Well, the results are in and it was clear that Niagara Falls voters like new faces as newcomers William Kennedy and Chris Voccio were elected to the City Council along with incumbent Andy Touma. From many Niagara Falls residents, including my wife's parents, I was told that they appreciated those candidates who visited their home throughout the summer and fall. Both Kennedy and Voccio ran a quite aggressive door-to-door campaign and it paid off.
While Voccio sold himself as a budget hawk with an emphasis on the need for cuts to the City budget, Mr. Kennedy presented himself as a young guy looking to get involved to make the city that he grew up in a better place to live. It seems clear that voters like the idea of a fresh face and particularly a young hometown candidate looking to make a difference.
The same scenario played out in 2015 when a young hometown candidate ran an aggressive door-to-door campaign. As Bill Kennedy was the top vote getter this past Tuesday, Ezra Scott was top vote getter in the 2015 election. While there were high hopes for Mr. Scott, it's safe to say that Scott's performance on the Council up to this point has not met the promise of 2015. The City Council's main function is to oversee the City's finances and Ezra seems to go along with whatever the Mayor comes up with which has just dug the hole deeper for the City.
There was plenty of discussion on social media as to the work background of Bill Kennedy. In what had been presented, one would have to question how Mr. Kennedy will be able to deal with the fiscal problems that are facing Niagara Falls. From what was in the local media, when asked about how to solve the City's financial problem Mr. Kennedy's response was that the tax base needed to be expanded by bringing in more businesses. You can't disagree with that position however that has been a theme for years and will not address the immediate problem: the City is facing a major shortfall now!! Bill has talked about looking to merge some functions with the County and I think that's great but more will need to be done.
Will the promise of the 2017 Election be realized two years from now or will Bill Kennedy be the next Ezra Scott?
