Dear Eclipse Escapaders,
On October 4th, I sent a ten-page proposal to twenty-six community leaders out-lining why we should have housing renewal to anticipate the total eclipse of April 8 2024, and how such a monumental undertaking for the umbraphiles might get underway. I will share this entire proposal in a later update. I have also sent the proposal as an open letter to media outlets. I have not heard back from any of our community leaders at this time. Thus, I am asking for your help again. Below I will provide the list of leaders. Each of you had your own reasons for signing this petition, originally. Please choose at least three leaders, using whatever means of selection you prefer, and contact him or her with an endorsement of the Eclipse Escapade.
Now, by now, all of you know I can be a tad wordy. To quote the great aunt of Escapader Seth Viddal, an aunt who was an accomplished writing professor, "Sorry I made this letter so long, I didn't have time to make it shorter." Please let me to continue to be the wordy one. In your endorsement, be terse. Let the community leader know the most important points of the Eclipse Escapade, whatever those points are that seem important to you. As always, feel free to contact the movers and shakers you know apart from this list, and feel free to do whatever moving and shaking you can do from whatever place in your community you have. As I must say again and again, I am relying on the mysterious might of many minds mustered to magnify our municipality for the umbraphiles. If each of you advocate for housing renewal to anticipate the eclipse in your own, idiomatic way, our collective, psychological strength could get Western New York ready for Eclipse Day.
Here is the list of leaders of our community.
Mayor Byron Brown
mayor@city-buffalo.com
April McCants-Baskin, Chair of the Legislature, Erie County
April.McCants-Baskin@erie.gov
Hope Young-Watkins, Director of Real Estate, Buffalo
hyoung-watkins@city-buffalo.com
Bryan Bollman, Lovejoy District City Councilman
bbollman@buffalony.gov
Patrick M. Gallivan
gallivan@nysenate.gov
Mark Poloncarz, County Executive
countyexecutive@erie.gov
Nadine Marrero, Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority
nmarrero@bmhahousing.com
Gillian Brown, Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority
gbrown@bmhahousing.com
Lynn Dixon, Director of Community Relations,
Lynne.Dixon@mail.house.gov
Representative Chris Jacobs, NY-27
Chris.Jacobs@mail.house.gov,
Dottie Gallagher, President and C.E.O, Buffalo Niagara Partnership
dgc@thepartnership.org
Thomas Kucharski, Invest Buffalo Niagara
tkucharski@buffaloniagara.org,
Brendan Mehaffy, Office of Strategic Planning, Buffalo
bmehaffy@ch.ci.buffalo.ny.us
Joseph Golombek, North District Councilmember, Buffalo
jgolombek@city-buffalo.com
Suzanne Macri, Community Liaison, U.S. Congress
suzanne.macri@mail.house.gov
Joseph Loringo, Erie County Legislator
Joseph.Lorigo@erie.gov
Conor Flynn, Town of Orchard Park
flynnc@orchardparkny.org
Patrick Kaler, President and CEO, Visit Buffalo Niagara
kaler@visitbuffaloniagara.com
Timothy Meyers, Erie County Government
timothy.meyers@erie.gov
Buffalo Urban Renewal
info@buffalourbanrenewal.com
Oswaldo Mestre, Director of Citizen Services, Buffalo.
omestre@city-buffalo.com.
Nancy Heath, Erie County Government
Nancy.Heath@erie.gov
Howard Johnson Erie County Government, Chair of Public Safety, Economic Development, and Minority and Women-Owned Businesses.
howard.johnson@erie.gov
Sam Hoyt, President, Upstate Strategic Advisors
sam.hoyt@upstatestrategicadvisors.com
Zachary Evans, Erie County Government
Zachary.Evans@erie.gov
Darius Pridgen, Council President, Buffalo.
dpridgen@buffalony.gov
Your endorsement could be the extra push our leaders need to start the necessary actions, which must start soon. The sun and the moon won't wait for us. Furthermore, a note from you will make the Eclipse Escapade more than a daydream of one dude with an idea. It will make this a call from action from citizenry who see the coming eclipse in the sky as an impetus and opportunity for long-awaited housing renewal on the ground.