Word is that Public Works Director and political Svengali Paul Colangelo sat out this year's mayoral election in the hope that mayor-elect Vince Anello will allow him to keep his patronage job once the new administration takes office in January.
We can think of any number of reasons why Colangelo should be sent packing.
To begin with, he's the one who foisted the disastrous regime of Mayor Irene Elia on the unsuspecting citizens of Niagara Falls in the first place. As the architect of her 1999 campaign, Colangelo -- more than any other individual -- is responsible for the four years of misery endured by city workers, the minority community, business interests and the public at large.
Colangelo's administration of the Public Works Department was such that, in the summer of 2001, more than 140 truckloads of asphalt milling valued at around $25,000 went missing from the corporation yard, only to turn up as surfacing material in any number of private parking lots around town.
Although he was identified by law enforcement sources as a subject in the investigation, Colangelo claimed ignorance of what was going on in his department and no charges were filed against him. A foreman in his department and a local contractor ended up taking the fall for the theft.
In November 2002, Colangelo proved his loyalty to the taxpayers of Niagara Falls by dropping a questionable $1 million lawsuit against the city alleging he had been mistreated by former mayor James C. Galie. Colangelo was so magnanimous, in fact, he agreed to settle for a measly $70,000 at a time when the city was in danger of going into receivership.
Elia apparently saw no irony in a member of her administration suing the same city taxpayers who voted her into office, and Colangelo was permitted to continue in his position.
And in June of this year, six longtime African-American employees of Colangelo's department filed suit against the city, alleging, in effect, that he's running a racist organization, where racial epithets are tolerated, where blacks are routinely passed over for promotion and subjected to a different, harsher set of work rules than their white colleagues.
Potentially, the suit could cost the city millions.
If Colangelo really needs a job, he should contact Republican Party Chairman Henry Wojtaszek and state Sen. George Maziarz.
We hear the county's hiring.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | November 25 2003 |