While the number of signatures collected on nominating petitions may not be indicative of the number of votes a candidate will receive, it does reflect the amount of energy expended by the various candidates in their quest for office.
And, by that standard, Mayor Irene Elia doesn't even seem to be breaking a sweat.
In a city of 50,000 mostly Democrat residents, the embattled mayor managed to muster just 751 signatures, far more than the 333 she needed, but still a paltry number by any standard. As she's not facing an opponent in the primary, the Republican leadership in the county has grudgingly thrown her their lukewarm support.
In contrast, Democratic hopeful and county Legislator Sam Granieri convinced 3,029 voters to sign his petitions, and garnered more than 1,000 of the signatures himself. City Councilman Vince Anello came in a distant second on the Democrat line with 1,898 signatures, followed by Glenn Choolokian with 1,692. Bringing up the rear by a single signature was City Councilman Paul Dyster, with 1,691. The Democratic candidates needed a minimum of 849 signatures to qualify for the ballot.
With less than two months to go before the primary, the Democratic mayoral candidates need to start explaining how they are different from their opponents.
While Granieri has his record in the Legislature to live down, Anello needs to show he's not the hothead often depicted in the mainstream media. Choolokian, a city employee, would do well to have an issue other than "I'm not a politician." And Dyster needs to explain how he could vote for Elia's proposals more than 95 percent of the time over the past four years and still represent change.
Steve D'Anna, who's running for county Legislator in the First District here in Niagara Falls, had a fine turnout last week at his reception at Cafe Etc. on Third Street.
A civil engineer with a Ph.D. who was born and bred in Niagara Falls, he's married to Nicole D'Anna, a rising star in District Attorney Matt Murphy's office, currently assigned to Niagara Falls City Court. D'Anna works in the district, and is raising his family here.
It so happens that I -- along with Reporter Publisher Bruce Battaglia and Senior Editor Rebecca Day -- also live in the First District.
Our business office is located here as well.
Over the past five years, our currently elected county representative to the Legislature, Dan Mocniak, has done nothing -- absolutely nothing -- for the district. The $18,000 a year we pay him, in addition to the salary he gets from his regular job, has resulted in a benefit for those of us who live and work in the district that amounts to less than zero.
Those of you living elsewhere might disagree, but the First District -- which encompasses the falls themselves and the Seneca Niagara Casino, in addition to being at the center of all of the planned major development in the county -- needs something more than a bump on a log in the county Legislature.
And, while we have rarely had to clarify or correct anything that's been printed in these pages since beginning publication in June, 2000, this week I must.
In a story I wrote for the July 8 edition, I stated that former Greater Niagara Newspapers Editor Terry Shaw had been promoted to the position of associate publisher of the group.
I based this assertion on the best insider information available at the time and, while not incorrect, it is today in need of clarification.
Shaw was indeed named associate publisher, but of the Tonawanda News, a pipsqueak paper, even by the lowly standards of GNN.
In fact, when Shaw was lured to his editorship at the Niagara Gazette some six years ago, he was already acting as general manager of the Tonawanda News, which was then owned by another company.
The phrase, "kicked upstairs," takes on a whole new meaning. No longer will Shaw's dubious insights on Niagara Falls politics carry any weight, his callous disregard for worker's rights here will matter no more.
Of course we wish Terry the best of luck in his new position, which is to say, bent over.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | July 15 2003 |