The garden spot of Goat Island hosted two events recently that say quite a lot about what goes on here.

First, of course, was Nik Wallenda’s high wire walk across the falls from the United States to Canada.
The second was last week’s concert by the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Wallenda didn’t cost taxpayers a dime and brought in money for the local economy. It’s been estimated that 100,000 people showed up to watch the event. It reminded people around the world that Niagara Falls is as spectacular and beautiful as ever.

Still, Dyster refused to embrace the event, or acknowledge that Sen. George Maziarz and NFR Executive Vice President, Roger Trevino combined to stage a world-class event.

Dyster opposed the event from the start and only praised afterward.

The BPO concert, on the other hand, was something Dyster originally wanted taxpayers to help fund to the tune of $5,000.
The council majority, led by Chairman Sam Fruscione, along with Council Members Robert Anderson and Glenn Choolokian, refused to approve taxpayer money going to fund a concert in the New York State Park.

“You got to be kidding me,” Choolokian said, “The State Park wants to have a concert and they expect Niagara Falls taxpayers to pay!”

The idea of a municipality paying a concert promoter such as the Hard Rock Café hundreds of thousands of public money to promote concerts locally is one that the mayor came up with himself. Lockport, the Tonawandas and cities and towns all across the land charge promoters to hold concerts in public areas.

Yet, when the City Council turned down the request for $5,000 to help pay for the BPO concert, Councilwoman Kristin Grandinetti complained, "It's a park that is within our city limits and for the amount of (not her money, but your) money, it was fair with it being such a high-quality performance."

"We think it really classes up the downtown concert series,” the mayor said.

The Council majority was unconvinced. Still, the show went on, thanks to First Niagara Bank donating the money.

Dyster’s Hard Rock Concert series – which will cost taxpayers $200,000 this year, has been an indefensible waste of taxpayer money.

Business owners throughout the city and especially those downtown, where the concerts are held, say the Hard Rock events hurt them. Hard Rock, which holds these taxpayer funded concerts on the busiest nights of the year, gets traffic control veering traffic away from other businesses, and enjoys exclusive rights to concessions as thousands of tourists who are not actually going to their concert pass by on their way to and from the state park.

As was the case with his failed Holiday Market, Dyster isn’t sharing information about where the tax money went, how much the performers received, or how much was pocketed by the Hard Rock, a multinational corporation owned by the Seminole Nation of Indians in Florida.

Contrast this with the Wallenda event, which filled hotel rooms from here to Buffalo, provided Niagara Falls eateries and watering holes with business and was broadcast live around the nation on ABC. It will be the subject of Discovery Channel reality series.

The boost to the local economy was immediate. The value of the once-in-a-lifetime promotion of Niagara Falls as a major tourist destination is incalculable. The $1.5 million cost of the event was paid by the promoters.

Event promotion is best left to professional promoters who need to make a profit on every show. Bureaucrats don’t care whether shows make money or not, since it’s only the taxpayers’ money that’s invested and they get paid regardless of attendance.

You wouldn’t let your auto mechanic do your taxes so why would you let a small town politician like Paul Dyster promote concerts on your dime?