Fighting From Behind The Lions

Patiently standing guard in front of City Hall, and a short block north of County Hall, are four very large marble lions.  Since their arrival in 1907,  they’ve been majestically perched ground zero in the heart of the city, with a towering view in all directions.

Well, I say for nearly a hundred years, our lackadaisical lions have done little more than lounge around. It’s high time we put them to work.

Before Buffalo as a city became stupid, we used to be smart. After the turn of the century, our lions proudly watched as Buffalo became the eighth largest city in the U.S.,  able to tout a rich legacy of visionary foresight. They saw a city that was a mesmerizing magnet that attracted the very best and the brightest. Olmsted, Richardson, Wright, Sullivan and hundreds of luminaries in  practically every field flocked here to do business.

Now, a hundred years, and several thousand bad decisions later, Buffalo is a mere shell of its former glory. Through a century of myopic leadership, we lost our vision and systematically discarded and destroyed the riches it helped create.

Fortunately, hope is beginning to raise its head above the ashes.

In recent years, a forward-thinking renaissance movement has emerged to rebuild our treasures and set a sustainable course for our future. Tirelessly working weekends and after hours, this amorphous group is banding together to save priceless landmarks from destruction, building new galleries, reconnecting our parks system, and reshaping our waterfront. Armed to the teeth with every high-tech communications gadget made, this band of warriors has quickly become a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, the near-sighted power structure that has caused this mess, and the public officials they employ didn’t just suddenly up and leave town. For some of the old guard, things are simply business as usual, while others scramble to find/buy a silver bullet that can magically make the sins of the last century go away. A savy, well connected bunch with very heavy wallets , they still put up quite a fight to be players in a race to the bottom.

Time To Roar.

This is where the lions need to step-up and earn their keep. If they want to preside over a prosperous city, they must use their proximity to power, 360 degree view, and tons of marble muscle to help us guard the gate.

To let people with good ideas for the sustainable success of the city in.

And to keep self-serving power brokers that are still looking through the wrong end of the telescope out.

Well OK, this may be far to daunting a task for four 100 year old lions to handle by themselves.

It will be my pleasure to pitch-in and lend a hand to such a noble effort. I’m sure we can count on your help too.

Collectively, we’re smart people. By all of us sharing our thoughts, ideas, and a positive vision for the future, I know we can somehow figure it out.

After all, we’re Buffalonians. And it’s time to make our lions proud again.