Only in NT: Who's running City Hall?

In the last ten years, NT has quietly been conquered by the GOP.

Perhaps that’s how they convinced the late, nice guy, career military man Bob Clark to leave the Democratic Party in order to run as a Republican in 2013, just a couple of months after he was telling people he was courting Brian Higgins’ support.

A smart man, probably genuinely hoping to serve the people he spent his military career attempting to protect, he realized he couldn't get elected unless he ran as a Republican.

He wouldn't have had a chance at getting elected as a Democrat.

So who did the GOP bring on board this year to be another appointed incumbent in the November elections?

Another military guy, Bob Pecoraro, this one with significant military planning background from 30 years in the Air Force.

Was he selected to begin planning for our accession of the Town of Wheatfield or Town of Grand Island, or takeover of the City of Tonawanda?

Has he taken time to know what Lumber City Development and the Historic Preservation Commission can and cannot do?

After the GOP conquered Primary Day, as detailed in last week's Reporter article "Forster's Folly," with an unsuccessful Democratic attempt to give us solid alternatives, eliminating as many opponents as they could from being able to run on some party lines, who are we left with in City Hall?

We have an appointed Mayor, Art Pappas, who has been married to the School Board for far too long. He spent his working career teaching in Wheatfield; lives on Forbes Street, as close to Wheatfield as you possibly can and still be in NT; knows how to smile splendidly for photo opportunities and wants taxpayers to make Nash Road easier for him to drive back and forth from home to City Hall on Nash Road, as detailed in last week's column.

There’s Russ Rizzo, a retired office products salesman and 1st Ward alderman, the most ignored ward in the city, whose main concern seems to be the decades long attempt to eliminate flooding on Witmer Road, while streets are in disrepair in the rest of the ward, and Gratwick-Riverside Park is still not complete, nor is Buffalo Bolt Business Park.

Gratwick-Riverside Park still doesn't provide residents with the amenities families need to enjoy it, and Buffalo Bolt Business Park sits mostly vacant after a decade of "being developed."

Census figures report that the ward is disproportionately elderly and not as financially well off as areas in which Pappas, and Pecoraro live. Rizzo lives on Williams Avenue, which is as close to Wheatfield as possible without actually being a Wheatfield resident.

Rizzo’s first term on the Council began in 2000. 

Catherine Schwandt, the 2nd Ward alderman was first elected to the Council in 1998. She was a mid-level manager at Blue Shield, worked for the NYS Power Authority in recent years as a political appointment, owns rental real estate on Robert Drive, acquired after moving to NT and is now trying to create a bar-eatery on Webster Street in the building David Burgio owns which was the recipient of Lumber City Development Corp. and Historic Preservation Commission subsidies to acquire and renovate it. 

Signs have been in the windows of the building for nearly two years announcing the coming Canal Club Tap & Eatery. Schwandt made it public that she plans to be the owner/operator of this venture.

Will she be able to find the time to successfully operate a bar-eatery, continue managing rental properties, and represent us properly in City Hall?

She was appointed by the Republican ruling elite this year to make her an incumbent in November, as were Pappas, Pecoraro, and Daniel Quinn as Clerk-Treasurer.

The new guy in town, Bob Pecoraro, living in an older neighborhood in the 2nd Ward, lives on Christiana Street.

His house was part of two of the NT History Museum's historic homes tours prior to his ownership and was originally constructed in 1924 for the owner of a local lumber operation in the American Bungalow style, according to the guidebook for the Museum's 2007 tour. His house is why, Pecoraro said, he moved to NT when he retired instead of moving to Buffalo.

Ironically many former residents have moved to surrounding towns.  Far too many who have remained as residents have given up voting, considering it useless and a rigged setup.