Candidates’ forum recap

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The stage was crowded, the room was packed and the candidates often didn’t answer the questions. The Niagara Community Information Group hosted a candidate forum featuring 7 people running for city council on Wednesday,

Most did not seem to understand the city charter. All said it needs to be reformed to give the council a greater voice as a check on the executive branch.

Saladin Allah served as moderator, manning the podium, a format improvement over the Gazette’s chosen form of sitting at a table, backs to the crowd. Allah had trouble with heckling from Jill Shaw but was congenial and lighthearted even if she never owned her apology, repeatedly saying “sorry” before resuming heckling.

While some minds may be changed by such events, expecting them to actually influence the election is a fool’s errand because most people don’t vote and the gallery doesn’t reflect the electorate. If it did, Danta Myles would have won the primary in a landslide rather than being forced to try a write-in campaign.

Candidates present were John Kinney, Noah Munoz, Bridgette Myles, John Accardo, Tanya Barone, Danta (Myles unrelated to Bridgette) and David Zajac.

Zajac announced he would need to leave early because of a prior commitment and, indeed, walked out part way through.

The first question established a pattern, “what’s the most important thing you’ve learned from listening to voters.”

No one seemed to have a different answer than they likely had before running. Even Accardo, running on the Conservative line, pointed out 25 years after first being involved, the issues have not really changed – there is a divide between government and citizens and residents don’t feel heard.

“We are just not solving the issues of the city,” Accardo said. “We have different council people, different mayors and yet we are still dealing with the same issues.”

Dante said while the council has the same apparatus and vehicles to address problems as ever but is still trying to solve new problems using old metrics.

Barone said she learned nothing she didn’t already know as she canvassed, there is an economic crisis and a housing shortage and a disconnect between the people and the government.

Zajac said there is a common sense of frustration among council members compounded by there being no way to directly communicate issues to department heads without communicating first with the mayor’s office.

Asked what they would do in the first 90 days to get up to speed Bridgette, called on first said she saw the “good, bad and ugly” under Mayor Paul Dyster’s administration but she would concentrate on speaking to past council members and attending training through the New York Council of Mayors.

Accardo, who served in the 1990s and is retired from 40 years running a business, said sitting on the council to him would be like riding a bike.

Kinney, with a lifetime of city government experience, promised when he doesn’t know, he will ask questions.

Dante recapped that he’s been at council meetings since 2016 and that the council needs to retake the role of oversight of the mayor.

Zajac promised a balance of “openmindedness and remaining steadfast.”

The answers were mostly nonanswers. Allah could have rephrased the question of challenged the candidates but to do so would have opened a can of worms.

A question about how councilpersons should communicate between elections started the candidates down the path of discussing the need for charter reform.

Danta stressed the importance of councilpersons knowing there role.

“It is OK to work with the administration” he said. “It is not OK to work for the administration. We have an imbalance of power.”

Barone called for direct communication between the council and department heads and said the charter needs to be changed.

Cauley was more blunt.

“We can change the council or change the mayor” he said.

Zajac offered a word of caution about not being vindictive and mercurial as some allege the mayor is.

“You can’t hold grudges. If you do, residents suffer,” Zajac said.

Munoz promised to serve as a bridge between the administration and the people by holding office hours and using newsletters.

Accardo asserted nonsensically that the current charter has never been codified.

My notes went on for another 6 pages. They all gave closing statements.

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Try and share at least two more pages of your notes. There was a lot that was shared. I am looking forward to more people coming out to vote. A portion of the candidates have already been out door knocking and engaging in multiple non political events.This is shaping up to be a tight race. 

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