By Mark Scheer
Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS —
Francine DelMonte and John Accardo shared a stage on Wednesday.
The two candidates who are vying for the right to represent the Democratic Party in the November election for the 138th state Assembly District offered their thoughts on ways to improve the community’s fortunes during a candidates’ forum at the Niagara Falls Public Library.
DelMonte promoted herself as a person of strong principles who has worked hard during her time in office to secure valuable state resources and assistance for Niagara Falls and neighboring communities.
“The district is always my priority,” said DelMonte, who has drawn criticism from the Accardo camp for her ties to powerful downstate lawmaker, Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. “That’s where I put all my effort.”
Accardo, a former city lawmaker who spent eight years on the city council back in the 1990s, positioned himself as the voice for change the district needs to get more of what it deserves.
“Millions and millions and millions has left this area and not much of it has come back here,” Accardo said. “We need more of it to come back here.”
During the forum, sponsored by the Niagara Falls Block Club Council and several other local organizations, both candidates were asked questions posed by voters that were drawn randomly by moderator and Niagara University Professor Dr. David Taylor. Most of the questions focused on economic conditions within the city and in downtown Niagara Falls in particular.
If elected, Accardo said he’d push for changes in at least two areas — the city’s relationship with the Seneca Nation of Indians’ downtown gaming operation and the role of New York State Parks in the local tourism economy. Accardo said he would like to re-open negotiations on the gaming compact with the nation, suggesting the current deal does not offer adequate return for the city. He added he also would support changes in the way local tourism initiatives are handled so that visitors to Niagara Falls State Park understand there is more to see and do in the rest of the city.
“I sat back for nine years now and I watched Albany view the City of Niagara Falls as either an ATM machine or a dumping ground,” Accardo said.
DelMonte suggested the best way to promote the city was to add more attractions and continue repairing the infrastructure. She defended the Seneca-run casino as a viable alternative to legalized state gaming residents in Niagara Falls had wanted for years and said the revenue from the existing Seneca operation has resulted in significant improvements to the city’s roads, a downtown concert series and support for other projects and activities that have made Niagara Falls a more attractive place to visit.
DelMonte referenced recent renovation work at the west end of Old Falls Street and suggested a plan to develop a culinary arts institute inside the old Rainbow Centre mall building is still in the works. She added the city’s main concern involved a handful of private investors who have gobbled up much of the valuable land in the downtown area but have not done much with it in years.
“The state has made significant investments downtown,” she said.
As for the financial problems facing the state as a whole, DelMonte said she supported a property tax cap for New York, but only if it is tied to a reasonable plan for relieving some of the financial pressure local communities feel as a result of state-mandated costs. She said the real focus in Albany in the coming years should be curtailing spending and finding ways to grow the economy so taxes can be lowered.
“Take care of your root problems and you’ll reduce the property taxes,” she said.
Accardo suggested more of the average taxpayers’ problems could be addressed if leaders in Albany did a better job of managing the tax money they receive year after year. He noted that the state faced a $9 billion deficit as lawmakers prepared the budget this year and, when the process ended, the Legislature had managed to increase spending from the year before by more than $1 billion.
“Clearly, it should have been the other way around,” Accardo said.
