By Mark Scheer
Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS —
If I ran an organization that relied on the use of public funds, I’d do one thing right off the bat.
I’d adopt the standards for running the operation and conducting monthly board meetings that any other municipal organization or school district is expected to follow.
I said expected. Trust me, these government agencies don’t always like to play by the rules. Executive sessions irk me to no end. I’m not convinced elected or appointed officials can be trusted when they go behind closed doors.
But, that’s the way it goes. Some things, like personnel and negotiations, do not have to be transacted in the light of day, or so the law says.
Overall, the guidelines for open government and meetings are sound. They at least offer a starting point. Board members and staffers understand the rules. The press and the public have the same understanding. Everyone has the same expectations as to how things will operate and how business will get done right from the get go.
My second step if I were in charge of some sort of publicly funded agency would be to invite the press to everything.
I’m biased, of course, but you don’t tend to have as many scandals to uncover when there is someone from outside the organization is sitting in the rooms where the business is being transacted. It’s good to have someone asking questions, checking the financial records and generally keeping watch. When the group’s business is being routinely checked by an outside source and published for others to see, there’s less opportunity for political opponents to question the internal workings of the operation.
Government entities tend to fear openness which has always puzzled me because, at some point or another, if something shady is going on, someone is going to find out and the lid is going to come off.
When the thing blows up, it’s too late. Reputations are tarnished, in some cases, never to be repaired. The entire organization and the mission of that organization suffers.
It's simple really: Do things right, do them out in the open, keep track of the money and let the community know where you stand as often as possible.
I say all this in light of the recent auditor's report on the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp.
A lot of questions have been raised about the agency's handling of bed tax money and rightly so.
If I were over there, I'd be on the telephone to guys like me, saying, 'from now on, we want you at all of our meetings.'
I’d be saying ‘let everyone know what we are all about.’
I know right now John Percy is an unpopular guy in some circles and there is a movement afoot to have the city's funding for the organization pulled.
I can't help but remember all those years ago when the city and the county decided to head down the road of combining the old Niagara Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau with the old Niagara County Tourism Department to form what is now the NTCC.
Some may recall that good money was spent hiring a consultant to review both organizations and that consultant determined the best way to go was formation of a single, countywide agency.
State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, and state Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, D-Lewiston, and other prominent local officials supported this merger.
The tourism and hospitality industry went along and there are still some members of that group who will tell you it was one of the better decisions the county made.
What is the alternative?
Go back to two separate organizations?
Turn the city's Tourism Advisory Board into the new CVB?
Form another county department?
If the city and the county tourism agencies ran so well, why did we rid ourselves of them in the first place?
It may come down to another shift in the way the county handles its tourism business, but there are alternatives.
Keep what you have. Get the press and the public more involved in the current process. Open the doors to the board meetings. Hand out periodic spending reports. Let everyone know where the money is being spent, on what and why.
Allay the community’s concerns so the focus can be shifted back to where it belongs: selling Niagara Falls and Niagara County as tourist destinations.
Our married couple
For those who may not know, our city editor Rick Forgione is now a married man. He entered into the bonds of matrimony with his new wife, Nicole, during a ceremony at St. Aloysius Church on Saturday. It was my honor to serve in the wedding party.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t say a few words about Rick. Some of you know him through his work as a reporter covering various towns and villages and, before being bumped up to editor, city government in Niagara Falls. I met him when he was a cub reporter manning the obituary desk back when the editorial department was still in charge of such things.
He likes to tell the story about how when we first started working together, I bumped into him at the mall when he was with a group of his friends and embarrassed him by saying “hey, don’t I work with you?”
We’ve had countless laughs since then and shared some sad times too.
I’m blessed to be able to call him a colleague and a friend.
He’s like the brother I never had.
On a personal level, he’s supported me through the toughest of times and, while I hate him for it occasionally, convinced me to take another shot at a profession I all but gave up on a few years ago.
On a professional level, Rick is one of those guys in your office who you can always count on to do the job right. He checks and reads and checks again and has caught more of my stupid spelling and grammar errors than I care to admit. He’ll stay at the fire and accident and crime scenes for as long as it takes to get the story. He’ll work to get the insider stuff first so the other guys don’t make the newspaper look bad. He takes the job extremely seriously and, at times, even personally.
What’s most impressive is that he’s done all of this for years while managing to keep his reputation intact. Ask the elected officials he’s covered and I’m confident in saying the majority of them would tell you Rick’s has always fair and accurate, his demeanor always courteous and professional.
That’s because that’s just the kind of guy that he is.
Rick’s wanted to work for the Niagara Gazette, his hometown newspaper, since he was a kid.
This community, whether it recognizes it or not, has been lucky to have him here all these years.
On behalf of the staff, I’d like to wish him all the best in this new phase of his life.
He’s already a good man, a good friend and a great reporter and editor.
Being a good husband will come naturally, I’m sure.
