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Restoring Trust in City Hall | Buffalo in Transition
Caitlin Love Crowell — Jun 6, 2025
Buffalo’s city government must cultivate transparency, accountability, and good faith - qualities that are essential to public trust and effective democracy. But Buffalo falls short of ethical standards in several key areas, from nepotism and closed-door decision-making to inactive oversight bodies and political influence in public spending. This brief outlines practical, common-sense steps to rebuild trust: enforcing transparency laws, preventing conflicts of interest, strengthening …
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Ranked Choice Voting in Western New York? Successes & Lessons from New York City
Jay Wendland, Erin Carman — May 8, 2023
Western New York (WNY) should consider joining the ranks of the sixty-two jurisdictions nation-wide that have chosen Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) over the more commonly used plurality voting system. In weighing the importance of such a change, voters and leaders may consider lessons and successes learned from New York City (NYC) in its adoption and implementation of RCV.
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How To Better Welcome Refugees and Secondary Migrants
Laila Rahbari — Sep 7, 2022
This report examines assets, challenges, and potential recommendations for supports for refugees and migrants in Buffalo.
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The Eastside-Airport Metro Rail Extension
Citizens for Regional Transit — Aug 23, 2019
This policy brief provides information regarding the expansion of NFTA metro-rail services in east-side Buffalo to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
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Census 2020: Making Western New York Count
Anna Blatto — Jun 10, 2019
This policy brief offers an overview of the 2020 Census: what it is and why it matters for Western New York.