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The rules have changed for the Niagara Falls City Council. For the second time under the leadership of new Chairperson Brian Archie, the council enjoyed an audience with representatives of the executive branch.
Two weeks ago, it was City Administrator Anthony Restaino who attended a pre-meeting work session. Wednesday, it was the city administrator and Mayor Robert Restaino.
The mayor told the three members of the council who were able to make the start of the meeting that the delay in voting over giving a contract over street lighting maintenance to Power and Construction group was nonsense.
Two weeks ago, Steelworkers Union President Timothy Huether spoke on agenda items during the regular meeting and questioned why the work of maintaining streetlights was not being done inhouse with union members.
The council, without anyone from the administration present to answer questions, voted 3-2 to delay the vote.
Wednesday, Mayor Restaino blasted Huether.
“The union leader was wrong all around,” he said. “You were horribly misled.”
Anthony Restaino told the council the administration never considered the work union work and never approached the union about it.
Huether was not present at Wednesday’s meeting. Councilmember Vincent Cauley, who was not able to make the work session, ostensibly because of his day job, said after the work session that he had been informed other municipalities were doing streetlight maintenance in house and he assertion that special training was needed was false.
Cauley opposed the city using American Rescue Plan funds in 2024 to purchase the lights and poles from NYSEG and switch to LED lights at an annual savings of about $1 million. Cauley argued that even with the cost of saved electricity, the city would ultimately end up paying more.
In the regular portion of the city council meeting, Cauley cast the only no vote on the topic.
In other action the council:
- Heard a presentation from Buffalo Niagara Waterkeepers on efforts to study water quality at Gill Creek in Hyde Park and find ways to control toxic algal blooms.
- Agreed to allow GoBike Buffalo to move forward with a plan to design and apply for funding for a bikelane that would extend from D’Amelio Park to the bike path by the Whirlpool Bridge.
- Heard from Realtor Lakea Perry who questioned why it is so difficult to find Niagara Falls Requests for Proposal as well as why there has been no sale of foreclosed public property owned by the city in recent years with the exception of a sale of vacant lots in 2025.
- Robert Ventry stood at the podium to let the council know potholes suck and the north end needs a new park.
