By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

For Brendan Mehaffy, who grew up in Clarence with its large residential lots and Ozzie-and-Harriet image, the notion of tackling tough urban-development issues may have seemed light-years away.

But that's precisely what he does as executive director of the Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning.

Mehaffy, a lawyer by training, is the latest in a long line of people to take on what many perceive as a thankless job. However, few come with the background that Mehaffy brings to the office.

"Even growing up in Clarence, I was always fascinated why Clarence could grow yet, at the same time, there was urban decline in Buffalo," he said. "That was always a core question to me and intellectually drove me."

Mehaffy, 36, is the father of two including 12-week-old Emmet. He married his high school sweetheart, WIVB-TV reporter Michele McClintick, six years ago. Despite his youthful appearance, Mehaffy has a reputation for being wise beyond his years - and that may be a key trait in his new position.

Strategic planning has a central role in the urban planning and economic development landscape. The planning office works in concert with - not separate from - local development agencies, inluding Buffalo Urban Development Corp. The office has a staff of 80.

Mehaffy came onboard at a critical juncture in economic-development history.

Not only is the city struggling with the ravages of a weakened national economy, but the Office of Strategic Planning recently came under fire for its role in the fiasco involving One Sunset, a Buffalo restaurant that closed after just one year.

The office is the parent of the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency and Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corp., both of which lent money to the failed Delaware Avenue restaurant. A staff person at BERC, Michelle Barron, was let go because of her alleged role in the deal, which at the time was considered risky.

Still, there are those who believe that if anyone can right the strategic planning office and improve staff morale, it's Mehaffy, who has a reputation for being fair-minded, levelheaded and not prone to knee-jerk reactions.

As for Mehaffy, he said he believes in letting people do their best and sees himself serving as a guidance counselor rather than micro-manager.

"I think Brendan realizes (that turning around strategic planning) is not a sprint but a marathon," said Tom Kucharski, president and CEO of Buffalo Niagara Enterprise. "He is someone who is really focused. He's got the background and the mind-set to do that job."

The highly educated Mehaffy brings a healthy combination of private- and public-sector experience to his new job. His resume includes a clerk stint in the city of Buffalo's Law Department; work with noted land-use specialist Robert Frelich at his Kansas City law firm of Frelich Leitner & Carlisle; and a job with Buffalo attorney Robert Knoer, also a land-use specialist.

Mehaffy was a deputy attorney in the Law Department when Mayor Byron Brown tapped him last winter to head the strategic planning office.

What caught Brown's eye was his work on the complex transfer of Buffalo's park operations back to city control from Erie County. The transfer was done in 15 weeks and, for the most part, was outside the glare of the public spotlight.

It was a source of pride for Mehaffy and a signature moment in his still-developing career.

"You didn't hear a lot about it," he said. "We took care of the employees, the assets and the Olmstead Parks Conservancy. No one was hurt."

That was classic Mehaffy, say those who know him.

"Brendan, through his experience, brings some good skill sets," said Michael Risman, Buffalo's former corporate counsel and now a partner at Hodgson Russ.

Risman worked closely with him when Mehaffy was a young lawyer clerking in the city's Law Department.

"Brendan has always proven himself to be levelheaded, calm, intelligent, thoughtful and smart," Risman said.

Mehaffy, meanwhile, said he intends to utilize all of the skills he's learned over the years in his new position.

"First, I respect the experience of my staff," he said, "but I do want to right that ship."

The problem with Buffalo Economic Renaissance Corp., he said, is that it has strayed from the original mission. In fact, he said, it has gotten to the point where Brown, in his wintertime State of the City address, stated that he wants to eliminate the agency by merging it with the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency and more directly with the strategic planning office.

That is a sound course, Mehaffy said.

"The trouble with BERC is that it developed two missions over time," he said. "The staff was trying to do neighborhood development and business development at the same time. At some point, its mission became confused."

One of his immediate goals is to make the Office of Strategic Planning more open and transparent. Accessibility is paramount, he said.

"There is no shadow government behind any of this," Mehaffy said.

"The steps we take to move the office forward will be small and incremental. There is no quick, overnight solution."

He is quick to point out that while the One Sunset failure became an albatross for the Office of Strategic Planning, the office had more than its fair share of success stories that received no media attention.

One of his goals is to focus more on the success stories.

"I think we've really done a very poor job of telling our story," Mehaffy said.

Forward-thinking vision is something for which he is well-known; it's his hallmark, some say.

"Brendan is always interested in the broader vision," Knoer said. "I see him as someone who is more interested in the future of the city than what shows up on his resume.

"In that regard, he is perfect for strategic planning," he added.

Mehaffy said he views himself alternately as a lawyer and urban planner - and sometimes both at the same time.

"Are there a lot of challenges facing me and this department? Yes. Absolutely, But the steps that are here and need to be taken are there for a reason," he said.

"At the end of it, we will have a better department and better city because of it."