Council Survey Delivers Message But Will Present Administration Listen

The creation, execution and the release of the results of the "2015 City Council Survey and Action Plan" by Council Chairman Andrew Touma was bold.

How often do you find an elected official going to the people to listen, to ask them to fill out a survey to tell them how good or bad a job they're doing.

Usually it's the politicians who tell the people how good they're doing.

Yeah there's a lot of difference between hearing and listening.

The survey had approval numbers for the administration of Mayor Paul Dyster, who is running for reelection this year, that could be described as dismal.

Touma, as chairman of the council, comes under the umbrella of the dark cloud administration.

But he released the survey anyway.

His candid release of terrible approval numbers for the delivery of essential services of streets, snow plowing, crime fighting and the spending of casino cash, shows Touma at least made an effort to record the voice of the people.

Perhaps the bad results were unexpected by the second year councilman.

Or perhaps he knew it was coming and did it to educate the mayor and his followers.

Know or listen to those who know.

Dyster has been fiddling 'Happy Hollow' while the city is burning.

He spends "his" casino money like it's a thing apart - never to go to the amelioration of the suffering of the people of this city - but to glamorously shallow things- real to himself and his Buffalo and Albany friends, but fake and hollow to the people.

He can't get streets paved, crime tackled, garbage picked up, or repeat frozen water lines repaired but he thinks the people will celebrate because he got millions to Hamister to build a hotel or millions more to USA Niagara to put on parties on Old Falls Street.

Maybe Touma created and released his survey in the spirit of that philosopher who said, it takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear.

It remains to be seen if Dyster will stop telling us how wonderful he is doing, for a moment, and try to hear.

Mayor Paul Dyster has spent more than $100 million of casino cash in the last few years and yet 76% of those who responded to a survey said there was either no impact or a negative impact from his being the "Gatekeeper" of the casino money.