Anderson Rebuts Rumors on Hamister Deal

Robert Anderson gives his reasons for supporting the Hamister hotel

Rumors circulated throughout Pine Avenue and elsewhere as word leaked out over the weekend that City Councilman Robert Anderson was planning on supporting the Hamister hotel proposal - as to why he was breaking ranks with his two colleagues that formed the council majority, Sam Fruscione and Glenn Choolokian.

One of the most prevalent rumors was that certain representatives from Gov. Andrew Cuomo had gotten to the retired Air Force Vet and hinted that his son, Robert Anderson 111, who works as legislator-director for New York State Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes in Albany might have a problem if Bob did not support Hamister now.

The other rumor was that a beat up Anderson would retire before the end of the year and make way for Alicia Laible, the chairwoman of the City of Niagara Falls Democratic Party.

Councilman Anderson who had heard these and various other rumors was glad to set the record straight.

"My son's job was threatened if Bob Anderson didn't rubber stamp this bullshit? Let me tell you, if I was being intimidated, me or my son, I would be the first to call the authorities."

He laughed at the notion of his retiring.

"I am not quitting unless I have another stroke and I cannot serve. All those accusations are erroneous and full of buffalo juice. I have no intention of stepping down. Voters put me in for one reason: to represent them."

Anderson described how he met behind the scenes with Steve Pigeon, increasingly seen as one of the Governor's top local go-to guys, and Sam Hoyt, regional president of Empire State Development, who helped broker the deal to make the Hamister deal stronger for the city.

"Hoyt has given me assurance that 'Bob Anderson' and the governor have come up with a scenario and he is going to accept the three items that I talked about as necessary for the hotel. That is why I am going to support this project. We have come up with the agreement that all work to be done on this project will be done by people who live in the city and if they don't have the right or enough people in Niagara Falls then the jobs will go out to people in Niagara county," said Anderson.

"Secondly, that there will be a performance bond to guarantee the project and there will be no subordination in the reverter clause so that if we get the property back because the hotel cannot be financed or built then it will come back debt free. The reverter clause, the way it was originally written, they can take and stick it up their ass."

Crediting Hoyt, Pigeon and the governor for finally sitting down with him, a man who won two presidential citations in the US Air Force for his work in procurement and contract negotiation, he suggested that the administration of Mayor Paul Dyster ignored him and other council members.

"To date, I have not had any conversation with your mayor" on this project.