Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Buffalo Common Council is expected to receive the city's Snow Plan from Mayor Byron Brown by next Wednesday. There is one key piece missing: An emergency manager.
Common Councilmember Joe Golombek says he's disappointed an emergency manager position has not been filled yet. "I'd like to see it's already up and running on November 1. But maybe that means that there's somebody from within. And if that's the case, it's a lot easier to bring them up to speed, not because they won't have to be brought up to speed," says Golombek, who adds it will be tougher with an outsider. He thinks it's possible to do this without the emergency manager, but it's easier to have someone coordinating everything.
Golombek says the city's snow plans have been similar year to year, because they're dealing with the traditional amounts of snowfall that the city gets. "I think that with climate change, there is a possibility that we could get another unusual storm or two or three this upcoming season," warns Golombek. He is also is concerned about the possibility of power outages. "Those are things that I'm not sure if a coordinator would do. It's not necessarily in our snow plan, because we can't control National Grid or any of the other utilities. But it's some things that I do think are very necessary and important," says Golombek.
Fellow Councilmember Rasheed Wyatt is eager to see the plan himself. "We were really hopeful that we did have something early, because we really wanted to make sure that we are fully prepared. The community wants to know that we are fully prepared," says Wyatt. He says while Mayor Brown has said the city's prepared, he wants evidence. "Show us some evidence, some of the things that we've been hearing," notes Wyatt, including whether warming centers will be ready in the event of a huge storm.
Wyatt has been told an offer for the emergency manager position is being made soon. "October going into November, this person is not going to be able to hit the ground running. I don't think but there's a possibility, they may have enough insight ... but I'm concerned. That's why the council was pushing very feverishly to get this person onboard sooner than later," explains Wyatt.
Whether there's foot dragging by the Brown Administration, Wyatt would not say, only he would wait and see what happens.
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