Cauley and Myles fight back

Councilmembers Vincent Cauley and Bridgette Myles held a press conference on the steps of city hall Friday at noon to speak to the media about Mayor Robert Restaino’s recent emergency declaration in Niagara Falls.

Myles and Cauley argue the "state of emergency" is a manufactured crisis designed to bypass legislative oversight and award contracts to outside vendors after the Council rejected them due to a lack of transparency.

It’s worth noting it felt more like a campaign rally than a press conference. There was no “news”, just an airing of grievances on the steps of city hall.

Cauley and Myles allege the administration is intentionally allowing municipal capacity to decline—specifically in road maintenance and grass cutting—to justify emergency spending on expensive outside contractors. This "preventive model" of neglect forces the Council into a false choice between approving questionable contracts or being blamed for city blight.

The Council alleges at least five specific violations of the City Charter by the Mayor:

• Section 3.7 (Access to Records): The administration has refused to provide documents, contracts, or appropriation records requested by the Council since July 20.
• Section 3.10 (Appropriations): Allegations that money is being spent without the required ordinances or specific purpose designations.
• Section 4.6 (Executive Orders): The emergency order signed on July 10 was not filed or disclosed to the Council until August 15, violating the three-day notice requirement.
• Bypassing Bidding: The Mayor allegedly recommended a contract for a company that was voluntarily dissolved last year and ignored lower-cost technological solutions (e.g., a $15,000 traffic signal fix vs. a $96,000 contract). (Editor’s Note: Sources tell the express the contract bids from the purchasing department were appropriately titled but the councilmembers refused an effort to correct the agenda prior to the meeting to remove the dissolved company’s name and replace it with the name of the actual bidder.)

Timeline of the "Emergency"

• Grant Mismanagement: Questions were raised regarding $20 million in Streets and Roads Grant funds that have allegedly sat unused for three years while infrastructure deteriorated.
• Conflict of Interest: The council members highlighted that Anthony Restaino holds three concurrent positions (City Clerk, City Administrator, and Records Officer), which they view as a conflict of interest and a barrier to transparency. They also continue to question his lack of residency.
• Local vs. Outside Labor: The council members criticized the administration for prioritizing outside contractors over local grassroots organizations and city workers.

Next steps:

Myles and Cauley intend to file formal paperwork with the New York State Attorney General and the Governor for an official review of the administration's actions. They are demanding the immediate release of all emergency-related documents, including the declaration, filing records, and payment appropriations.