In Niagara Falls, Lockport and North Tonawanda candidates endorsed by the Working Families Party in Tuesday’s (June 22) primary election are being challenged by phony “paper” candidates and cynical line grabbers desperate at all costs to tilt the playing field in their favor — even when it’s already tilted.

Each of the three races being targeted by the Niagara County Republicans is a disappointing testament to the game playing most residents and voters dislike, but they aren’t equally offensive. Here’s the rundown on the dirty low-down …

As is often the case when I publish an article at Niagara News [...]

Four LGBTQ Pride Flags were raised across Niagara on Tuesday, and the county is better off for it.

Not only is it the right thing to do — granting representation to communities that have been historically denied it and are still discriminated against — it’s also the smart thing to do for a county that’s pinning much of its future hopes on expanding tourism.

For Niagara County to truly succeed Niagara Falls has to become the thriving economic engine it once was and could be again.

Tourism is a big part of what’s keeping the city afloat through its tough times now, and it’s also the hope for a thriving city in the [...]

It hits like a sledgehammer if you’re not driving a heavy-duty truck.

The rubber rail crossings at Niagara Falls Blvd. and Erie Avenue/Shawnee Road have worn away and exposed an increasingly dangerous amount of track, especially considering the 40-mph posted limit on the stretch.

So drivers are increasingly doing whatever it takes to avoid it, risking an accident until the worst case scenario finally occurs. (Crossing from North Tonawanda on NFB toward Wheatfield sees the greatest amount of rail exposed.)

“We have been reaching out to CSX — as this is their property — for a few months,” said 3rd Ward Alderman Eric [...]

NT’s common council meeting last week saw the surprise announcement that Mike Zimmerman, Director of the city’s Lumber City Development Corporation, would be leaving the position May 14.

“It is with great regret that I have to inform you of my intent to resign from the position of Director of Community Development,” said Zimmerman (who in the above photo from 2016 is seated in the middle.)

“I have worked in North Tonawanda through Lumber City Development and the Community Development office for almost ten years,” Zimmerman said. “In that time I have worked for two Mayors and numerous Aldermen, all of whom provided nothing but [...]

A boneheaded nuisance lawsuit filed by the state GOP — and signed off and supported by the Niagara County Republican party — tried to get legitimately endorsed candidates of The Working Families Party off the ballot. (One of them is Legislator Anita Mullane, above, who’s holding the served lawsuit papers during a press conference April 17 in Lockport.)

It’s the kind of cynical, dishonest move that makes people legitimately dislike politicians and lawyers.

A State Supreme Court judge in Onondaga County — where dozens of these cases statewide were consolidated — saw right through it and tossed out the lawsuit, which alleged [...]

An NT resident who submitted an ethics complaint and waited two years for a response has now been told in writing the process to establish an ethics review committee will begin “immediately.”

The effort to establish an ethics review board began shortly after Austin Tylec was elected as Alderman at Large. Tylec even wrote a resolution about it that was soundly shot down by the Republican council majority.

As Robert Pecoraro — Alderman at Large and Republican mayoral candidate — said at the time: If we agree to an ethics board that must mean there’s something wrong.

According to BJ VanDewater — over the years one of the [...]

Following a great deal of opposition, the Town of Niagara has reversed its position on a proposed asphalt plant being developed by AL Asphalt.

Residents and numerous community groups were concerned about the environmental hazards from the plant, which was originally planned for the Town of Hamburg. However, vehement resident opposition forced the plant to find a new location.

During their March 25 meeting, the Niagara Falls City School Board and Superintendent Mark Laurrie approved a resolution to send negative comments to the DEC regarding the plant. Board Member Paul Kudela has been a driving force [...]

“Niagara County Legislator Anita Mullane, D-Lockport, announced her re-election campaign for the 13th Legislative District. Mullane is endorsed by the county and city Democratic committees and recently earned the Working Families Party endorsement from the state committee. 

Anita Mullane, 13th Legislative District representative

A primary race is set for the WFP ballot line after challenger Rick Abbott switched his party affiliation, for the fifth time, but failed to gain the Working Families party endorsement. Abbott previously flip [...]