PROMINENT BUFFALO LAWYER TREZEVANT URGES DAVIS TO STOP HIDING FROM INVESTIGATORS...COMMON COUNCIL TO RELEASE BOARD OF ETHICS REPORT

Prominent Buffalo Attorney Bill Trezevant has a simple message for troubled Ellicott District Common Council Member Brian Davis: "Stand up and answer all the questions being asked of you!"

"I believe that Brian Davis should stand up and answer all questions journalists and law enforcement offiicials have for him," he states. "I think it's clear to everyone that the definition of leadership is to lead by example, not to play hide and seek with his constituents, his fellow members of the Common Council, and most importantly, with federal, state, and local prosecutors. After all, if he's got nothing to hide, he should have no problem answering all their questions. If he can't answer them, he should resign."

If Councilman Davis refuses to resign, whose job is it to resolve the prevailing controversy?...Trezevant believes the Common Council should play a prominent role.

"Given the nature of the long running controversy and in light of the Mayor's public statement that this is a matter for the Council to resolve, it seems to me that the Common Council could start by asking for the release of the results of the ethics investigation that was done by the city's Board of Ethics led by Chairman Douglas Coppola," Trezevant declares. "Just yesterday, Common Council President Dave Franczyk called on Councilman Davis to come clean. Clearly the citizens of the City of Buffalo have the right to know what their own Board of Ethics found out regarding Councilman Davis."

"So the least the Common Council can do is to demand that the Buffalo Board of Ethics release its findings in this matter," he continues. "If the Board of Ethics has not finished their report, then the Counciil should demand that the report be completed immediately. Otherwise, this situation can only bring embarassment to the Common Council and ridicule to our city."

Attorney Trezevant expands on the latter point, noting that there is more involved here than just the seemingly endless attempt to get to the bottom of Councilman Davis' shenanigans.

"Right now there are six separate investigations of the behavior of Councilman Davis including those of the Buffalo US Attorney's Office's public corruption unit, the FBI, the New York State Attorney General's Office, the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Affairs' Inspector General and the Erie County District Attorney's Office as well as the Buffalo Board of Ethics," Trezevant points out. "And, so far there have been no tangible results. Right now we are becoming the poster child for bad government and all because of one Common Council Member. In my view, it's got to stop!"