Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Buffalo this weekend, as she took part in the return of the annual St. Patrick's Day luncheon at the Buffalo Irish Center on Friday. Later in the day, Gov. Hochul was at Seneca One Tower as more than 800 new jobs were announced for Western New York companies.
Following the main event at Seneca One Tower, Hochul fielded questions from the local media and was, once again, asked about the latest developments with the negotiations for a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills.
Back on March 4, Gov. Hochul said discussions were focusing on, what she called, “the nuts and bolts" of the deal, indicating a potential deal for a new Bills stadium could be done soon.
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While the Governor did not go into much detail about the progress made in negotiations since her last visit, she says those talks are currently "right on track."
"There's two sources," Gov. Hochul explained on Friday. "Yes, it could be in the budget. Yes. There's also economic development money that's on the table. So we'll be focusing on the funding. Certainly, we need to talk to continue our conversations with the team. They've been very productive for a number of months here. My administration's the one that jump started the conversations, they were going nowhere. The Pegula family and the Pegula organization knows that. So they know I'm very vested in this. My No. 1 objective, with respect to the Bills, is to make sure they stay in Buffalo, and to get them a new home."
Gov. Hochul and the state face a couple of deadlines that could lead to a potential announcement of a stadium deal for the Bills in the near future.
Starting on Sunday, March 27, the NFL and its owners will meet in Palm Beach, Florida for their annual league meeting. There is potential that a deal could be, at least, agreed upon in principal for Terry and Kim Pegula to take to Florida to present at the owners' meetings.
However, Gov. Hochul says that any announcement or deal agreed upon does not necessarily have to come before the NFL owners begin.
"It also could be that we want to see the commitment from the NFL too. There's a couple ways of doing this," Hochul said.
The other date, of course, being the state needing to approve the state budget by Friday, April 1.
While negotiations continue between the Bills, New York State, Erie County and the NFL to get a deal for a new stadium, members of the state Legislature have yet to see details of a stadium deal. However, it is of the understanding that the finishing touches are being implemented on a deal. It is believed it's only a matter of time before the Legislators are formally presented with the deal to include in the state budget.
"I have a prediction: between seven and 10 days before April 1, we're going to get an item from the Governor, and the item from the Governor is going to be the Bills stadium deal," said Sen. Sean Ryan on Friday. "It's going to come, we know not the time nor the hour, but I'm predicting 7-10 days before the budget ends."
"My colleagues in the Legislature certainly see it coming, and so there's a bit of a scuttlebutt at this moment. But I've seen support for the initiative," added Sen. Tim Kennedy on Friday. "I think people recognize the importance of keeping the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo, in Western New York. They recognize it as an economic driving force, and they recognize the Buffalo Bills as the fabric of our community. So I'm 100% dedicated on keeping the Buffalo Bills right here in Buffalo and Western New York, where they belong, where they've been and where they should stay."
While many of the Legislators from Upstate New York see the importance of keeping the Bills in Buffalo with a new stadium, do the Legislators from Downstate see things the same way? Kennedy certainly hopes that is the case, and he says he and other local officials are doing all they can to try and help them understand.
"I think it's going to come down to the deal, and I think you'll see in the Legislature, like any negotiation, some that are more supportive than others. But I think generally speaking, the conversations that I've had have been very productive with my colleagues," Kennedy said. "I certainly feel that they recognize the importance of keeping the Buffalo Bills right here in Buffalo."
Kennedy also says it will be up to the Governor how she wants to present the stadium deal to Legislation, whether it's going to be a standalone presentation or it will be part of a larger budget negotiation.
Meanwhile, Sen. Ryan called for a community benefits agreement (CBA) about a month ago to be negotiated as part of any final agreement made for a new Bills stadium. Ryan said that as negotiations are coming closer to an end, he wants to make sure the state will put in substantial money to the project, and that the project will have a good ripple-effect throughout the community.
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The State Senator feels that what he's been asking for as part a final deal in place will be set in place to best benefit Buffalo and Western New York.
"I think we're going to see an item that includes a project labor agreement to make sure all the workforce is unionized and highly paid," Sen. Ryan said. "We're going to do an emphasis on local hires through that project labor agreement. So I think we're going to be on the right track."
As we continue to wait on an official announcement for a new Bills stadium, Gov. Hochul is already excited for the season ahead, especially after the signing of a player like Von Miller in free agency.
"We're very excited about the Bills with the new players that are coming, so it's going to be a great season," Gov. Hochul said.