The Video No One Wants to Talk About

Watch if you have the balls.

It's All About the Children....and Pets.

In today's news, the Niagara-Orleans Labor Council is pushing for the New York Power Authority to do more for the kids. James Briggs, head of the local steelworkers union, is quoted as saying, "We think it's time that they (NYPA) helped out our children." 

We couldn't agree more with Mr. Briggs. After all, I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be. 

It's all about the children. Always has been, always will be. In fact, Mr. Briggs is all about $45 million from NYPA for the children, to be distributed to three school districts within the county, including Niagara Falls. Never mind that the district already gets about $1.3 mil from the Power Authority, it's all about the children. 

Board member Johnny Destino is quoted as saying, "Three million dollars would equal an immediate 12 percent reduction for taxpayers." That doesn't seem like it's about the children, unless he means me, considering I am little more than a grown child. Let's keep it focused on the children, Johnny, because after all, it's all about the children. Not the taxpayers, not the district, not the buildings; the children. Stay focused. 

While I respect Mr. Briggs' desire to help the children, I believe he is neglecting one key demographic: pets. Where is the money for pets? My pets have never gotten a damn thing from NYPA. When NYPA built the Niagara Power Project, not only were many families displaced, but many pets were too. And we all know that it is difficult for pets to adapt to new surroundings. The emotional toll on pets is often overlooked and underestimated. It's time. We demand reparations from the New York Power Authority for the pain and suffering inflicted upon the pets of this community, and their ancestors, from NYPA! 

After all, it's all about the children! AND the pets! 

Buffalo Bills and Niagara County

With the news that a group of consultants for the Cuomo administration charged with evaluating potential sites for a new Buffalo Bills stadium has eliminated Niagara Falls from consideration, all we can say is, "thank God!".

Having the Bills play in Niagara Falls would be cool, there's no doubt about it. But it doesn't seem as if those pushing the move, including Falls Mayor Paul Dyster and County Legislator Jason Zona, have done a thing to weigh the financial implications of such a move.

Off the top, Erie County, the current home of the Bills, is on the hook for a multi-million subsidy every single year. Secondly, a new Bills stadium will cost upwards of a billion dollars. There is not a scenario in play under which the host county would not be on the hook for a significant portion of the bill.

Not a single story that I researched have either Dyster or Zona talking about the impact of such a move on the taxpayers of Niagara County, and that is irresponsible. In one piece in which Zona is discussing a resolution he sponsored to move the Bills to Niagara Falls, Zona is quoted as saying, "This is just a symbolic resolution that we don't want to lose our football team." That's cute. I'm sure the billionaires involved in the process of attempting to buy the Bills appreciate the hollow gesture.

The reality is that Niagara County can't afford to host the Buffalo Bills, never could afford to host the Bills, and this showboating makes those advocating for such a move looks like amateurs who have nothing better to do than waste the time of people who are important to the process.

On a somewhat related note, the Bills will once again torment their fans with another painful season that will see the team finish 6-10 and out of the playoffs for the 15th straight season. EJ is not ready for prime time, and drafting Watkins when you don't have a QB who can get him the ball will show to be an exercise in futility. The only reason they'll win six games is because of their D. Oh well, another lost season for the Bills and their fans is right around the corner.

Lockport Financial Disaster

Is there a more financially messed up municipality than the City of Lockport? I would have to venture not. In an unprecedented newspaper editorial for the community, the Lockport Union Sun & Journal, in one of the most strongly worded pieces I've ever seen, called for the immediate resignation of city Treasurer Mike White. We agree.

For the past several years, White has screwed up the books in the Lock City. He says the buck stops with him, but released this ridiculous statement blaming former Mayor Mike Tucker for, among other things, controlling the budget. Hmmmmm. My knowledge of city budgets is far from extensive, but one thing I know is that the Treasurer, not the Mayor, controls the budget. If indeed White's assertions that the former mayor controlled the budget are true, which we doubt, this tells us one of two things: he was too weak to stand up to Tucker when Tucker attempted to influence the budget process, or secondly, White is lying. We prefer the latter.

Whatever the outcome, the city's current financial meltdown is going to haunt city residents for a long, long time. With a $5 million loan from the state in the works, coupled with a reduction by Moody's in the city's bond rating from A2 to Baa3, a four notch drop, city residents are going to be paying for White's incompetence for at least a decade.

If indeed White does accept "full responsibility for the operations of my office and staff", as he states in his prepared statement to the press, he should step down and allow the city to hire someone who's actually qualified to manage the city's finances.

Falls Payouts

Just a short follow-up to our posts related to Niagara Falls last week: We are in the process of obtaining the state license associated with Cataract Development Corporation. This will tell us exactly what we need to know about the corporation in terms of the principals, not just the "agent", Mr. Cafarella. If the names we believe are on the certificate are actually on the certificate, several high-profile, politically connected individuals in Niagara Falls are going to have some serious explaining to do.

Secondly, our posts drew hundreds of responses on the Niagara Community Forum Facebook page, including responses from Jason Cafarella and Seth Piccirillo.

Mr Cafarella:

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.” This community forum is the market that allows the competition of ideas. I am happy that members of the community can use this outlet to swap ideas, opinions and concerns. My concern is not with this forum, though, it is with the anonymously written Niagara Buzz. That blog, in its two articles about Cataract Development Corporation, fabricated the details of the transaction and the procurement of the grant solely for political purposes. I firmly believe this was done in an attempt to smear the names of those involved and try to create a “scandal” to distract us from the current federal investigations facing the leadership of the Niagara County Republican party.

First and foremost, I have many corporate clients. Cataract Development Corporation is one of them. Most corporations elect their attorney to act as their “agent for process” in the event the corporation is sued in the future. Here, as Sam Archie explained, Cataract Development Corporation elected to use me as their “agent for process.” That is the only reason why my name is listed on the Secretary of State website when this corporation is searched.

Second, these properties were purchased by my client from three separate LLCs in New Jersey. Those LLCs had not paid their real estate taxes in many years and were in imminent danger of having those properties foreclosed on by the City. Before that happened, though, my client entered into an agreement whereby they bought the three properties and paid off more than $100,000.00 in past due real estate taxes.

Third, it has been offered, by Vinnie Sandonato, that Michael Capizzi should not have used me as an attorney. That is, at best, a silly proposition. Mike Capizzi has been a close friend of mine since our teenage years. I have represented him on other matters in the past. Clearly Mike Capizzi has opted to use me as his attorney because of our close relationship. It is unfortunate that Vinnie, a law student himself, doesn’t understand the basic fundamentals of an attorney-client relationship.

Lastly, Sandonato argues that I had to “vouch” for these projects. Again, this is untrue. The fact that these buildings, some of which are vacant and boarded up, will soon be remodeled, fully rented and generating tax revenue, is proof enough of the viability of the project. Nobody had to “vouch” for this project. The proof is simple: Mike Capizzi has put his own money and reputation on the line to revitalize these buildings. If he doesn’t complete the project, then he does not qualify for the grant, and he will receive no reimbursement. It is that simple.

In closing, what I have offered above are facts. They can be verified by anyone by simply going to City Hall, the County Clerk’s Office and the County Treasurers Office. 

I am glad that this forum allowed us to test the veracity of those blasphemous stories in the Buzz. In the future, we should all take caution, though, when grand stories of corruption and scandal are offered when the author will not even take ownership of the words he puts forward. Unfortunately, those making these baseless assertions against me are doing it in secrecy and are doing so for political reasons.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my concerns.

Mr Piccirillo:

Originally, I was not going to respond to the “Niagara Buzz” conversation, because I believe the post’s purpose was to get a reaction through misinformation. Unfortunately, I can see through the comments that this plan worked. I believe it was first posted on Facebook by Patricia Castillo who stated that I was trying to “put one over on us.” Making that comment is her right. Taking the high road is my right as well. Responding to a personal attack just because a person, website or newspaper wants you to makes no sense to me. However, when that behavior causes confusion in the public, or targets local investors looking to transform vacant buildings, I take issue because it’s bad business.

I am not going to get into a political argument, or insult anyone via Facebook. Instead, I have provided facts about the recent small business investment in downtown Niagara Falls. I would be more than happy to discuss those facts and your opinions of them. More importantly, please call me directly at 286-8801 or message me if you want to talk further. I think that’s better than a blog. I apologize for the length, thanks for your time.

1. The city did not own or sell these buildings. They were owned by an out of town investor who had fallen far behind on taxes, and maintenance. The buildings have been mostly vacant for some time.

2. Buildings with back taxes cannot be sold with back taxes. A new purchaser needs to essentially pay the back taxes in addition to the purchase price. These buildings were headed to tax foreclosure. That gives a sense of the large dollar amount being dealt with. The final purchase price then becomes sale price plus back taxes.

3. There are no grant “payouts.” Every dollar granted by the city for building rehabilitation is dollar for dollar and reimbursable only after project completion and inspection. Money is never given to a person for a discretionary purpose – only documented, labor and materials. It never hits a back account as a deposit. Money needs to be spent by the private sector before the public money is released. I have seen posts about past practices in this city and a few references to criminal activity. My department is audited by the federal government. We are audited by an independent auditor. We run an effective and legal process here. I would also say confidently that we are transparent.

Tina Cosentino Flynn in the past, you have discussed the matching grant process in North Tonawanda as a positive. We run the same style of matching program. I will state again, every dollar is reimbursable and matching. Ideally, vacant buildings would not be vacant, roofs would not be caving in, and post casino price speculation would never have happened. In reality, we are racing the clock to find owners, investors and operators for these buildings across the city.

4. For the past ten years, the listed sale price of these properties and the needed renovation costs made them financially non-viable. Vacancy and disinvestment proves that. It took an established local, small business person in Mr. Capizzi, not a major company, to negotiate a price. He then set forth a plan and made the decision to spend thousands of dollars and a great deal of time to make market rate renovations to these buildings. A choice was made to reinvest in Niagara Falls. He also used a local lawyer to incorporate his company. I know we have lawyers and aspiring lawyers on this forum. Lawyers file legal paper work.

5. Do I think it makes a significant difference that Mr.Capizzi is local and established here? Yes. Am I encouraged by the fact that local business people have purchased over 9 buildings/40,000 square feet of property along Third Street within the last two years? Yes. Do I think it makes fiscal sense for the city to make a reimbursable investment, at a three to one return, in these projects? Yes. If they were viable on their own, we would not be staring at so many vacant buildings. I know there are different opinions on that. However, these buildings have sat and sat. Taxes have gone unpaid. Blight has set in. Action, not speculation, is needed.

6. There is a trend of making social media comments without research, saying things here that would not be said in person, and creating and sharing these anonymous blogs and articles. This article is written by Scoop Jameson. I doubt Scoop’s existence. I think he is a front used to score points in a political game that few people play or pay attention to. In the process, a local business person gets insulted for making a high risk investment and trying to make an improvement in our community. We should do better than anonymous and non factual. Let’s stop all this clinging to out dated party politics. Real people don’t care about it. It’s childish. There is real work to do.

We'll know all we need to know what the license comes in. If it's legit, we'll say so. If, as stated prior, those whose names we believe are on the license, it's going to be a problem for a corporation that just received a huge payout of public dollars after purchasing roughly a million dollars worth of property for $16,500. 

More Questions Arise on Niagara Falls Payouts

New details are emerging about the six-figure taxpayer-funded “grant” given by the City of Niagara Falls to a company that includes a Niagara Falls employee among its key officers—including both the amazingly low price paid for the buildings versus their asking price, and just how quickly the city managed to award money to the property’s new owners.

Yesterday, Niagara Buzz reported that the NFC Development Corp., the city’s economic development corporation, which is headed by Mayor Paul A. Dyster, had awarded $110,000 to improvements at three properties owned by something called the “Cataract Development Corp.” According to press accounts at the time, Cataract Development Corp. was Niagara Falls restaurateur Michael Capizzi Jr., but our own digging had turned up the name of city firefighters union boss Jason J. Cafarella as the party responsible for that corporation.

Additional documents uncovered by Niagara Buzz seem to confirm that Cafarella is, in fact, the registered agent for the company—a key bit of information withheld from the general public by the Dyster Administration.

By itself, that is troubling.  However, even more troubling is information that has come to us about what Cataract Development Corp. paid for the properties—and the price at which the City of Niagara Falls had listed them.

According to the Buffalo News, Cataract Development Corp. purchased the three properties, 435 Third St., 463 Third St., and 537-539 Third St., for $5,500 apiece.

Yet, according to the City of Niagara Falls’ own website, the asking price on 435 Third St. was $400,000, and the asking price on 463 Third St. was $325,000. There is no listing for 537-539 Third St., although the nearby property at 531 Third St. was listed at $635,000.

Based on those prices, it seems fair to say that a newly-created corporation allegedly headed by a restaurateur with no previous experience in real estate speculation, managed to get commercial property valued at roughly $1 million for just $16,500. That’s a little over 1% of the asking price!  That would seem implausible for even Donald Trump.

Now, add to that the speed with which the City of Niagara Falls moved to award the new property owners with a six-figure sum, and something smells rotten in City of Niagara Falls.  According to the Buffalo News, the property in question closed during the week ending June 6, yet on July 22, Mayor Dyster issued an agenda for a meeting of the NFC Development Corp. to set meeting dates and award six grants—three of them, totaling $110,000, set to go to Cataract Development Corp.

Anyone who has ever dealt with government knows that it moves at a glacial pace.  Yet, in a month and a half time, NFC Development Corp. and its officers were able to determine that a business model created by the new owners of three properties—owners who, according to what they told the public, were experienced only in making manicotti—was worth throwing $110,000 at.

And in light of a quote from Capizzi, the titular head of Cataract Development Corp., the viability of that business model itself is questionable.

“Without the city’s funds for the project, [Capizzi] said he estimated he would not turn a profit for 15 or 16 years, ‘so it wouldn’t be worth it on our end.’”

Let all of what we have just disclosed sink in.  Cataract Development Corp. paid $16,500 for properties that listed for roughly $1 million.  But their business model doesn’t show them turning a profit for “15 or 16 years” in the words of the man who allegedly heads the corporation.  And the city just threw a six-figure gift their way so they could turn a profit.

Now, add all that to what else you know:  that Jason J. Cafarella—a city employee and the head of a city union that just settled its contract with the city a few months ago, and took a bath on the deal—is the company’s legal representative.  That Cafarella is a Democrat politician, who held the County Legislature seat now occupied by fellow Falls firefighter Jason Zona. That a fellow Niagara Falls Democrat politician, Mayor Dyster, gave a company he is intimately involved with a $110,000 gift, courtesy of the taxpayers, even as he collects a $73,470 a year salary from those same city taxpayers.

Yesterday, Niagara Buzz said all of this merits further scrutiny.  Today, we’re saying that it merits a full-scale investigation.

Something smells very wrong here.

Niagara Falls Payouts Raise Questions

Niagara Buzz has learned that a Niagara Falls city firefighter and president of the Niagara Falls Firefighters Union is among the principals of a business venture that just received a six-figure payout from city hall—and the entire matter stinks.

We first learned of the six-figure “grant” in a Sunday afternoon post on the Facebook page of Niagara Falls Mayor Paul A. Dyster, which is screen captured below:

“It’s great to see reputable businessmen stepping up to the plate—especially when they’re replacing speculators who didn’t even pay taxes in many cases,” Dyster commented as he linked to a Sunday Buffalo News article by reporter Aaron Besecker.

That article discloses that Seth A. Piccirillo, the director of the Niagara Falls Community Development Department, awarded $130,000 in grants from the city’s economic development corporation—with nearly all of that money going to something called the “newly formed Cataract Development Corp.” 

The Buffalo News credits Michael Capizzi Jr., the co-owner of Michael’s Restaurant, a popular Italian eatery on Pine Avenue, with heading up Cataract Development Corp.  However, a simple Google search sheds some interesting light on that, as the screen capture below attests: 

If Michael Capizzi is Cataract Development, then why is Jason J. Cafarella listed?  And more importantly, who is Jason J. Cafarella?

Cafarella is the previously mentioned firefighters union president and city firefighter.  He is also a former Niagara County legislator.  This year, he is set to receive $73,470 from the city taxpayers as one of the Cataract City’s many firefighters (a $12,000 jump over last year’s salary, interestingly), according to SeeThroughNY.net.  Whether he is, in fact, the head of Cataract Development, or just a principal, or even merely doing the company’s legal work, this poses a serious ethical question—and one that goes to the core of Cafarella’s role as head of the firefighters union and which individuals make up the board of directors of the city’s economic development corporation.

The board of the NFC Development Corp., the city’s non-profit economic development corporation, is chaired by Mayor Paul Dyster (the same guy whose Facebook post initially alerted us to this story).  The members of the city-administered and taxpayer-funded agency’s board include the five members of the city council. Other board members include a former city council member and the wife of a former county legislator.

Therein lies the problem.

Cafarella, listed as the principal of Cataract Development Corp., and most certainly actively involved in its creation in some form, is president of Local 714 of the Uniformed Firefighters Association.  Just eight months ago, Cafarella led his union to settle a contentious four-year-long stalemate over its contract.  The deal city firefighters agreed to was called “modest” by the Buffalo News—Aaron Besecker, again—at the time it was struck:

The union got a “good result,” said President Jason Cafarella, which he described as “in line” with other city unions.

While they would have preferred a longer term, the union understands the city has a structural deficit and “definitely wants to be a part of the solution for the city.”

The Council also approved an agreement with the union that defers an increase in the minimum staffing levels – something required as part of an arbitration award in the late 1990s – for five years. If that requirement were to have gone into effect, the city would have had to hire about eight new firefighters, Mazur said.

Cafarella called the agreement to defer minimum staffing “a gesture of good faith on our part.”

Just eight months later, after Cafarella did so much to show “good faith” and be a “part of the solution for the city,” a property-management company that is identified as his, online, received a six-figure payout from the city to improve its properties.

According to Besecker’s article Sunday, “Mayor Paul A. Dyster called [Cataract Development Corp.’s] purchase ‘a godsend.’”

Forgive us if we think that the whole matter is much more worldly.

The Besecker article leaves many more questions unanswered than answered, beginning with the matter of who, precisely, Cataract Development Corp. is.  We have no doubt that Michael Capizzi Jr. is a partner in the venture, at a minimum.  However, that records indicate that the corporation is actually headed by Cafarella raises serious eyebrows.  Even if Cafarella can plausibly absolve himself of ownership, for the head of the firefighters’ union to be representing the legal interests of a corporation soliciting public money from the City of Niagara Falls as it goes before a corporation headed by a man who is both his boss and his labor-bargaining adversary is, to put it mildly, disquieting. 

All of this raises other questions, including who else, precisely, is an investing partner with Cataract Development—and whether any of those individuals are also city employees like Cafarella or current or former elected officials like Cafarella.  Besecker’s article also points to money being awarded to a business at the property that formerly housed the Orchard Grill—a failed restaurant that was owned by former Niagara County Legislator and school district employee Jason Murgia—and a hotel venture by Frank Strangio, the chairman of the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp.  While these last two may be in the realm of ethical, the red flags raised by Cafarella’s curious links to Cataract Development Corp. demand further scrutiny.

Same Ol' Niagara Falls

So the City of Niagara Falls had 21 streets on its list to be repaved this year, and plans for all 21 to be completed. However, instead of the 21 streets being repaved in-house, the city has decided to outsource 10 of them. Ten of them? Half of of your paving schedule needs to be outsourced? Who the heck planned that schedule? 

This is what happens when you get tens of millions of dollars in free money from the Seneca Nation - no accountability from your department heads. Instead of forcing Dave Kinney, the director of the city's public works, to do the job he said he would do, the city will just send the repaving out to bid, letting Kinney and his department off the hook. 

In the private sector, most people sit down with their boss at some point to outline goals for the year. So if I understand this correctly, Kinney sat down with someone to plot out his plan of action for the city's roads, which obviously occurred since they had this list of 21 streets, but Kinney missed his objective by 50%. In the private sector, that gets you fired. In Niagara Falls, it'll probably get you promoted. 

What's most troubling is that throughout the entire piece, no one asks or states how much the outsourcing of these 10 streets is going to cost or how it's going to be paid for. How is that possible, Jason Sondel? While the focus on Leona Scibilia adds just so much to the story, how about asking some relevant questions? I mean, we all know that both newspapers and good journalism are on life support, but I just don't freakin' get it. You're a reporter. REPORT. 

I want to know how much this is going to cost and how it's being paid for. I want to know how a department head can simply decide to outsource half his work. Are these unreasonable questions? 

County PW Building Failure

There are so many troubling aspects of this piece from the Buffalo News, I'm not really sure where to begin. Okay, the county needs a new public works facility since the current facility is decrepit and barely usable - so we're told.

What's very troubling is the fact that, after at least six years of talking about replacing the current building, not a thing has been done. I get it, government moves at glacial speed. But 10 years ago, employees of the public works department were pleading with the county legislature to replace their aging structure because it was unsafe and antiquated. Ten years later, they're still using it. So, were they lying then, or at least over-exaggerating, or has the building miraculously improved? Probably the former.

This is the type of thing that pisses taxpayers off. The county was prepared to drop over $40 million on a building that apparently they did not need at the time. Whether they need it now is open to debate since they've been crying wolf for a decade.

That being said, the most troubling aspect of this discussion is the fact that the Legislature "is to vote Tuesday on paying the Wendel engineering firm of Amherst $18,500 to come up with a floor plan and exterior renderings of the building."

Later in the piece, it states that, "Wendel has been under contract for the Public Works building’s design since 2008, when it was awarded a $545,740 consulting contract. Its new report is due by Dec. 31."

If Wendel, the politically connected engineering firm that donates heavily to the Niagara GOP, has been under contract for the Public Works building's design since 2008, why the hell are they being awarded another $18,500 to "come up with a floor plan and exterior renderings of the building"? Isn't that what they were paid $545,000 in 2008 to do? What have they done to earn the initial half a million dollars in taxpayer funds they were "awarded" six years ago? 

While we generally don't have a problem with the county legislature, this is horseshit. If they spend more money on more "renderings", they should all be fired. In addition, the fact that Wendel is coming to the legislature looking for more money is a real problem, considering they have already pocketed a hefty sum on this project alone, not to mention all the other work they get from the county. 

Since we don't want to be all critical without offering a solution to this building issue, we suggest a fine looking, well-constructed pole barn. Here's a nice one for under $20k, that's 40x104x12, likely more than sufficient to meet the county's needs. Throw in a concrete floor and a half dozen overhead doors, and I've just presented a nice solution for under $100k. Sorry, Wendel, we don't need you anymore.  

Bonnie & Clyde

We were honestly unsurprised yesterday when we read that Niagara County Legislator Jason A. Zona of Niagara Falls was proposing, in essence, an effort to grab sales tax dollars away from county government to help what the Buffalo News termed “needy municipalities.”

  

One can hardly blame Zona, who represents Niagara Falls, for wanting to steal other people’s money; after all, if any community meets the definition of a “needy municipality,” the decaying city that has been uncharitably described as “Detroit with a View” and “Nagasaki Falls” over the years certainly does.  So, while we are unimpressed by Zona’s larcenous idea, we’re not surprised.

What does surprise us, though, is that Zona seems to be little more than the Sundance Kid to Legislator Clyde Burmaster’s Butch Cassidy.  Or maybe more accurately, Jason is Bonnie and Clyde is…well, Clyde.

This is an incredibly bad idea, and we can only imagine most of Niagara County’s 12 town supervisors would have to have a problem with it.  After all, this is a naked attempt to grab money from them.

Upon reading the resolution, it became apparent that Zona, who represents the Town of Niagara, is looking to gain that town a larger share of sales tax revenues based on the siting of the Fashion Outlet mall there.  Which might seem fair, at first, until someone actually examines how county government raises its revenue.

The county gets money, primarily, from three pots.  The largest, by far, is state aid.  Most programs run by the county are mandated by the state, and while every politician rails against unfunded mandates, the state does, in fact, fund many of them to a large extent.  However, the county must come up with more than 1/3 of its own money, to pay for, among other things, the local share of social services and Medicaid, and sheriff’s road patrols in their entirety.

That means the communities with the highest property values pay a disproportionate share of the property tax burden.  Interestingly, some of the highest-valued housing stock in the entire county can be found in Burmaster’s own district: places like Youngstown Estates and several high-end neighborhoods in the Town of Lewiston.

This blog does not attempt to understand what makes Clyde Burmaster tick, but it sure seems strange that he’s willing to sacrifice his own constituents to benefit Zona’s.

We just hope that the rest of the Legislature’s Republicans don’t follow Burmaster’s lead.  And, come to think of it, we will say the same about the supervisors of the county’s 11 towns not named “Niagara.” 

Considering Dennis Brochey is closely aligned with Zona and Burmaster, though, we can’t help but wonder if he will follow Bonnie and Clyde’s lead and rob his own constituents.

Can Ortt Win?

As Rob Ortt makes the rounds as a candidate for New York State Senate, the question is, can he win? Ortt seems to be a pretty affable guy, and is well liked in North Tonawanda, where he serves as mayor. He's young and good looking, which will work in his favor, especially with the ladies. He's a veteran who served in Afghanistan, and his anti-SAFE Act position will help him in the rural parts of the district. He hasn't made any mistakes as the chief exec of NT, and he's respected among his peers.

Ortt is facing a GOP primary from Gia Arnold, a right-wing gun nut from Orleans County, whose support comes from the likes of Rus Thompson, a guy who's famous for wearing one of those idiotic revolutionary war costumes and serving jail time for a hit and run. There are few people on the planet who actually think Arnold will win. After Ortt disposes of the 24 year-old mother with three kids who wants to play politics, he'll face Johnny Destino, who continues to strive for some level of importance, but won't ever be anything more than a school board member. Oh, and two years ago, Destino was a Tea Party conservative, who all of the sudden is a die hard Democrat who agrees with everything Andrew Cuomo and communist Bill DeBlasio spew. No, that's a problem, Johnny. Theeeeeeere's Johnny, heading straight into another loss.

Fortunately for Ortt, he's probably going to win the seat by default. He's lucky that the Democrats didn't persuade Destino to drop out and substitute someone like Niagara County Sheriff James Voutour, a popular and amiable guy who would be a real problem for Ortt and the GOP. Personally, I'm not voting for anyone who likes Notre Dame, so that's one less vote for Ortt.

Just kidding, I'll vote for Ortt, because I know how critical it is to keep this seat out of the hands of New York City liberals; and because Arnold and Destino have no business serving in Albany. So, the answer is, yes - Ortt can win, and probably will. 

Will Cuomo Dance?

Today's visit to Western New York by Governor Andrew Cuomo could be the most important public appearance of his career by Cuomo. As detailed in the New York Times last week, Cuomo is being accused of sicking his attack dogs on the now-defunct Moreland Commission, which Cuomo created to look into the widespread political corruption plaguing the state.

Since the Times piece appeared six days ago, Cuomo has been nowhere to be found. His silence has been deafening, and extremely out of character for the governor, who had never previously turned down an opportunity to get his face in front of the cameras.

Today's appearance at the University of Buffalo, which is intended to be an economic development announcement by Cuomo, is sure to be dominated by questions surrounding Cuomo's role in hindering the Moreland Commission. The $64,000 question is, will Cuomo step up and take responsibility for what is being alleged or will he duck and run? My guess is that he dances, if he even bothers to address any questions.

Cuomo is no dummy. He knows that U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is now in possession of the commission's documents. Any public statements he makes on this issue will be very closely monitored by Bharara, and any "inconsistencies" will be noted. That makes today's appearance in Buffalo, which would normally be another ho-hum dog and pony show, very interesting.

Cuomo the Obstructionist

If you're interested in getting a very inside look into the political workings of New York State, this is an absolutely fascinating piece from the New York Times. The article provides a close look at the now-defunct Moreland Commission, the panel set up by Gov. Cuomo to look into corruption in the state, as well as the massive interference by Cuomo lackeys to derail the efforts of the honest members of the commission.

Excerpts from the piece include, "The pulled-back subpoena was the most flagrant example of how the commission, established with great ceremony by Mr. Cuomo in July 2013, was hobbled almost from the outset by demands from the governor’s office", and "But a three-month examination by The New York Times found that the governor’s office deeply compromised the panel’s work, objecting whenever the commission focused on groups with ties to Mr. Cuomo or on issues that might reflect poorly on him."

Cuomo should be very worried. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, once he sinks his teeth into a target, is like a dog with a bone - he's not letting go until he's finished with it. The piece also speaks very loud volumes about Cuomo, who's proving to be little more than just another dirty pol with a massive ego and even bigger ambitions that he'll do anything to protect. 

The Head of the Snake

There's an old saying, "Cut off the head of the snake, and the body will fall". One definition states that the idiom is usually applicable in a military application in which you remove the most dangerous opponent or the leader first, so the other enemies will be easier to deal with.

In Niagara County, the unquestioned political head of the snake has been George Maziarz. He has lead the GOP for 20 years, and overseen an unprecedented run of success for the Republican Party, a run that includes a supermajority in the county legislature and a Republican supervisor in nearly every town in the county. He has built an hierarchy of success.

Now, with the announcement by Maziarz that he is not seeking re-election, what does it mean for the political landscape in the county? Can the Democrats finally make some inroads? Is Nick Forster, who has shown little since replacing Dan Rivera, capable of leading a resurgence of the party? Is Scott Kiedrowski, who has shown less than Rivera since taking over for Michael Norris, capable of maintaining what Maziarz and Henry Wojtaszek built? Possibly.

Following Wojtaszek as chairman of the party was not an enviable task. Norris did it, but quickly found himself out of his league, and his short tenure ended abruptly. In steps Kiedrowski, who offers little in terms of political acumen, but has succeeded by riding the coattails of Maziarz and Wojtaszek. While Wojtaszek inspired those around him, Kiedrowski alienates them. Without Maziarz at the top, it's hard to imagine Kiedrowski maintaining the GOP's success. It's no secret that Kiedrowski has his sights set on succeeding County Clerk Jagow when he steps aside, but that may not be as easy as he thinks without Maziarz leading the way. A Facebook page for extremely popular Deputy County Clerk Wendy Roberson has recently popped up, indicating an early divide within the party, as Roberson is also a Republican.

Add in premature departures of Lockport Mayor Mike Tucker, Niagara Supervisor Steve Richards. and Lewiston Supervisor Steve Reiter, and the Niagara GOP finds itself in unfamiliar territory. The only thing the GOP has going for it is the utter incompetence of the county Democrats, and there's no sign that they're ready to turn things around. The massive divide between the Dyster people and Destino people is well known in political circles. If there was ever a sign that the county Dems are not ready for prime time, it's the fact that John Ceretto is unopposed.

If nothing else, things should at least be a little more competitive around here, much more competitive than they've been over the past 10 years.

Turmoil

Picking up where we left off yesterday, we'd be remiss if we didn't address the current investigation into the campaign finances of Senator George Maziarz. For the record, we like George. He's been an excellent advocate for the people he represents, and his reputation for personally returning phone calls made to his office by constituents is well known.

During time in office, George has been a prolific fundraiser. As of his last filing, Maziarz has over $1 million in his campaign account. At this point, all we know that there is an investigation. We don't know if Maziarz is the focus of the investigation, and we don't the what sparked it. We do know that at two members of his staff, both of whom resigned recently, have been issued subpoenas to provide information and documents.

In a nutshell, everything related to this investigation is purely speculation at this point. But that's not what we want to talk about.

Maziarz is not running again - we all know this. What's disconcerting is how uninformed some people are when it comes to what this means to our community and the region as a whole. Maziarz is one of the most powerful people in a New York State Senate that is currently led by a coalition of Republicans and Democrats. That power-sharing arrangement, which keeps the Republican Party relevant in New York, is likely to come to an end if the Republicans lose the majority outright in November. If this happens, the Democrats will control the Senate, Assembly, and governor's seat. And that my friends, would be a disaster for western New York.

This is not about political parties; this about downstate New York gaining control of the state. If you're a Democrat, and you think this scenario will be good for us, you're downright out of your mind. All of New York outside of the city will become an afterthought. Forget about the Buffalo Billion. Forget about any state subsidies for a new Buffalo Bills stadium. Forget about our roads, bridges, and infrastructure. Every excess dollar will find its way to New York City.

Rob Ortt, the mayor of North Tonawanda, is the GOP's chosen one to replace Maziarz. Gia Arnold, a gun-rights advocate, is also running. On the Democratic line, perennial candidate Johnny Destino gets the nod. In our opinion, Ortt has the best shot to hold the seat, and holding the seat is what's important for our area. Not because he's a Republican, because it keeps the seat out of the hands of New York City. If Destino were to win, he'd be an upstate, Democratic senator in a caucus dominated by New York City. In other words, he'd be impotent.

As difficult of a concept as it is to comprehend, Democrats need to understand that voting in a Democratic majority in the Senate will decimate western New York. That's bigger than party politics.

Niagara Buzz

With the announcement that Senator George Maziarz will not be seeking re-election, , the political landscape in Niagara County, as well as western New York as a whole, is likely to be transformed. Maziarz, 61, who is unquestionably the most powerful political figure in the county, is stepping down after 19 years in the State Senate. Furthermore, Maziarz leaves under the cloud of a federal investigation into his campaign finances, threatening to tarnish his legacy as a public servant in the community that he has built since being appointed to the position of North Tonawanda City Clerk at the age of 25.

With that, Niagara Buzz is poised to hit the proverbial streets. As we get on our feet, there will be some bumps along the way, so we ask you to be patient. We are aiming to provide insight, perspective, and opinions on things political in the county and region. Whether commentary will be allowed has yet to be determined, but one thing for sure is that the site will not be a free-for-all filled with unsubstantiated personal attacks and name calling like too many other sites. The frequency of posts is also undetermined at this point, but with all that's happening on the political scene, we expect to be busy.

Enjoy.