Mayor Six-Pack

Sixteen years in office. Sixteen years as the chief executive of the city. The longest serving mayor in our city's history. The dominant political figure in WNY in parts of three decades.

It is difficult, in this era, to fully appreciate the impact of Jimmy Griffin's reign in Buffalo. Under his leadership, the city ended up with the Buffalo Hilton (now the Adam’s Mark), Waterfront development (most notably, townhouses), the Hyatt Regency, the General Cinema in the Market Arcade, a restored Shea’s Buffalo and the HSBC Bank Atrium, and the crown jewel of his administration - Dunn Tire Park.

I say it is difficult because these achievements are overshadowed by the failures of his administration and the rapid decline of the city's fortunes during and after his reign. Despite his constant promotion of the city and battles with the state and his own Common Council over funding, we sit 30 years after he took office faced with the following:

• A startling exodus from the city that has reduced our numbers to under 250,000
• Double-digit increases in the crime rate
• Chronic underfunding of the city's public schools
• Patronage systems installed in city departments, from the Police to the parks
• Neighborhoods, such as the East Side, ignored and allowed to rot for 20+ years

My own memories of Griffin are vague...though he was in office for most of the time I was growing up here, I left in 1989. I remember him as something of a political clown - someone who reveled in ginned-up conflicts with other officials so he could puff out his chest and show his loyal constituents what a "tough guy" he was. Whether he was walking off "A.M. Buffalo" after the interviewer had enough of his rudeness or sucker-punching the County Parks Commissioner outside the downtown ballpark or comparing Buffalo News reporters to convicted criminals, "Mayor Jimmy" never shied away from an opportunity to promote himself at the expense of others.

Of course, one would not expect a hardscrabble, bareknuckled neighborhood politician like Griffin to be the most progressive person in the room, but he seemed to revel in taking shots at groups who didn't put money in his or his cronies' pockets:

• On LGBT citizens: "They are fruits and queers. They're not 'gay' because that means happy, not homosexual."
• On Parks Department workers upset over the 1990 scandal: "They're malcontents and stool pigeons."
• On welcoming Operation Rescue to Buffalo: "An abortionist is probably on a level with reporters. I don't know who's worse or who is better."

I agree with Donn Esmonde's assessment in today's News that the positive legacy that Griffin leaves is tarnished by his pettiness, his self-aggrandizement and inability to compromise. He was, and is, beloved for his charisma, considerable charm (if he liked you or was trying to get your vote) and common touch. He may be our best personification of Tip O'Neill's line about "all politics is local". However, that "local touch" ultimately did little to advance the city or its people.