Your story on the Maid of the Mist was chronologically concise, and easy to read and understand. I hope it motivates your readers to contact the powers that be in Albany and their local state representatives to fight to open the boat tour to an open bid, for their own good.
You might wish to explain how taxpayers and citizens could do their part in getting things changed, like we did in Canada.
I believe it would pay if you added names and contact information for your readers to call, write, fax or email to their representatives, to make it easier for them.
We do this when possible at Preserve Our Parks.
In hard times like today, everyone is looking for a new source of income. The New York State Parks are operating with a crippling shortfall. But now, there is a way to infuse the system with a windfall!
The Canadian citizens group Preserve Our Parks, was instrumental in helping to overturn the lease with the Maid of the Mist so that interested companies could bid on the contract. The resulting competitive bid brought an astonishing $500 million dollars in the new lease for the boat tours at the base of the falls. This money will get the Niagara Parks Commission in Canada out of debt and remove the burden that was on the taxpayers.
Similarly, the lease for the Maid of the Mist in New York State needs to be reopened and put out to tender for bids from any and all interested parties. After all, the existing lease between the Maid of the Mist and New York State was achieved through misinformation, claiming to be the “sole source provider” on the Canadian side, which is not true.
At a time when the need for money is so acute, how can your politicians stand by and not demand a new lease that will generate millions of dollars to relieve New York State taxpayers?
We urge you, the people of New York State, to exert pressure on your representatives to demand action and do the right thing for their constituents. Take the initiative! Call and write your politicians now. To save the parks and stop the layoffs, demand that the contract be reopened immediately. You, too can make a difference!
Again, let me say the Niagara Falls Reporter’s reporting was a job very well done. Let's see more. People need to see the truth, over and over.
Patricia Salci Mangoff is the Coordinator of Preserve Our Parks, in Niagara Falls, Ontario. |