March 26, 2008
Negotiations for a new contract between
the Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau and New York
State's Erie County have become contentious, thanks to pressure put
on the bureau by newly elected county executive Chris Collins. Last
week, Collins proposed a number of changes to the contract,
including three additional county executive-appointed board
members. Also, he wanted money generated from hotel bed taxes to go
into a general government fund, and a special panel to be formed to
judge the performance of bureau president and CEO Richard Geiger.
However, according to Keith Belanger, chairman of the CVB board and
senior vice president of Buffalo-based M&T Bank, "there will be
no drastic changes." Belanger claims that since Collins suggested
the changes last week, "cooler heads have prevailed, and the board
and the county executive are close to reaching an agreement." The
new contract likely will include just a few more county executive
appointees, a measure that is welcomed by the board. "Neither party
wants to see an implosion at the CVB," Belanger said. "We expect an
agreement to be reached within the next couple of days."