To all my peeps from Kenmore West, look at what our favorite ass-shaking teacher has been up to. This was the lead story in today's Buffalo news:



A mandate with money to remake the waterfront

Funded by the Power Project, a special panel is developing a plan to link communities along the Niagara River

By NANCY A. FISCHER
NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU
10/27/2005
    
Greenway Commissioner Paul Dyster sits on a wall abutting Robert Moses Parkway that separates neighborhoods and tourist areas from scenic overlooks.

As Buffalo and Erie County continue to fight for more relicensing money from the state Power Authority, a new group already is at work, armed with at least $7 million a year from the Niagara Power Project and a mandate to remake the waterfront from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.

Front and center on the agenda is a 36-mile park and trail that connects Youngstown to Buffalo.

And that is just the start.

The Niagara River Greenway Commission, a volunteer group that is being given tens of millions of dollars, will dedicate the next two years to developing a plan to link communities along the Niagara River for environmental protection and economic development. The commission was established by the state.

The commission's vision is expected to include:

Ferry service between Youngstown and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Greater access to the Niagara Gorge.

Revitalized islands and pocket parks along the Niagara River that draw both Western New Yorkers and eco-tourists.

More protection and better views of bird nesting sites along the river.

Better use of and access to the inner and outer harbors in Buffalo.

Many of these ideas have been around for more than a century, since Frederick Law Olmsted laid eyes on the riverfront, then laid out his vision.

"It's not that we're stupid. We're just poor," Greenway Commissioner Paul Dyster said of the riverside visionaries.

If the current planned relicensing of the Niagara Power Project is approved by federal regulators, all that will change. The Greenway will serve as a channel for a portion of the money the Power Authority will set aside during the next half-century in return for a 50-year relicensing to operate its hydroelectric plants along the Niagara River.

Proposed annual payments to the commission over the term of the license include $1 million earmarked for ecological and environmental purposes in Erie and Niagara counties; $3 million through host members of the Niagara Power Coalition, made up of municipalities and school districts in the Niagara Falls area; $3 million through state parks; and a yet-to-be-determined settlement from Buffalo and Erie County.

Dyster suggested the money could be used as seed money, especially for poorer communities that cannot afford to cover matching grants from other sources.

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, who wrote the legislation to establish a greenway commission, said the Niagara River is the region's greatest asset.

"We have a magnificent waterfront," the Buffalo Democrat said. "It was our intent to establish an entity to coordinate efforts to best utilize the waterfront, with an emphasis on connectivity and improved access."

A dozen or more projects are already started, but Hoyt said that a commission will develop a master plan so communities are working together.

"Naval and Servicemen's Park has seen dramatic improvement as a tourist destination, but the Outer Harbor is undeveloped and inaccessible," Hoyt said. "It's definitely our goal to make the waterfront more people-friendly."

The Power Authority has offered $2 million a year for the Erie County portion of the Greenway.

But the main advocate for a bigger relicensing settlement for Buffalo and Erie County Rep. Brian M. Higgins, D-Buffalo said the Greenway money is just a start to rebuilding Buffalo's waterfront. He's pushing for $1 billion in Power Authority money over 50 years to fully redevelop the inner and outer harbors and build bridges to connect the two.

"The Greenway provides minimal resources for a continuous public-access promenade along the waterfront," Higgins said. "But if anybody thinks $2 million a year is going to accomplish [waterfront redevelopment] in a meaningful way, they're kidding themselves."

The commission will breathe new life into Olmsted's vision of connected parks, according to John Giardino, a Greenway commissioner and a member of the Olmsted Conservancy.

"It's amazing the way we return to good ideas," Giardino said. "We are preserving nature for our future. Olmsted believed that parks were a way for common people to get away from the harshness of urban life."

Dyster, a former Niagara Falls councilman, worked on a plan to open up public access to the Niagara Gorge several years ago. It's a plan that has yet to be realized.

He sat on a fence recently, overlooking the Robert Moses Parkway, which separates neighborhoods and tourist areas from scenic overlooks. He lamented that the spectacular view is only available to those willing to break the law and hop a fence.

Worn trails and carved out steps show that many already have made their own access to the gorge. "People in the City of Niagara Falls have put up with this for two generations," Dyster said of the parkway. "In that time, the Berlin Wall came down, and we still can't get to the waterfront."

Village of Lewiston Mayor Richard F. Soluri is leading the Niagara River Greenway Commission as vice chairman until a chairman is appointed.

He said the relicensing money has brought out all kinds of wish lists, but the commission will offer a master plan and try to connect these ideas.

A hallmark of the commission is local control and local leadership, said Commissioner Michael Cornell, a North Tonawanda resident and a social studies teacher at Kenmore West High School.

"This is a tipping point," Cornell said. "We finally have some momentum."

The major legislative mandate for the commission is to protect the environment and improve public access.

"This [Niagara River Corridor] is a globally significant area," said Commissioner Paul Leuchner, an environmental scientist who lives in Grand Island. "We have not done enough for eco-tourism. It's not just about setting up sites, but also providing signs, tours and telling people why it's there." The division oft funding from this Erie-Niagara Commission, when its 50-year plan begins in 2007, already has some people trying to protect their share of the pie. Some have suggested that the downtown Buffalo waterfront not be included in Greenway funding, but several commissioners reject that thinking.

"This region will grow and prosper when we think about ourselves as a connected community," Giardino said. "Every one of these parks serves our community and enriches the entire community."

Right now I am posting from the library of AU. I have been visiting DC since thursday and am going home tonight. It really has been nice seeing everyone again.

Thursday night was my Leadership Alumni reception. It was great seeing everyone and hearing how the program was going. Apparently all the freshmen knew who I was because in the invitation sent out it said, "Jesse is going to be there." (you know I loved the ego-stroking) I know I am wierd for planning my visit to DC around an organization that I graduated from, but it was only fair for all the times I harped on the Leadership people to go to Leadership events that I go to a leadersip event. Thursday night, I then went out with Jess, whom I stayed with that night, and my old roommate Dum. It was nice to hang out and catch up.

Friday, I visited two my old professors in the morning. It was nice to see them and I wish I would have had more time to talk with them. I then went out for sushi with Jess and Dum. It was the first time I have had sushi. It was pretty good. I also worked on my personal statement for some applications (thanks for your help (e:maureen)). Then I got my left nipple repierced. It actually hurt the least out of any time I got pierced. That probably has something to do with the scar tissue from when I had to take my left nipple piercing out before. The place I went is the same one I got my right nipple pierced at. I figured after having the problems matching my piercings the first time. I should go to the same place that I did before. They did a really good job and I am now balanced once again. That night I stayed with my friend Ilona and we saw the movie Good Night and Good Luck . It was an okay movie. Not great but good.

Saturday, I got to go to Chipotle for the first time in a while. I was craving it sooooo much. It did not disappoint. That night I went to see Bob Dole speak at AU. He was really funny but was pretty bad at answering questions. He never really answered any of them. To be fair there were some quality questions. One question was the exact same question and the one before it (What advice would you have for people who want to get into politics). And the final question was a mother asking for an autograph for her son who is a freshman at AU (how embarassing would that be). Saturday night I went to a going away party for my friend Evan. It was quite fun and amusing. I didn't get to bed til late that night cause I was crashing with my friend Marc who lives with Evan.

Sunday, I went out to breakfast with Marc, his roommate, and my friend Joe. Later, I met up with my friend Heather and we talked about what was going on with leadership. I got updated on the gossip and gave my two cents. Then later that night I went and met with my friend amy and also talked leadership gossip and caught up with her. Sunday night I again stayed with Marc.

Today I went to lunch with Evan. All you can eat Indian. Now I am just checking my email and hanging out on campus. They opened a new art center and my school so I might go and check that out. Our senior gift was a lounge in the center so maybe I will see if it was worth my $20.05.

Overall, DC has been fun, but I do feel like an outsider looking in now. The adjective that best fits how it feels to be back her is intrusive. That is not anything my hosts did. They were all awesome and made me feel soooo welcome in their homes. It just feels like I don't belong here anymore. I guess it is good that I am not there anymore.

Well, I fly home tonight and have to start and finish my Stats homework that is due 8:00 tomorrow morning. Should be fun

-Jesse

I had a bunch of interesting posts, but I never ended up posting so, so much for that.

Things have been good lately but busy. I just got an internship with the Onondaga County Division of Management and Budget. As it is what I want to do when I "grow up" it is a good fit for me. My boss is pretty cool. She goes a million miles a minute. It is interesting being an intern as a graduate student rather than an undergrad. They trust you with a lot more responsibility. They actually give you stuff to do off the bat rather than copying and answering phones for the first month. The project I'm working on is pretty neat. It is funny because the professor I am a graduate assistant for did some consulting work for them and made the project I am working on. It should be good.

Also, I am starting to have to figure out what I am doing next year. My life seems like an endless stream of applications and personal statements. I am trying to get some letters of reccomendation out of old professors, but they are not responding. It is annoying but how can I hunt them down. I might try the "my email isn't working" trick to email them again without seeming hounding. But I need to know. I am okay with no jsut tell me. Arrrrggghhh. I hate asking for letter of reccommendation.

I am going to DC thursday. I can't wait. There is a Leadership alumni reception and some people who I didn't think who would be there are going to. It makes me happy. I will also get to see all my friends that I haven't seen since may. It will be nice to hang out with them.

Also, I heard a really good song on npr the other day. Morning Edition profiled this band called Antony and the Johnsons. The singer's voice is amazing. Really haunting. If you go to the npr page you can hear the whole song. Click on "Hope there's someone"

That is all for now. I am such a slacker and need to do work.

-Jesse

So I was looking to see if I ever posted a story from my internship at OMB that was pretty funny. After searching through old entries, I apparently never did, so I will retell it now.

One day I was working at my intership, doing nothing, minding my business, and one of the high level OMB officials (he had to get confirmed by the Senate) comes into our office a bit flustered. It wasn't unusual, he stopped by our office pretty regularly. But this time he came to bitch. Apparently Mother Jones Magazine (a pretty liberal mag), kept calling him and asking him questions about some issue he handles. Apparently they were quite persistant and/or hostile (Mother Jones = not big fan of Bush Administration and the feeling is mutual). So he starts going off on what a crappy magazine it is, and how liberal it is. And after he has ranted for a little while and is about to leave to go back to work, he looks at me, with my long hair and says, "and all the writers there are pot-smoking hippies, who, who, who look like him (me)." And walks out. That man was David Safavian, the former chief procurement officer, who resigned and was arrested for lying and obstructing the criminal investigation of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The complete story is below. The moral of the story - call me a hippie and you will go to jail for lying.

A quick side note before I go. It was really neat reading old journal entries in looking for the story. I forgot about some of the stuff I wrote about. In one of the entries I welcome Jason and assure him he is not the only Republican on the site. Also, the Garth Brooks song, "The Dance" is really good (so is the music video). It is sad, but good (lyrics are below the article).

That is all for now.
-Jesse

Bush Official Arrested in Corruption Probe

By R. Jeffrey Smith and Susan Schmidt
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, September 20, 2005; Page A01

The Bush administration's top federal procurement official resigned Friday and was arrested yesterday, accused of lying and obstructing a criminal investigation into Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff's dealings with the federal government. It was the first criminal complaint filed against a government official in the ongoing corruption probe related to Abramoff's activities in Washington.

The complaint, filed by the FBI, alleges that David H. Safavian, 38, a White House procurement official involved until last week in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, made repeated false statements to government officials and investigators about a golf trip with Abramoff to Scotland in 2002.

It also contends that he concealed his efforts to help Abramoff acquire control of two federally managed properties in the Washington area. Abramoff is the person identified as "Lobbyist A" in a 13-page affidavit unsealed in court, according to sources knowledgeable about the probe.

Until his resignation on the day the criminal complaint against him was signed, Safavian was the top administrator at the federal procurement office in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he set purchasing policy for the entire government.

The arrest occurred at his home in Alexandria. A man who answered the phone there yesterday hung up when a reporter asked to speak to Safavian.

Abramoff was indicted by federal prosecutors in Miami last month on unrelated charges of wire fraud and conspiracy. He remains the linchpin of an 18-month probe by a federal task force that includes the Internal Revenue Service, the Interior Department and the Justice Department's fraud and public integrity units. His lawyer did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

Abramoff's allegedly improper dealings with Indian tribes -- which netted him and an associate at least $82 million in fees -- prompted the federal probe. But investigators have found that his documents and e-mails contain a trove of information about his aggressive efforts to seek favors for clients from members of Congress and senior bureaucrats.

Accompanying Safavian and Abramoff on the 2002 trip to Scotland, for example, were Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Administration Committee, lobbyist and former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed and Neil Volz, a lobbyist with Abramoff at the Washington office of Greenburg Traurig.

Like Abramoff, Safavian is a veteran Washington player. He is a former lobbying partner of anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist and previously worked with Abramoff at another firm. Both he and Abramoff have represented gambling clients and Indian tribes with gambling interests.

At the time of the golf trip, Safavian was chief of staff at the General Services Administration, where ethics rules flatly prohibited the receipt of a gift from any person seeking an official action by the agency. When Safavian asked GSA ethics officers for permission to go on the trip, he assured them in writing that Abramoff "has no business before GSA," according to the affidavit signed by FBI special agent Jeffrey A. Reising.

Reising alleged, however, that Abramoff had by then already secretly enlisted Safavian in an effort to buy 40 acres of land that GSA managed in Silver Spring for use as the campus of a Hebrew school Abramoff founded. Safavian also allegedly tried to help Abramoff lease space for Abramoff's clients in an old post office building downtown.

On July 22, 2002, Abramoff sent Safavian an e-mail with a proposed draft letter that "at least two members of Congress" could send to GSA supporting the lease, according to the affidavit. "Does this work, or do you want it to be longer?" Abramoff asked.

Three days later, Safavian forwarded Abramoff an e-mail describing how an employee at OMB was resisting Abramoff's plan to lease space at the post office. "I suspect we'll end up having to bring some Hill pressure to bear on OMB," Safavian messaged Abramoff.

On the same day Safavian discussed the golf trip with the ethics office, he sent an e-mail to Abramoff from his home computer, advising him how to "lay out a case for this lease." Abramoff subsequently wrote in an e-mail to his wife and two officials of the school that Safavian had shown him a map of the property at his GSA office but had cautioned that Abramoff should not visit again "given my high profile politically."

Safavian nonetheless arranged a meeting for Abramoff's wife and business partner with officials at GSA on the day before he departed for Scotland aboard Abramoff's chartered jet. The trip cost more than $120,000 and was paid for mostly by a charity founded and run by Abramoff, the Capital Athletic Foundation.

When Safavian was questioned by The Washington Post about the trip in January, he said he paid his share of the expenses and took unpaid leave. "The trip was exclusively personal; I did no business there. . . . Jack is an old friend of mine," Safavian said.

But the complaint alleges that Safavian lied about his contacts with Abramoff on three occasions after his initial false pledge to the GSA ethics officer. The first was during a 2003 investigation by GSA's inspector general, who was responding to an anonymous tipster's hotline complaint; the second was in a March 17, 2005, letter to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs; and the third was during an FBI interview on May 26, 2005.

Garth Brooks - The Dance

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars alone
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance

Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have chanced it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance

Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but I'd of had to miss the dance