BUFFALO, N.Y. — With O.J. McFoy no longer serving as the mayor’s water and sewer czar at Buffalo City Hall, lawmakers see an opportunity to institute reforms when it comes to the issue of transparency.
Saying they want to promote "increased transparency and accessibility," Common Council Members Leah Halton-Pope and Joseph Golombek Jr. on Tuesday pushed for a three-point plan that urges the Water Board and Sewer Authority to hold regular public meetings at Buffalo City Hall.
The move comes after 2 On Your Side Investigates earlier this month discovered barriers to public access at meetings, including the Water Board’s practice of holding meetings in locations that are not as centrally located or as easily accessible as Buffalo City Hall.
The Water Board holds meetings at the Col. Ward Pumping Station on Porter Avenue and the Sewer Authority holds its meetings at the Bird Island Treatment Plant, which are both on the other side of Interstate 190 from the rest of the city. Both locations include locked gates and security guards.
Two of the potential Open Meetings Law violations discovered by 2 On Your Side were confirmed by the State Committee on Open Government, which is considered the authority on New York’s transparency laws.
While the committee wrote that the water board did not have to have its meetings at City Hall, lawmakers say it's the right thing to do.
“Well, it doesn't look good,” said Golombek, who represents the North District. “And I think that's why having something here at City Hall looks better and in the long run is better. It's more apt for people to get to. If you ask the average person in my district if they know where City Hall is, I would say the majority of them would know. If you asked them where the Ward pumping station is, they wouldn't know. They would have no idea."
The lawmakers are also calling for more engagement with the Common Council and formal communication between the council and both authorities, whose boards are appointed by the mayor.
“It’s the people’s house. It’s easy to find,” said Halton-Pope, who is the council’s majority leader and who represents the Ellicott District. “Most people know where City Hall is. And so by bringing these meetings into City Hall, I think you get better participation and definitely have the voices of the people heard a little bit stronger.”
Aides to Acting Mayor Christopher P. Scanlon have said that he had planned to “strongly encourage” the agencies to comply with transparency laws before McFoy’s announcement last week that he was taking a job in Houston, Texas.
Mike Read, a spokesperson for Scanlon, did not respond Tuesday to a message seeking comment.
Neither did McFoy, who has said he will remain at the agencies until January, or Porsha Ari Parson, a publicist who has sometimes served as a spokesperson for the Water Board.