Pascoal/Kennedy backed by Police Unions

While heading home from a nice dinner at Buzzy's, we came across a large billboard on Niagara Falls Boulevard endorsing Bob Pascoal and Bill Kennedy for Niagara Falls City Council.  At first I thought: "Wow, bi-partisanship which is badly needed throughout government."  But as I got closer I saw that the Niagara Falls Police Unions were responsible for the billboard.  Hmmm....interesting.

There is a lot of criticism, and rightfully so, that Mayor Dyster has placated city unions in order to get their support.  And it's clear that Andy Touma and Grandinetti have union support.  But now we find that Kennedy and Pascoal fall into the same boat.  Kennedy doesn't surprise me as it appears that he has the support of the fire unions.  But, what's up with Pascoal??

What's hard to understand is how can people who will be tasked with making some tough financial decisions be willing to take endorsements from the very unions that they will be asking to make concessions and/or face layoffs?  I'm not saying that police and fire aren't doing a good job.  I wouldn't trade places with them.  But the fact remains that the largest cost in the City budget is personnel and Public Safety is the largest personnel cost.

While Dyster and Company bemoan the loss of casino revenue, the fact remains that expenditures need to be looked at.  Dyster's budget did nothing to reduce spending.  In fact, it's my understanding that raises were given to non-union employees.  Doesn't make sense to me.

City residents know the track record of Touma  & Grandinetti when it comes to making any cost reductions.  But where are Pascoal and Kennedy?  Are they willing to make the tough decisions, even if it means going to their union benefactors and asking them for cost concessions?  It would seem to me that billboards aren't cheap.  Neither is the tax increase being proposed by Dyster, along with the dismal financial situation facing Niagara Falls.  Everyone deserves to be paid for the work that they do and there's no question that police and fire have dangerous jobs.  Unfortunately, the gross mismanagement on the part of Dyster and his loyalists has led to some difficult decisions that need to be made which will require public safety personnel to be willing to do their part to save Niagara Falls from financial disaster.  However, it's up to elected officials to reach out to them and one has to wonder whether Pascoal and Kennedy will be able to do that.