Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - While the fight continues to help the Braymiller Market in their struggles coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Buffalo Common Council is first shifting their focus to other local small businesses who need help to stay aflot post-pandemic.
The Common Council adopted a resolution during Tuesday's meeting emphasizing the need to allocate American Rescue Plan (ARP) and COVID relief funds in a manner that supports the recovery and growth of small businesses across the City of Buffalo.
"We really wanted to give it to small businesses, because they have been hurting," said Councilman Rasheed Wyatt, who presented this resolution to the chamber floor on Tuesday. "There are businesses closing as we speak that were affected by the pandemic. Where's our sense of urgency for them? We have this urgency for Braymiller, but not the sense of urgency for these other businesses. So we want to put a face on that."
Recognizing the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on local entrepreneurs, the Council urges Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and the Office of Strategic Planning to reconsider the allocation of funds for just the Braymiller Market and prioritize the financial relief and support of small businesses in each Council district.
"The offering of $500,000 more is not equitable. It may be equal, $500,000 for other businesses may be equal, but it's not equitable," said Council President Darius Pridgen following Tuesday's meeting. "There was a majority on this Council that felt like I did, and what I said from the beginning, I just did not think the process played out well. At the end of the day, immediate passage would mean that the people of this city who have been calling us on both ends of the opinion spectrum would not have been heard."
While there was no vote once again for the city grant request of Braymiller Market on Tuesday, Pridgen says if it had been voted on, it still would have failed according to the votes. He adds if there are no changes to the item or for other businesses facing similar challenges, he'll vote "no" again.
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The resolution put forth by Councilman Wyatt on Tuesday that will be discussed during next week's Finance Committee meeting requests the following actions:
1.) The Council urges Mayor Brown and the Office of Strategic Planning to reconsider any future plans to allocate funds for the Braymiller Market, and instead allocate $62,506.40 for businesses in each Council district, totaling $562,557.57 in funds for COVID-19 relief. The Braymiller Market will have the opportunity to apply for this funding along with all other local businesses.
2.) The Council further urges Mayor Brown and the Office of Strategic Planning to collaborate with each Councilmember to identify small businesses in their respective districts that were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
3.) The resolution requests the Office of Strategic Planning to engage with Councilmembers and small businesses in their respective districts to identify areas of need and develop strategies for the effective distribution of the allocated funds. It is crucial to address economic disparities exacerbated by the pandemic.
4.) The resolution also requests the Office of Strategic Planning to provide necessary resources and assistance to Councilmembers in coordinating and implementing COVID-19 relief initiatives for the identified small businesses within their districts.
In addition, the Common Council is asking businesses who are interested, who have applied and were denied in the past to come to next Tuesday's Finance Committee meeting.
"Let us hear you, let us see if there's some other way we can assist you, because I want those businesses to thrive just like they want Braymiller to thrive downtown," Wyatt said. "I want those other businesses throughout our city, especially in my district, to have an opportunity to continue on."
By addressing economic disparities and providing targeted relief to those in need, the Council believes these efforts will contribute to stabilizing the local economy and strengthening the community as a whole.
Council President Pridgen commends Councilman Wyatt for this resolution, and says this is a shining example of why matters like this need to be sent to committee and figured out in further detail, rather than trying to be forced into immediate passage.
"Good government doesn't mean that everybody necessarily gets their way 100%, but is there a way to compromise somewhere in there that some of the poorest businesses that are closing in our city, they get a piece of that pie. And they need to get an equitable piece of the pie, because they might not have the relationships, they might not have the ability," Pridgen said. "But for one business to go to the front of the line, obviously a majority of the Councilmembers were concerned."
It was on Monday where local developer Paul Ciminelli pledged $500,000 to Braymiller Market to help in their efforts, contingent on the City Council approving of the $560,000-plus grant request from a few weeks back.
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While the gesture certainly takes a substantial load off the City of Buffalo from paying out this grant money to Braymiller, Councilman Wyatt says it still won't do enough to swing his vote without further admendments.
"Is he helping those other businesses? He's helping a business that he has an interest in, which I understand and have no problem with. But there's other businesses that don't have that connection, and so what about them?," Wyatt said. "Again, having this money reallocated, or looking at resources for those businesses is critically important right now."
The Mayor also said Monday he's continued to have conversations with residents in the City of Buffalo, as well as members of the Common Council about the significance of keeping the Braymiller Market on Ellicott Street open. While Wyatt says he has yet to have a conversation with the mayor, Pridgen feels the mayor and his administration have been clear with their intentions, which he has no problem with at all.
"That's a part of government, you have the administrative branch and you have the legislative branch. It's just in this situation, the legislative branch did not immediately agree with the administrative branch. So now we go back to the drawing table, and some Councilmembers - I would say, obviously, the majority of Councilmembers - would like to see more money for small businesses, but on an equitable scale, not on an equal scale," he said.
When it comes to the resolution put forth to help the Braymiller Market, neither Pridgen nor Wyatt say there's any one thing in particular that can be changed that would help change the minds of any of the nine members of the Common Council.
"I think there has been a lot of questions," Pridgen said. "For instance, for the other businesses, did they only have to be in business for two years before they would be forgiven alone? I want to make sure, again, equity. How did Braymiller get to the front of the line? Equity. Those are questions we're gonna have to hash out in the finance meeting, and in offices to figure it out, and to know that when we make this vote, it benefits especially the poor and the struggling folks of this city."
"I want to see a significant amount for these other businesses. If we're talking about $500,000, almost $600,000 for Braymiller, do we have $3 million, $4 million, $5 million for other small businesses? It should be a substantial number, because we do know that there are still businesses out there struggling and closing, as we speak," Wyatt added.
Pridgen admits there is a lot at stake with this matter heading into the next few weeks.
"The administration would like to get this done before we break in August, but Councilmembers, the majority of Councilmembers have been very direct with the administration. That is not just other small businesses," Pridgen said. "There was a laundry list of things that this Council has been waiting on, including money getting out of the door for ARP. At the end of the day, we're going to hang a lot of clothes on this one hanger before this is voted on in two weeks."
As for what comes immediately next, Wyatt says the Council President and Majority Leader, David Rivera, will have some additional conversation with the administration before convening on Tuesday for the Financial Committee meeting in Council Chambers.
"As the Council President just said, there's gonna be a lot of laundry on his hanger. So we want to make sure we get the most bang for our buck to ensure we're trying to help these folks in our community that, again, have felt like they've been left behind," Wyatt said. "We've had this ARP money for almost two-and-a-half years, and it really hasn't moved. So this sense of urgency has to be there. The same sense of urgency we have for Braymiller, we should have that same sense of urgency for these other folks who are struggling and still dealing with the pandemic."
A spokesperson from the City of Buffalo released the following statement regarding the impending discussion surrounding the Braymiller Market next week:
"We are happy the Council has agreed to reconsider assistance for Braymiller Market, and has sent the item to committee to review the additional information that was provided."
More from Tuesday's Buffalo Common Council meeting is available in the player below: