid signa tures to get qualified to compete in the June 27th Primary. If they are successful as the winner of the Primary, they will then go on to the next political level and that is the November, General Election.