BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) On election eve, Republican Governor nominee Lee Zeldin clarified his remarks about the Buffalo Bills stadium deal that he criticized in a Spectrum News debate two weeks ago.
Zeldin, on WBEN Monday morning, was asked what he meant when he said on October 25, "We could absolutely have a better deal."
"If I was the governor, I would have been able to negotiate a better deal, and there also would have been a better process too. The idea that it was getting done in secret in the eleventh hour of a budget deal... I have a lot of problems on how Governor Hochul handled the process," he said.
Going forward, Zeldin put some minds at ease when he said, "it's important to honor commitments that are made, and it's also important that the Bills get a new stadium, and that they're going to be here for a very long time."
Zeldin, offered more context about his position on the Buffalo Bills.
"When you're the governor of the state of New York, you have to ensure
that you're doing your part to make sure the Bills are staying in Buffalo,
and to make sure that the stadium deal gets over the finish line. But it
doesn't mean that you lay down for the beginning, middle and end of these negotiations to get rolled, which is what happened here."
At the end of the day, Zeldin said a new stadium is going to be built. "It's going to be beautiful," he added. "And the Bills are going to stay in Buffalo for a very long time. But when I'm running to be governor, my job is to fight for taxpayers and at no point will I ever be found on the ground laying down to get rolled over."
The wide ranging interview with Zeldin included questions about Covid mandates, the statewide crime emergency, gas tax holiday and how he would work with a democrat-controlled state legislature.
WBEN also offered an interview to the Hochul campaign. They did not accept our offer.
