Buffalo Criterion

They may have saved the day...

The Broadway Market, steeped in legend, and in the consciousness of Buffalo, has been given a reprieve from what appeared, just a few months ago, to be almost certain death.

Thank Tony Nanula, Tony Masiello, and Karen Ellington.

Thanks to them there is a new board at the Broadway Market, a board, thankfully, not motivated by the seemingly endless distorted politics of Gregory B Olma.... and frankly the new board seems poised to accomplish wonders.

Actually there feats may not be so incredible:

All that was ever needed, it appears, is to free the place from the maleficence of one self serving politician. Yes, it may sound implausible, but, at times, simple solutions serve us best.

What was needed at the market was the ouster of Greg Olma - nothing more, nothing less...

The new market board, like any honest board should be, is interested in the fate of the market, and the people who shop there....And this is a marked and a total departure from the recent past when the market seemed to be run strictly by and for Erie County Legislator Greg Olma.

These are the facts: there was such waste, that hundreds of thousands were spent of precious market money to fund for instance an expensive Olma vacation to Seattle, a new parking lot for his friend and political supporter, (even though there is a huge and largely underutilized parking ramp already at the market) advertising for a friend who owns a race car in Springville - and thousands that are just plain missing -- and all this out of market funds - all calculated to help Olma win, and maintain friends, and influence supporters.

Then one day it all came to an end.

When Karen Ellington, the Fillmore council member, who replaced Olma-ally, Dave Franczyk, refused to vote to continue to fund Olma’s wasteful agenda, it resulted, last February, in a well publicized exposure of the financial losses, and extravagant spending at the market.

And a call for reform.

Under a deal brokered by Mayor Anthony Masiello, a new board was appointed ,and this board is now, happily, about 85% Olma-free.

There are to be a total of twelve new board members.

Ten have been appointed.

Here is a breakdown:

Ellington’s two appointees are, obviously, not supporters of Olma. One of Ellington’s picks, Paula Rosner-Akula, works at city hall, and, at their first meeting, she clashed with Olma when Olma tried to belittle her, interrupting her whenever she tried to speak.

Exasperated, at one point, Akula actually stuck her finger in Olma chest, and said "Look I don’t let my children talk to me that way, and I am not going to let you talk to me that way."

To which Olma replied, "Do you know who I am?"

And to which she responded "I don’t care who you are. You will not talk to me that way!!!"

Ellington’s other pick, attorney, David Dale, is noted for his commitment to the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood, and has also clashed with Olma in the past.

Last year, he managed the campaign of Olma’s political opponent Ken Pokorski.

The Mayor’s two appointees are also there with a directive to try to save the market, which means, as they have been explicitly informed, that they must, by all means, stay out of Olma’s (mal)influence. One of them, Peter Cammarata, ran the market in the pre-Olma days, and, not coincidentally, the market ran at a profit under his intelligent tenure.

Bill Hibbert works at city hall and is also said to be a-political.

City Comptroller, Anthony Nanula, has one appointment.

Nanula, who also clashed with Olma, as Nanula, and his people, conducted an audit of the market, appointed, obviously, a person who won’t do Olma’s bidding. Nanula’s pick, Frank Toscano, is a vice president for Tops. A businessman, Toscano is decidedly a-political, and brings needed business acumen to the table.

In addition, three market tenants sit on the board.

None are pro- Olma.

Mary Lewandowski is neutral. James Malczewski is anti -Olma. The third tenant, turned off by Olma’s display of rudeness to Akula, voted for her for chairperson, which was seen as a gesture of rebuke to Olma...

So adding it up, the votes are running hard against Olma.

Still, under the mayor’s deal, Olma gets a pick for the board, as county legislator in that district, and he selected his ally, Dan Glowacki, who was president during the Olma - days at the market. Glowacki works for the county, managing Chestnut ridge park in Orchard Park.

And Olma’s ally, County Executive Joel Giambra, also getting one pick, appointed Bob Sienkiewicz, Olma’s long time friend.

Lastly, among those who might favor Olma, Elaine Nowak, as head of the Broadway Area Business Association (BABA) sits on the board. Although Nowak knows Olma, and may need his help from time to time on BABA projects, she is, nevertheless, said to be independent. She certainly cannot be described as in "Olma’s pocket."

Finally, the Board itself picks two at-large spots, and while Olma is pushing for friends of his, it is not seen as likely, since the majority is now clearly anti-Olma. The board is planning to select two community minded people who are a-political and, most importantly, are not connected to Olma.

So out of 12 votes, Olma has influence on at best three, and possibly only two.

And, as his influence wanes, possibly he will have influence on none at all.

There is little doubt that given an Olma-free environment, Bob Sienkieiwicz will strive to do what is best for the market. And Glowacki, who does a credible job managing Chestnut Ridge park, brings management skill to the table.

And as all the other board members care far more about the fate of the market than the fate of Olma’s political fortunes, his day is done.

On top of that, the Executive director, Tamara Rathaus is known as a competent administrator, with energy and ability, and informs that she plans to have no part in Olma’s political machinations.

Indeed Olma is the only one who doesn’t know (or pretends not to know) that his day is done at the Market

The new board seems quite capable of turning things around, and, although it sounds incredible, and biased, all that was ever wrong with the 112 year old Market, has been solved... Olma is out of power.... That much is fact.

Of that which is probable: The market showed a profit before Olma took over, and will likely do so again. Already prospective tenants are beginning to seek it out... and old tenants, once fearful of Olma, now look at him as rather a toothless lion. They laugh at him behind his back and boldly tell him off when he tries to threaten them..

He still roars and threatens, of course; a coarse man that he is, he knows no other method, no other way... but they now know he has no teeth.... he can now not hurt them any more ...

There is dancing in the streets, and in the corridors of the market... People are happy there again. There is a feeling of hopefulness, where despair only a few weeks ago prevailed.

Masiello, Nanula, and Ellington, three names to remember in the history of the Broadway Market, have saved the day, and there will be good times again in the old market now ..

Be of good cheer, they say in old Polonia, another good day has come to Buffalo.

The Broadway Market, a cultural treasure, appears to have been saved.