A half-million dollars here, a half-million dollars there. Pretty soon, we’re talking about real money.
That’s what the city is facing in its latest effort at handing out corporate welfare. The most recent dash for cash involves the grand old lady of downtown Niagara Falls hotels, the Hotel Niagara. It was built back in the 1920s and has been alternately a beacon of grandeur and a symbol of decay in the downtown area.
Its new owners, James and Judith Cook of Houston, want to restore it to its former glory. They’re proposing putting more than $15 million into the building in order to bring it back.
That’s wonderful. We wish them well and hope their venture succeeds. Fifteen million dollars in new private investment is a real shot in the arm to the region.
Where we have a problem is at the point where the private investment turns public. The city of Niagara Falls is being asked to kick in $500,000 to aid in the hotel’s renovation. Why? Mayor Paul Dyster supports the cash grab. The money will come from that old standby, casino cash. He says it is a proper use of that money; to aid the development of downtown and create jobs.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen that $500,000 figure thrown around. There’s a proposal still on the table that would shovel a half-mil to the owners of the Four Points Sheraton for a similar purpose.
We hope there’s room on that table for the Hotel Niagara plan as well and urge the City Council to send it there and allow it to die a natural death. We think public money, from slot machines or any other source, should be used for public purposes. Here we go again: Fix the streets, trim the trees, clean up vacant lots and demolish abandoned buildings.
This city has so many needs that have been neglected for so many years. It’s foolish to give away hundreds of thousands of dollars to private businesses who will probably go ahead with their plans whether they get the money or not.
Niagara Falls should take care of its own unfinished business. There’s so much of it.
Opinion
EDITORIAL: It’s time to stop giving away cash
- Opinion
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GLYNN: VFW post keeps spirit alive
At one time, members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars-Post 313 would march down Main Street in Youngstown on Memorial Day to the 1812 Cemetery near Old Fort Niagara. That same scenario out of the past occurred for decades in cities, towns and villages across the U.S.
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HAMILTON: Dandelions, parades, broken poles and people
There are still those remnants of the fading bouquets of floral tributes that still hang at that base of a tree on city hall’s lawn. It is near where, last year, from his shiny silvery cart, Melvin Johnson sold hot dogs and sausages to both city employees and passerbys while his tiny white dog excitingly yelped at anyone that came near.
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GLYNN: Gillibrand seeks help for prime bread-winners
A recent report shows that working mothers across the Empire State earn nearly 15 percent lower pay for the same work as men.
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BRADBERRY: There really are spirits in the water
Over the centuries since it was “discovered” hundreds of millions of people have traveled from every corner of the world to visit Niagara Falls making it the most visited of the great waterfalls on the planet.
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CONFER: The reality of rationed health care
The ongoing debate over Obamacare has brought to light the concept of rationed healthcare. Opponents of health care reform keenly point out that while the bill never explicitly calls out rationing, it features certain provisions that will lead the markets to adjust to strict federal demands and, therefore, dispense certain procedures in smaller amounts or not at all. Because of it being the first time that the subject has really come up in public circles, most people, especially on the right, believe that rationing is something new. It’s not. The free markets have been practicing that for quite some time. I should know; with a 4-inch long, 1-inch wide scar running south of my belly button – and a couple of related scars around my groin – I could be the poster child for rationed health care.
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CITY DESK: A regrettable error
We owe Carol Sensabough an apology.
Several weeks ago, the long-time reader and Niagara Falls resident sent a letter to the editor explaining that she took offense to some of the things written by a syndicated columnist, Stephen Dick. -
HIGGS: Niagara Falls' own West Side story
Trusello’s Bakery was on Elmwood behind the family home at 840 19th St. The family, Richard, William (Billy) and Sam along with two sisters, lived in the house.
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GLYNN: Falls, Ont., rolls out red carpet for Wallenda
Before Nik Wallenda even started practicing his high-wire routine in downtown Niagara Falls, state Sen.George D. Maziarz, R-Newfane, had noted the warm welcome the tightrope walker received across the river.
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HAMILTON: Civic ‘ParticipAction’ can work too
Back in the 1970s, our Neighbors to the North ran a national campaign called ParticipAction to encourage Canadians to get off their butts and do things for the sakes of their bodies.
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GLYNN: Graduates find they’re in staggering debt
Countless senior citizens often gripe about something, sometimes even with good reason. Perhaps they should consider themselves fortunate, compared with the younger generation.
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