Power Failure: Politics, Patronage, and the Economic Future of Buffalo, New York

by Diana Dillaway

At the turn of the 20th century, Buffalo, NY, was one of the world's great industrial cities. In 1901, it played host to the prestigious Pan American Exhibition, which attracted millions of visitors to the city; its thriving downtown area was graced by buildings and mansions designed by some of the country's best architects; the city was the third largest producer of steel and, with the largest inland port, was a hub of commerce at the end of the Erie Canal.Today, due to financial distress and decades of mismanagement, the city has been put under the supervision of a financial control board. Population drain and an inability to attract new business have brought the city to the brink of financial collapse. The question on everyone's lips is, "What went wrong?"Community development expert and Buffalo native Diana Dillaway analyzes the history of planning and decision making in Buffalo that led to the current malaise. A member of the Wendt family, whose great grandfather founded one of Buffalo's oldest manufacturing businesses, Dillaway has used her access to the city's most powerful political, economic, and community leaders to reconstruct the factors that created the city as it exists today. She examines the most divisive debates of the past, including strategies for downtown and neighborhood development, planning for a rapid transit system, and battles over the location of a proposed university campus and a professional football stadium.A consistent theme is the protection of the status quo and turf battles among the WASP business and financial elite, ethnic Catholic communities centered on neighborhood parish life, and the Democratic machine with its entrenched patronage system. She finds that the only people interested in change were African Americans, whose efforts were consistently thwarted by a multi-term mayor who diverted community development funds for his own pet projects.At a time when Buffalo is trying to build a brighter future, Dillaway's insights, revelations, and prescriptions for change comprise urgent reading for community leaders and citizens alike. Power Failure speaks to issues of leadership and power facing every city and local government today.

Genres: History

266 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2006

Reviews

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book on the lessons to be learned from the decline of Buffalo, NY over the last half of the 20th century and the first part of the 21st century. As one who cares a lot about this old city, I can only express my hope that the future is better than the recent past.

The author of this book, Diana Dillaway, is a child of Buffalo's elite. This fact allowed her access to many movers and shakers, to interview them about Buffalo's decline and how it has addressed the many challenges facing it. This provides interesting insight. On the other hand, as the price for those interviews, she does not attribute comments to individuals and leaves a lot of actors in the drama nameless. This undercuts the power of her argument and let's some people off the hook, remaining unaccountable for the results of their actions (or, in many cases, nonactions).

This book is what social scientists call a "case study," an in depth analysis of one example. Dillaway lays out her purpose at the outset (page 13): "This case study tells the story of the leadership failure that left Buffalo in the difficult situation it is in today." She notes how three key elements intersected to produce the challenges Buffalo is currently facing: (a) power and its use (and misuse), (2) planning, (3) initiatives undertaken. Five factors interacted top produce the decline: transportation issues (the St. Lawrence Seaway allowed shipping to bypass Buffalo altogether); the steel industry (its stunningly rapid decline and disappearance from the Niagara Frontier, with the subsequent loss of thousands upon thousands of jobs), absentee management (large corporations moved headquarters elsewhere or were acquired by outside owners), militant labor (labor-management relations were often poisonous in the area), politics (a reluctance for the power centers to work together to address the challenges).

There are so many examples of how things went wrong. Let's take a look at just a couple. The State University of New York at Buffalo was set to develop a new campus, which would include economic development spillovers. One location was downtown Buffalo. However, the movers and shakers resisted, perhaps because they did not want rabble rousing and minority students downtown. Whatever the rationale, they lost a major engine of development to the suburbs in a stunningly stupid defense of an indefensible status quo. Another example was light rail transit. After much back and forthing, all that remained was a line from the Main Street campus of the University to downtown. A railway to nowhere, in a sense. Instead of being an engine of economic development, it did little to advance downtown and neighborhood interests.

Old style political leaders, following the politics of patronage and ethnic favoritism, helped the city's decline. Machine politics in late 20th century America was not the road to a healthy urban economy.

There are some errors in the volume (one candidate for mayor is called Les Fazio when it was actually Les Foschio). All in all, though, a cautionary tale of the need for development of collaborative, progressive coalitions to recognize the time for change and the ability to harness resources to create positive change. This did not happen in Buffalo in the latter half of the 20th century--and this proud old city has paid a heavy price. Frankly, names ought to be named, to shame those leaders who failed this city so miserably.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author’s lack of attribution seriously detracts from the overall premise of the book. I found myself getting lost and bored as a result of the research paper format, but found redeeming value in the author’s insight on the failed policies of Buffalo’s “leaders.”

Of course, it is eerie to see that history is repeating itself. Buffalo still has many of the same problems, with proposed solutions often benefitting one group over another.

Should be interesting to see how Buffalo's problems evolve in the next 50 years...if they do at all.

[Wesley Voit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like a master's thesis, which can be trying, but provides some insight into the power structure of Buffalo, NY and how that lead to the rise, and eventual fall of the Queen City of the Great Lakes.

[Mac Craik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Diana Dillaway captures the decay of Buffalo in her book. The way she explains it, I would rather watch a building decay. Dillaway wrote an essay and published it. There is no personal story, just facts.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am biased, but its an interesting book about a failed political system.

[Katlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honors book club read

[Timothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting attempt to examine the intersection of politics and capitalism in Buffalo. However, the unidentified nature of the text is often frustrating.