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Justice delayed is justice denied, they say, but in the case of Mayor Irene Elia and her wanton spree of disregarding one of the state's most basic traffic laws, there won't be any justice at all.
Over the past two months, Elia has been accused by two Niagara Falls Coach Line bus drivers of recklessly speeding past when the buses were stopped, with emergency lights flashing, to pick up or drop off school children.
The first incident occurred on May 9 near the intersection of Main Street and Portage Road. The second took place near the intersection of Main Street and Willow Avenue on July 9. In both cases, the drivers reported the motorist who endangered the lives of innocent children was driving a car with license plate "NF1," which is registered in Elia's name.
Following the first incident, the mayor's taxpayer-funded public relations specialist, Earl Wells, succeeded in keeping the report out of the local daily newspaper. Wells and the newspaper's publisher belong to some of the same clubs and have a cozy relationship.
But after an article in the June 4 edition of the Reporter exposed the cover-up, the newspaper in question felt obliged to do a story on the mayor's July 9 transgression.
A spokesman for the bus drivers said the incidents were reported to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, which has yet to take any action. And if past history is any indication, the likelihood of any such action is slim to none.
In an exclusive interview, Niagara Falls City Police Department Capt. Andrew Viglucci -- commander of the traffic division -- told the Reporter he can't recall a case in which the DMV requested the police to investigate such a matter.
"I've been here a long time and we've never been contacted by an outside agency on something like this," he said.
Prosecution of Elia for the offenses would be difficult, he added.
"If an officer didn't witness it, it would be pretty difficult to take action," he said.
Ranking in seriousness with drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident, passing a school bus with warning lights flashing is typically the result of simple carelessness, Viglucci said.
"It's not something most people do intentionally, it's usually just from not paying attention."
Not paying attention. The road to hell is paved with people who were not paying attention.
And if the mayor's driving on that or any other road, and you're a kid who thinks even a simpleton knows enough to stop for a school bus when its lights are flashing, you'd better think again.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | July 23 2002 |