WNY Coalition for Progress gets a plug

I got a call today that Bauerle was talking about the Bass Pro deal, and apparently he was on the Jim O "corporate welfare" bandwagon. (This is a repost off my BuffaloPundit weblog).

I called in as "Alan" (natch) and said that I think the Bass Pro deal is a great one for Erie County. I managed to give the screener about 5 reasons, but on the phone, I only got one out: that Bass Pro wouldn't be spending $57 million on a losing proposition.

Bauerle said that I was wrong, and that Jim O had told him that Bass Pro only commits to 22 million in the MOU. Well, Jim O's wrong. Two sentences control Bass Pro's outlay (section (B)(4)); the first one is written horribly, and seems to indicate that the $57 million includes the public money. But the next sentence clarifies that Bass Pro itself is going to pay $57 million. You have to read both sentences, and not take the first one out of context. That being said, I actualy spoke with a Bass Pro rep in early April, and he confirmed the $57 million figure for me, so that's that.

Next, I mentioned that I belong to a group that was analyzing the Bass Pro deal, and he asked me which one, and I plugged the WNY Coalition for Progress. He asked me who funded it. I was quite taken aback, (what the hell's the point of this inquiry?), and replied "just people - average citizens." Bauerle was quite intent on ferreting out whether we were a developer's group, or what. I replied that it's a progressive group, and he called it liberal-socialist. I replied that I'm a centrist - a former Republican who switched democrat, and that we have members from all political spectra. We have socialists and conservatives as members, we're non-profit and don't endorse candidates.

He said I was being defensive, and I replied that I was frankly surprised by these questions. I said he could read all about it at www.wnyprogress.org. Then I got cut off.

Then I turned on my radio, and heard that he'd love to have me and Ostrowski on at the same time.

I called back and asked for his producer, but only got the screener. I told the screener my name, the name of this blog, and told Tom I'd go on with him and Jim O any day, any time.

And look for the WNY Coalition for Progress to come out with a real analysis of the Bass Pro deal, and not a droll hit piece like Free Buffalo's.