It appears Buffalo may have a powerful friend in Albany in Speaker of the State Assembly Carl Heastie.
Heastie says he spent three days in the Buffalo area last week as a way to thank his colleagues who supported him becoming Speaker last February. While he is familiar with Buffalo's issues, seeing them first hand humanizes them.
"The fact that almost 50 percent of the schools in Buffalo are struggling means we still have a huge, huge problem," Heastie said.
"Even in the midst of all this wonderful development, there are still parts of the city that are still lagging behind. People in poverty and children still aren't being educated."
Heastie plans to issue a report on how the Assembly can help.
During his stay, Heastie met with various local elected officials, community leaders, business leaders and the clergy.