Russert, Griffin names headed for public spaces
Bills’ stadium road; baseball park plaza
Tributes to two recently deceased Buffalo icons — NBC broadcaster Tim Russert and former Mayor James D. Griffin— moved forward in Congress and the Buffalo Common Council on Tuesday.
The House voted to rename part of Route 20A in Orchard Park — near Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of Russert’s beloved Buffalo Bills — the “Timothy J. Russert Highway.”
Meanwhile, a Common Council committee endorsed a plan to change the official address of Dunn Tire Park from 275 Washington St. to 1 James D. Griffin Plaza in honor of the mayor who spurred the ballpark’s construction.
The Russert highway designation is much closer to becoming law. The House, in a voice vote, passed the same bill the Senate passed several weeks ago redesignating the highway — meaning all the bill needs to become law is the president’s signature.
“Tim Russert was highly respected because of his journalistic and political expertise, but he was loved because of his sincerity and loyalty,” said Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, who sponsored the bill renaming the highway. “The Russert Highway leading up to the home of the Buffalo Bills is a fitting remembrance of a man who, after all his success, never forgot to root on his hometown.”
Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Democrats who sponsored the bill in the Senate, agreed.
“The Senate and House votes are a moving tribute to the man who defined what it means to be a Buffalonian,” Schumer said.
“The overwhelming bipartisan support in the House and Senate speaks volumes about the friendships Tim forged, and the respect and admiration that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle had for this proud son of Buffalo,” Clinton added.
The designation changes the name of Route 20A between Abbott Road and California Road in tribute to Russert, who died of a heart attack on June 13.
As for the renaming of the plaza outside Dunn Tire Park, the Common Council’s Legislation Committee endorsed a plan Tuesday to name the ballpark’s plaza after Griffin. The full Council is expected to vote on the issue next week.
Council members and supporters of the plan discussed it at a brief City Hall hearing.
“If you didn’t do it, it would be a crime,” said James Comerford, currently the city’s deputy commissioner of economic development, permits and inspections, who said he’s only endorsing the plan as a private citizen.
Ronald J. Anthony, a longtime friend and political ally of the late mayor, sent a letter to the Council that chronicled Griffin’s pivotal role in building what was originally Pilot Field.
“The Griffin focus had always been on a new baseball stadium in downtown Buffalo. The rest is history,” Anthony wrote.
Buffalo Postmaster David E. Boardman sent an advisory opinion to City Hall, saying the Postal Service doesn’t object to the change.
“Our only request is that after the resolution is passed, the Buffalo Bisons and other entities at this address use only the new mailing address, not both, and change their next supply of stationery to reflect the change,” Boardman told city lawmakers.
jzremski@buffnews.com and bmeyer@buffnews.com
