Governor Cuomo has nominated former Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello to a seat on the Peace Bridge Authority.Masiello would fill a seat vacated by Patrick Whalen, a Cuomo appointee. Although the Legislature is close to going home, the nomination goes to the Senate's Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions Committee headed by Clarence Republican Mike Ranzenhofer.
If approved there, the choice would go to the full Senate where there are members who served with him. Masiello says he has talked to the committee chair about getting a quick confirmation hearing.
The former mayor, who has been working as a lobbyist in recent years, says he is looking forward to a Peace Bridge seat.
"I'm very excited about it. I think it's a very important responsibility and I think because of my past experiences, both as being mayor of our great City of Buffalo, knowing the Peace Bridge issues, knowing the Peace Bridge community, knowing the importance of that bridge, knowing the significance of that neighborhood, this is a challenge I think I'm up to the task for," Masiello said
Masiello was mayor in the early days of the long fight over expansion of the bridge, whether a second span or a rebuilt plaza on the U.S. end. He says he is familiar with the bridge because his grandparents lived across Busti Avenue when he was young and he had many relatives in the neighborhood.
