By Tony Farina Mayoral GOP candidate Carl Cain said at Wednesday’s mayoral debate that open government is important to building good relationships with taxpayers. Cain hit hard at that message, saying “we need to build bridges and transparency” if we are going to be successful, and that’s my pledge toRead More

By Tony Farina The New York Coalition for Open Government has long called on Mayor Robert Restaino to stop calling so many special sessions with the council where the public cannot comment on the issues of the day, effectively being shut out from participating on important matters at the specialRead More

Almost two years ago – in December, 2021 – Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced rape charges against Steve Pigeon. Next month, he goes on trial. Pigeon, 62, a former Erie County Democratic Party Chairman, is accused of first-degree rape, predatory sexual assault against a child and first-degree criminalRead More

If you believe Mayor Robert Restaino, the city’s never been safer; crime is down and all is right with the city and his administration. However, if you look at crime statistics, or even look around and see what’s really happening, an entirely different picture emerges than Restaino’s alternate reality. Here’sRead More

  By Tony Farina Politics is definitely in the air in Niagara Falls with the election just around the corner on Nov. 7. Two council hopefuls working very hard to reach voters are Vincent Cauley, an engineer by trade, and CPA Michael Gawel, with both running on the Republican andRead More

Michael S. Gawel, a former councilman and current candidate for the City of Niagara Falls Council, has a clear vision for the future of the city. Having served the community before, he is no stranger to the challenges and opportunities that come with public service. He has extensive knowledge inRead More

By Tony Farina Simply stated, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has now become part of the story of the competing Niagara Falls development projects, one supported by the mayor and the second by Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR). In denying a FOIL request by the Niagara Gazette,Read More

Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR) and Toronto-based developer Urbacon have unveiled a $1.5 billion plan for the first phase of the Niagara Digital Campus, a state-of-the-art data center project in Niagara Falls, NY. The development is centered on a 12-acre plot known as “Parcel 0,” which is key to the project’sRead More

By Tony Farina There was good news for the taxpayers at Wednesday’s Niagara Falls City Council meeting as lawmakers beat back a bid by outgoing councilmember Ken Tompkins to cut ties with the outside counsel which would have effectively ended the possibility for continuing negotiations with NFR in the eminentRead More

By Tony Farina NFR’s development partner, Toronto-based Urbacon, last week released its site plan for the first phase of its $1.5 billion data center project which would be built on 10 acres of what is now referred to as “Parcel-0” off John Daly Blvd. on land owned by NFR butRead More

From Politics to Personal Bonds I’ve known Steve Pigeon for over 25 years, and our association isn’t just professional. We’re friends. I knew him when he was Erie County Democratic Party Chairman and through years of his high-profile work on seven presidential campaigns, his work with billionaires and statesmen inRead More

Niagara Falls NY  – Carl Cain is running against Mayor Robert Restaino for mayor. Election is November 7.  This is the second in a series of of interviews with Cain. Reporter  How would you rate the condition of the roads in the city? Carl Cain  Bad. And it’s unfortunate becauseRead More

Welcome to the first installment of our series of interviews with mayoral candidate Carl Cain, a retired police officer who served the Niagara Falls Police Department with distinction for 30 years, retiring as Deputy Chief. With Election Day slated for November 7, 2023, the 59-year-old Republican candidate is engaged inRead More

Disclaimer: The following narrative is as genuine as the mayor’s Centennial Park proposal, albeit without the hefty price tag. Reader discretion is advised. By Winston Velvet Without disclosing the identity, we sought insight from a distinguished psychiatrist to provide us with a diagnostic perspective based on three distinct external eventsRead More

By Tony Farina Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino says he wants to build a  speculative $150-million events center on land the city doesn’t own and he has undertaken an eminent domain process to try and corral the 10-acre South End property from NFR at a mounting legal price and hopefullyRead More

Is Mayor Robert Restaino losing his grip on reality? In his latest campaign ad—trumpeted with great fanfare for days on Facebook—Mayor Robert Restaino suggests NFR and Urbacon’s Niagara Digital Campus development proposal is not real. Not real? • Is Mayor Restaino suggesting the company Urbacon, a Toronto-based developer and operatorRead More

By Tony Farina It looks like the Oct. 25 debate between Mayor Robert Restaino and challenger Carl Cain, a retired deputy police superintendent, has all the makings of a rip-snorting political slugfest between two long-time Niagara Falls figures, one a lawyer and the other a cop. But lost in theRead More

NIAGARA FALLS — A land-use tug-of-war in Niagara Falls puts jobs and innovation in the balance. Mayor Robert Restaino, anticipating a tough election battle against Dr. Carl Cain this November, is championing a plan to develop what he calls Centennial Park. The mayor envisions a $150 million, 7,000-seat stadium, despiteRead More

Anti Gun Violence Rally, October 7, 2023, 12-4pm, Trinity Baptist Church

By Ken Hamilton For those unfamiliar with Niagara Falls’ history, a trip down memory lane reveals mayoral decisions that devastated the city economically. Notably, Mayor E. Dent Lackey of the 1970s implemented policies that led to the confiscation of private properties from entrepreneurs and families who helped build the community.Read More