Key findings
- Worker cooperatives and participatory budgeting have both been tried in Buffalo and have received City funding in the recent past.
- Both can be carried out now with existing municipal powers and precedents, without asking a higher level of government.
- Renewing them, and making them permanent, would honor the legacy of former Delaware District Council Member Michael J. LoCurto.
Amid national alarm about a crisis of democracy, the inaugural issue of High Road Policy looks for remedies Buffalo can adopt on its own. It urges the City to renew its commitments to worker cooperatives and participatory budgeting and make both lasting parts of local governance.
Cite this issue
Weaver, Russell. 2020. “Deepening Democracy in Buffalo by Honoring Prior Commitments (And a Legacy).” High Road Policy 1(1). Buffalo, NY: Cornell University ILR School, Buffalo Co-Lab. https://hdl.handle.net/1813/76886.