City should “set the table” for developers, not buy groceries and cook the meal, according to Council member

As most of you know, Niagara Falls has lost population and jobs along with much of its spirit over the past thirty years. Yet many fine, hard-working people still live here. 

As such, our resident-taxpayers should be considered first. I believe that, if we treat our city dollars responsibly, and if we’re up-front with voters, we can bring Niagara Falls back. 

First, I think we have to end the “pay to play attitude.” Last year, city and state government gave $450,000 of taxpayer cash to an Idaho promoter to operate a “holiday market.” We’re the number two tourism destination in the state, with an international reputation, so why did we pay that promoter a dime? We have product and  identity. If anyone doubts that, they weren’t watching Nik Wallenda walk over Niagara Falls on June 15. 

The Hard Rock Cafe concert series is another example. City of Niagara Falls funds shouldn’t be used to support the concerts of a major franchise with a worldwide following. While I think it is great to have concerts downtown, it should be, like other cities,  through private funding. The city’s commitment to providing public safety and public works is enough of a contribution to help bring live music to the downtown area. 

The newly announced Community Development plan to lure college graduates to Niagara Falls so our taxpayers can pay their student loans is a bad idea. We paid a promoter to run a failed holiday event.We’re paying the Hard Rock Corporation to stage concerts. Now we’re going to pay college students to live in our city. 
I see a pattern there.

Whether it’s casino cash, money raised from property taxes or federal dollars from Washington, its taxpayer money. And that’s the point: government has to start treating taxpayer dollars as if it were our own household cash. These monies didn’t fall out of the sky. Somewhere, taxpayers are kicking in, paying up or being billed.

Our new $50 million + courthouse ran wildly over budget. That was our taxpayer dollar. Some will say, “Don’t worry about it, a lot of that money came from the Unified Court System, not your pocket!” That attitude is exactly the problem. The courthouse is costing us $3 million just to cover the annual debt. That was to be paid from casino funds. We don’t have casino funds, but we have the building debt and courthouse maintenance costs.

The new train station will cost more than $40 million. We can debate  whether it will have riders, but we still don’t know where all the $40 million is coming from. Some was to come from casino funds, now gone. 

How many people realize that millions of dollars that should have been set aside for Buffalo Ave. roadwork was, over past years, diverted to the train station? This is what I mean when I talk about: 1) respect for the taxpayer dollar and 2) transparency in government. Our city cannot and will not improve and grow until we practice these two principals. 

When it comes to making the city better, when it comes to economic development, and when it comes to creating an economy that grows jobs, the City of Niagara Falls can only work to “set the table” and create the climate to make good things happen. The City isn’t supposed to buy the groceries and prepare dinner so the private sector can eat the meal at taxpayer expense. 
No amount of subsidizing promoters or using tax dollars to pay a college grad’s student loan is going to be successful in the long run. 

What will work? How do we “set the table?” By lowering the crime rate. By cleaning streets, controlling and, yes, even lowering taxes for residents and businesses and tearing down  buildings blighting the city. It’s tough work, but it’s the way to make things better. 

If we put our shoulder to the wheel and do the heavy lifting maybe someday we’ll read news stories about how people are moving to Niagara Falls because they want to, not because they’re being paid to.