The Failed Blizzard Response in Buffalo Proves Critics Right

India Walton and a new Sewer Socialism could have saved the City of Buffalo. A political machine killed it.

The Buffalo blizzard over the Christmas weekend was as ruthless as expected, dropping three feet of snow in some places while delivering hurricane-like winds. Despite the many snowstorms the city usually has, Buffalo hadn’t seen a blizzard like this since 1977. The death toll across Erie County surpassed forty-five, the majority coming within the city. Many essential workers were stuck at their workplace for three days straight due to roads being impassable.

The city and the rest of Erie County had just been hit a month earlier by another wicked storm, dropping over five feet of snow. The city’s response was abysmal then, as well. The city lagged behind the suburbs and the rest of the county in getting plowed and sending children back to school. They are ill-prepared for a city that often sees snow totals of over 100 inches per year.

The current Mayor, Byron Brown, is in his 17th year leading the city. There is simply no excuse for Buffalo to fail anymore. Quite frankly, the winter snow cleanup is only getting worse. County Executive Mark Poloncarz made this known during a press conference saying, “Storm after…