NEWS RELEASE

MAYOR MASIELLO DELIVERS 2001 STATE OF THE CITY; CITES UPCOMING ERA OF CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION, CONTINUED SERVICE SECTOR GROWTH

BUFFALO (1/10/01) - Mayor Anthony M. Masiello delivered his 2001 State of the City address, citing an impending era of unprecedented capital construction throughout Buffalo and continued growth in the city's strong service sector.

Speaking before members and guests of the Building Owners and Managers Association, Working for Downtown and the Rotary Club of Buffalo, Mayor Masiello outlined Administration policies that have contributed to the city's continuing economic revival, as well as new initiatives targeted to augment ongoing education, economic development, environmental and neighborhood-based programs.

Noting the anticipated Census 2000 population count for the city, Mayor Masiello emphasized the city's attributes - cultural institutions, architecture, geographic location - that help contribute to a quality of life not matched in other mid-sized American cities. The Mayor underscored the city's ability to accommodate continued growth and development, and detailed state, county and city initiatives that will attract future investment and job development.

"My goal - my Administration's goal - is to make Buffalo a great city of 300,000 citizens who enjoy an excellent quality of life," stated Mayor Masiello. "Having spent the first several years of my tenure as Mayor taking care of a host of structural challenges in city government, it is now time to move beyond these matters and build upon the solid foundation we have established."

Underscoring his Administration's commitment to sustained and measurable economic development, Mayor Masiello outlined a continuing job growth strategy that focuses on: neighborhood economic development, business retention and creation, targeted land development and targeted service sector growth.

Key components of that strategy include the establishment of an Information Technology Village centered around the city's thriving Information Technology Byte Belt initiative; continuing development of the nascent Buffalo Niagara Medical Center medical corridor; and broadening the city's brownfield development strategy, which includes the impending Union Ship Canal business park project in the South Buffalo Redevelopment Zone.

The Mayor's annual address included the announcement of bringing city services online and providing greater citizen access to City Hall via the Internet. In addition, Mayor Masiello discussed the anticipated receipt of recommendations from a panel of city, Buffalo Niagara Partnership and private sector experts on streamlining the city's building permit process.

The speech also underscored administration environmental efforts, particularly seeking a resolution to the ongoing environmental testing of residential properties in the city's Hickory Woods development, as well as holding LTV Steel of Cleveland accountable for any soil remediation there or on the company's adjacent former steel manufacturing site.

" My administration will exhaust every avenue available to it to make certain that LTV and any other corporate entity takes responsibility for the clean up of lands that once contained their industrial activity," the Mayor stated.

Noting the potential for hundreds of millions of dollars in capital construction over the next several years, Mayor Masiello called upon building trade leaders, construction contractors and private developers to lead the way with expanded job development and job training opportunities for the city's unemployed, underemployed and undertrained minorities and women.

"We have a unique opportunity for apprentice training and other job development initiatives in this impending era of construction activity," noted the Mayor. "Let's not do it with one arm tied behind our back."

The Mayor concluded with statements committing his Administration to continue to work with County Executive Joel Giambra's new Administration in seeking greater regional collaboration and cooperation for the greater good of the region. Thanking the various elected officials from the region, state and Washington who have contributed to Buffalo's success and who have expressed support for continued growth opportunities for the city, Mayor Masiello extolled their bipartisan efforts on behalf of Buffalo and
stated, " … these elected officials…have responded not because it's good politics, but, rather, because it's good public policy."

Anthony M. Masiello is the City of Buffalo's 57th Mayor, first elected in 1993 and re-elected to a second term in 1997.

###