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We've come to expect very little of our elected representatives here in Niagara Falls. From City Hall to the County Courthouse, to the hallowed halls of Albany and beyond to Washington, what we've gotten over the past few years has been dog-and-pony shows of varying competence, promises, promises and more promises.
Now we've got a problem, and the three people in the world in a position to do something about it, the three people we've elected to take care of such problems for us, are doing nothing.
So Hillary Clinton, Charles Schumer and John LaFalce, this one's for you.
The federal Small Business Administration, for years located in the Occidental Chemical Building on Niagara Street, has announced plans to seek new quarters in Amherst. That's another 100 good-paying permanent jobs leaving the Falls, along with another 300 or so seasonal positions. Another devastating blow to the city's economy.
SBA officials say they want out because their landlords -- the Williams family -- have allowed the building to fall into disrepair. Furthermore, they charge, the gaping hole in the ground that was to have been AquaFalls, and the elimination of the pedestrian walkway that creating the hole entailed, presents significant safety risks for SBA employees.
It's kind of ironic that another goofy scheme to create jobs and pump money into the local economy has instead had the exact opposite effect. No, it's really ironic.
In any event, the SBA's stated complaints may actually have little bearing on why they want to get out of town. It turns out that the office's top management all live in, surprise, the Buffalo-Amherst area. They hate going over the Grand Island Bridge twice a day. They want a shorter commute.
It's just another case of Buffalo-based officials showing us exactly what they mean when they talk about "regionalism."
Our often-feisty mayor, Irene Elia, and her major domo, Al Joseph, have on numerous occasions told gullible reporters they will keep the SBA office in Niagara Falls. They're praying and hoping for the best. Their plan is to move the SBA into David Cordish's largely abandoned Rainbow Centre Mall. It ain't gonna happen.
Being a federal agency, the only people the SBA has to answer to are federal officials. And what has been the reaction of those we've elected?
In the case of Rep. John LaFalce, a strongly worded letter asking the SBA to make every effort to stay in Niagara Falls. It's not like there aren't a lot of empty buildings around, LaFalce noted. Oh yeah, LaFalce also held a press conference to announce the fact he'd written the letter.
In the case of Sen. Charles Schumer, a weakly worded letter asking the SBA to please, pretty please, reconsider its decision to move. Schumer happens to be crazy for the taste of the famous Whistle Pig or Niagara hot dog, and if the city's largest federal agency moved out, he'd have even less reason to visit our fair city. Schumer also held a press conference to announce he'd written the letter.
Finally, in the case of Sen. Hillary Clinton, nothing. Nada. Zip. The woman who spoke of her love for Niagara Falls, her happy memories of a childhood vacation here and her dedication to seeing the area turn around appears to have forgotten where the city is. Her stumping at the Days Inn, the Riverview Hotel, the Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center and John Accardo's back yard notwithstanding, we've only seen her once since her election in 2000.
At least, in Clinton's case, we were spared the self-congratulatory press conference.
But Clinton, like LaFalce, is pretty safe. He's decided to end his Congressional career and we're stuck with her for five more years whether we like it or not.
Schumer's another story. He's got to run again in 2004 and there's a guy waiting in the wings who has already shown an interest in serving as a U.S. senator. That guy's name is Rudy Guiliani and, should he decide to make a contest out of it, Schumer's going to need all the help he can get.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | August 6 2002 |