To the Editor:
Hardly a day goes by without my hearing someone complain about state Sen. George Maziarz, often negatively referring to him as "King George." My discerning viewpoint is this: No matter what political party you side with, or where in his district you come from, you should take a lesson from the man and his performance. I am not affiliated with any of the political parties. Even so, I have yet to deal with a politician who was more responsive, more prepared, or more willing to listen to my concerns.
Whenever my friends, family or myself have had a question or concern, we call or write his office. Guess what? He gets back to you! Imagine that!
Further, it's been my experience that when a similar issue comes up again, even years later, he will touch base with you again to see how the previous solutions worked out and how they may be improved upon. I found that he performed in the same manner when he previously held the city and county clerk positions.
I have all possible respect for those who gain political notoriety from their knowledge and skill involving singular, important issues. However, I cannot tolerate having a representative who ignores all the other little items. Too many politicians are so tied up with "the party" that they can't even return a constituent phone call, or even publish their phone numbers. If they would just do the job well, the party stuff would take care of itself!
Behind any successful leader, you'll find a strong organization over which he has delegational control. That's not a bad thing, as long as the leader completes the service circle back to the product. Maziarz does that.
I dub him "Good King George."
Kevin J. O'Connor
North Tonawanda
To the Editor:
I would like to thank the Niagara Falls Reporter and its readers for their generous and unwavering support of Community Missions. The Fourth Annual Matching Donations Campaign was a resounding success, shattering the previous record and raising $33,301.65 for our programs to help the most disadvantaged in Niagara County. I feel lucky to live in an area where, despite very tough economic times, so many people still find it in their hearts to give to those less fortunate than themselves.
More than 4,000 children in Niagara Falls live below the poverty level. Our median household income is $17,000 less than the New York state average of $43,393. The unemployment rate here is twice the national average. Food prices have risen drastically in the past year, especially for staples. Eggs are up 18.2 percent, bread is up 15.5 percent and milk is up 10.5 percent since May 2007. This means that more families and individuals than ever need the Mission's services to survive. Every day more than 100 people line up for lunch at our soup kitchen. Last year, over 60,000 meals were served. Twice a month the very neediest families are given food from our food pantry. More and more people are finding themselves in need of our crisis housing shelter.
The Mission could not provide these crisis services without the kindness of both organizations like the Reporter and its caring and generous readers. On behalf of the many people who will benefit from this kindness, I thank you.
Robyn L. Krueger
Executive Director
Community Missions
To the Editor:
"Small town boy makes good!" And there was a time when we rooted for and admired those who rose from humble beginnings to wealth and achievement. Jim Glynn is one of these fortunate people, and he and his family have a notable, but humble, background in the Niagara Falls community.
Dad worked for the New York Central and Mom was a school teacher. Uncle Leo was Msgr. Glynn at Sacred Heart Church, while brother Don has been a reporter for the local newspaper. Jim has always been generous with charitable contributions and recently gave $100,000 to the new park at Lockport and North Avenue. There are tons of local charities that have benefited from Jim's generous philanthropy.
The Niagara Falls Reporter appears to favor the takeover of Jim's Maid of the Mist business by the Southern Tier Senecas, and of course these Senecas are rolling in cash from their profits from the local casino. The Reporter says the Senecas are hiring lawyers to find out the specifics of Jim's state franchise. The fact that this same casino is hurting other local businesses seems to be of no interest to the Reporter.
These same Senecas sell gas at their reservation and say they do not charge state taxes and refuse to pay state taxes. Yet state taxes are surely more than their small 25-cent savings per gallon. One might think that the Senecas do collect state taxes and keep the difference between actual state taxes and their small gas savings.
The Reporter states that "Maid of the Mist" refers to an episode in Seneca religious tradition. I once took a frontier history course from historian Raymond Yates. He stated that the story of the "Maid of the Mist" concerned a young maiden who was sent over the falls in a canoe filled with offerings to the river god. Mr. Yates said the story is a myth. Local Indians did not practice human sacrifice, and one would have to go far south and out of the country to the Incas and Aztecs for human sacrifice.
The Reporter states that "the name 'Maid of the Mist' (was) appropriated by Glynn's company for commercial gain." The name was in use long before Jim Glynn was born. There is a book by Hamilton Mizer titled, "Niagara Falls, New York: A City Matures." Page 151 refers to an automobile stunt that took place on Feb. 27, 1901: "F.W. Peckham took a car across the Upper Steel Arch Bridge to Canada, down the inclined roadway to the Maid of the Mist docks."
In any contest between our local Jim Glynn and the Southern Tier Senecas, I'll support the home team any time.
Elsie M. Paradise
Niagara Falls
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