43NORTH AWARDS $10,000 IN TAXPAYER FUNDS TO LEFT-WING BLOGGER THAT USED RACIAL EPITHET ON SOCIAL MEDIA

December 17, 2020 

Honorable April N.M. Baskin
Erie County Legislature Chairwoman
92 Franklin Avenue, 4^th Floor
Buffalo, NY 14202

Dear Chairwoman Baskin:

It has come to our attention that 43North has awarded a $10,000, taxpayer funded business award to a left-wing blogger that not only uses vile, hateful and offensive language towards Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, its CEO Candace Johnson, the Jacobs family, Congressman Chris Jacobs and a long list of Republicans, but he once posted on social media a hideous word in its entirety: the N-word.

This further emboldens our desire for 43North to release a full, comprehensive list of “winners and losers” in the business grant selection process, if any public monies were spent on 43 North themselves for administrative costs and if any taxpayer dollars were used for advertising purposes. 

The Office of Erie County Comptroller is constantly fielding complaints and questions from businesses that were “rejected” by 43 North in the business grant application process. Complaints may increase once rejected businesses learn a self-employed left wing website that incessantly attacks Republicans, cherished cultural institutions and respected families across Erie County, also posted the N-word on social media. 

• Regardless of the reason and no matter why the word was used, is it appropriate for taxpayer dollars to be awarded to a blog that has used the N-word in any context?
• Take the distribution of public tax dollars out of the equation.  Is it appropriate for a Caucasian, left-wing blogger to use that word on social media for any reason?
• The blogger in question that was awarded a $10,000 grant by 43 North is also on the political payrolls of Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz, the Erie County Democratic Committee (ECDC) and Jeremy Zellner for ECDC Chair. Should 43 North reconsider granting this entity $10,000 to avoid any appearance of a conflict?
• Would it be wise for 43 North to reconsider their $10,000 allocation of public tax dollars for a blog that has publicly posted the N-word, to avoid any suggestion that they or Erie County government supports the use of that word in any context?

Thank you very much for your prompt attention to this very serious matter.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hon. Stefan I. Mychajliw Jr.
ERIE COUNTY COMPTROLLER

CC: Hon. Brian Higgins, US Congress

Hon. Chris Jacobs, US Congress

Hon. Tom Reed, US Congress

Hon. Charles Schumer, US Senate

Hon. Kirsten Gillibrand, US Senate

Hon. Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes, Majority Leader, NYS Assembly

Hon. Michael Norris, NYS Assembly

Hon. Pat Burke, NYS Assembly

Hon. David DiPietro, NYS Assembly

Hon. Angelo J. Morinello, NYS Assembly

Hon. Karen McMahon, NYS Assembly

Hon. Monica Wallace, NYS Assembly

Hon. Robert Ortt, Minority Leader, NYS Senate

Hon. Patrick Gallivan, NYS Senate

Hon.  Timothy Kennedy, NYS Senate

Assemblyman-Elect Jonathan Rivera, NYS Assembly

Assemblyman-Elect Hon. William Conrad, NYS Assembly

Senator-Elect Hon. Sean Ryan, NYS Senate

Senator-Elect Hon. Edward Rath, NYS Senate

Hon. Tim Meyers, Majority Leader, Erie County Legislature    

Hon. Joseph Lorigo, Minority Leader, Erie County Legislature

Hon. Howard Johnson, Erie County Legislature    

Hon. Lisa Chimera, Erie County Legislature

Hon.  Kevin R. Hardwick, Erie County Legislature

Hon. Jeanne M. Vinal, Erie County Legislature

Hon. Frank J. Todaro, Erie County Legislature

Hon. John J. Gilmour, Erie County Legislature

Hon. John J. Mills, Erie County Legislature

Hon. Byron W. Brown, Mayor of Buffalo

Hon. Darius G. Pridgen, President, Buffalo Common Council

Hon. David A. Rivera, Majority Leader, Buffalo Common Council, Niagara District

Hon. Christopher Scanlon, Buffalo Common Council, South District

Hon. Joel P. Feroleto, Buffalo Common Council, Delaware District

Hon. Bryan Bollman, Buffalo Common Council, Lovejoy District

Hon. Mitch Nowakowski, Buffalo Common Council, Fillmore District

Hon. Joseph Golombek, Jr., Buffalo Common Council, North District

Hon. Ulysees O. Wingo, Buffalo Common Council, Masten District

Hon. Rasheed Wyatt, Buffalo Common Council, University District

Rev. Mark E. Blue, President, Buffalo NAACP

Mr. Derrick Johnson, President & CEO NAACP

President Thomas Beauford Jr., Buffalo Urban League

United States Congressional Black Caucus

For a PDF of the letter, please CLICK HERE.