City Hall sources told the Reporter this week that one of the first things lame-duck Mayor Irene Elia did following her disastrous loss on Election Day was to order the Public Works Department not to put up the festive downtown Christmas decorations that have long been a tradition in Niagara Falls.
It can't be a matter of not having room in the budget, as the administration managed to find money to spend on sending a number of soon-to-be-former city department heads to Baltimore for a week-long seminar, and also to send soon-to-be-former police Chief Christopher Carlin on an all-expenses-paid junket to Washington, D.C., where he will receive training that will presumably help him when he goes back to work for the county Sheriff's Department this week.
No, this was clearly a case of sour grapes, of a petty and vindictive politician taking one last swipe at an electorate that had the temerity to throw her out of office.
Talk about the Grinch who stole Christmas.
In a related development, Elia also had City Administrator Al Joseph write a letter to the Main Street Business and Professional Association granting the organization permission to use City Hall for its second annual Winter Ball on Jan. 24.
Prior to last year, when Elia created a storm of controversy by holding the high-priced event at City Hall and acting as its unofficial hostess, the building had never before been used as a venue for private parties. Eyebrows were also raised because Elia's family business, the Comfort Inn, was awarded the lucrative contract to cater the soiree.
Joseph wrote the letter on Nov. 26, more than three weeks after Elia's defeat. He wrote it in the knowledge that neither he nor Elia would be in office on the day the party was scheduled, and likely took great pleasure in the fact that he was creating a headache for the incoming administration.
Several local and out-of-town developers have been on the phone to Birmingham, Ala., recently, talking to those in charge at Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. about the possibility of buying the Niagara Gazette property.
Most of the Gazette's advertising positions and all of the mailroom and printing jobs have long since been moved to North Tonawanda, and the increasingly skeletal newsroom staff seems out of place in a building that once housed more than 150 workers.
In Lockport, the landmark building that housed the Lockport Union-Sun and Journal was sold, and its shrinking staff moved into a small warren of offices located above a drugstore in a strip mall. As with the Gazette, most of the paper's jobs were moved to North Tonawanda.
Well, enough with all this unpleasantness. The city has a new mayor and a new-look Council, and there are plenty of fresh faces on the county Legislature as well. This can only be for the good.
Going into 2004, I'm cautiously optimistic.
The development taking place on Third Street is particularly encouraging. In the past year, Paul Morreale and Frank Smith opened Third Street Liquors, Steve Fournier opened Cafe Etc., Dan Vecchies opened Shadow, Dawn Manzella opened Dawn's Deli, Five Brothers International opened Club 427 and Joe Anderson opened the Mailbu.
The new establishments have joined Bragg's, Unc's, Donatello's, the Taj Mahal India and the Crown India buffet on Third Street to create an entertainment district with a lot of potential.
For proof of that, you need look no farther than the hugely successful street fair held there in September.
Remember, it's only been a year since the Seneca Niagara Casino opened its doors, and the revitalization of Third Street is just the beginning of what can be expected throughout the neighborhood.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and you're not going to reverse three decades of neglect, abuse and corruption in 365 days.
As for us here at the Reporter, we're going on vacation. We take two weeks a year and this is one of them.
Stay safe and, if you're drinking, stay off the road.
Have a great Christmas and a happy New Year, and we'll see you again on Jan. 6.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | December 23 2003 |