In an area infested with politicians maintaining the status quo rather than pushing progressive reforms, Congressman Brian Higgins stands out as a different type of government official in the Queen City.

            The Democrat, who represents most of the City of Buffalo as well as suburbs to the east and south and Chautauqua County, has lobbied for increased spending of federal dollars in Western New York.

            Higgins helped secure $279 million for local governments in a new 50-year relicensing agreement with the New York Power Authority, approval for the construction of a new federal courthouse building downtown and has pushed for increased funding to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

            Higgins was also pivotal in preventing the shutdown of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Cheektowaga, N.Y. and eliminating the North Ogden Street tollbooths.

His visible sympathy for veterans and those who have lost loved ones overseas, as well as his advocacy to tear down the Skyway, also make him a popular local political figure

            If he would reconsider his support for a downtown Buffalo casino, then he would certainly be the perfect congressman for this area.