74° and Sunny
Image
I remain optimistic about the future of Niagara Falls but sometimes community meetings lead to a loss of faith rather than optimism.
That happened again Wednesday night at Niagara Falls Library, a sort of Groundhog Day event where it feels like “wait, I have been here before.”
The event was the “Heart of the City” forum. 45 people gathered in the auditorium for a forum on the issues gripping our city featuring two Republican candidates for legislature, Tim Huether and Sean Mapp, a Republican councilperson, Vincent Cauley, and community activists Victor Johnson and Trent Hamilton.
This gathering was not much different than multiple other ones. They begin with optimism and discussions of how it’s great we are all here for fellowship and the exchange of ideas.
Then they quickly devolve into cathartic bitchfests best summed up by Johnson:
“We sittin' on one of the wonders of the world and we not doing nothing with it,” he said. “I spoke to the mayor very candidly when he came into my restaurant. People not doin’ nothin’ with what we have.”
Sometimes the truth is that simple. Like most things in life, it is easier to talk about what’s wrong than how to fix it or what is right.
Mapp offered the keen observation that fish rots from the head.
“Leadership determines whether we have a prosperous city or a deleterious one” he said.
The Express did not do a poll, but for those in the room, the effectiveness rating of Mayor Robert Restaino is likely far below that of President Trump.
Mapp pointed out part of the blame for Niagara Falls being the way it is is the lack of help from Niagara County which has a $500 million budget but does little for the Falls which does not really use sheriffs and has no county roads. One out of 4 city residents lives in poverty and the city is perhaps fortunate it does not pay per capita for jail usage.
Another great focus of discussion for the panelists was the great amount of public housing and what it means to a community.
“The housing authority prepares people to be lifetime renters rather than homeowners,” Hamilton said.
Huether, who is president of the Steelworkers Local that represents city workers noted how understaffed the city is in areas like code enforcement and public works.
“Good employees don’t quit without bad leadership,” he said.
A landscaper present said he has no problem finding employees and he and his crew have cleaned up more than 200 yards in recent years for paying customers. When he inquired with the city about whether his crew could be paid to help with the debris problem, he said he was instructed to submit a form. He did. He never heard back.
On Friday morning, the Express did a ride-along with Public Works. The budget has 12 jobs for members of the Clean Team. There are currently 3 filled. One worker called in Friday. That left 2 for all the debris in the city even before the mowing starts.
The library closes at 5 p.m. Thursdays but organizers were unaware. Librarian Sarah Potwin ajnd staff agreed to stay open for the event it would not have to be rescheduled.
There were some positive ideas discussed for change, for example, the impact the recently reinstituted youth board might have as well as a suggestion from an audience member that youth mentorship, funded with personal investment, can turn things around one life at a time.
As with many community events, the forum started a bit late. Jackson entered even later. His chair sat empty. After the event, those gathered milled around and socialized and would have kept doing so for an extended period of time but for the library employees who had already gone above and beyond and really wanted to close up and go home.
