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My Letter to the Buffalo News: Buffalo Politicians Who Send Business Outside of Buffalo

It’s harder than one might think it is to condense one’s thoughts into 200 words. I couldn’t do it - I needed 214.

Words like “hypocritical,” “strident” and “presumptuous” made it into the first draft, but not the final draft.

My letter to the Buffalo News, as submitted, with linky goodness, follows. 

As a web geek and political junkie, I noticed things during this political season that the average person might not.

Alice Kryzan had to go 500 miles to find Chicago advertising firm Adelstein/Liston to produce her hokey, yet effective, television advertisement featuring faux foes. She won the 26th Congressional District’s primary.  

Joe Mesi outsourced his web design to PlusThree, a firm based in NYC, Washington, D.C. and North Carolina. He won his bid to “fight” for Buffalo in the New York State Senate.

To quote Mesi’s “Jobs” page: “My first priority . . . will be to bring well-paying jobs back to our area.” Well, Mr. Mesi, you could start by sending some of your campaign contributions back into Buffalo-based businesses. And Ms. Kryzan, while you were busy telling the boys to “take it somewhere else,” you could have been googling “advertising firms + Buffalo” as part of your “fight to bring good-paying jobs back to our region.”

I’m sure these aren’t the only examples. Politicians should put their campaign money where their mouths are and look to local talent to reach out to voters. My advice: demonstrate you care about WNY by investing, when you can, in our region. Anything less just shows an insensitivity and cluelessness that we don’t need representing Buffalo.

Kara Kane, My Town, NY 

(As an aside - for fellow grammar nerds out there - is it good-paying jobs or well-paying jobs? I would suggest “paying” acts as an adjective (gerund) for jobs, with “well” being the proper modifier).