My family lives and works in the City of Niagara Falls because we are invested and committed to our hometown. I wrote this letter for the same reason. Glenn Choolokian is not the right choice for mayor of our city. This statement is based on my observation of his performance as City Councilman, not on emotion. These also are not personal attacks, but rather a summary of facts. I attend every city council meeting. I have reached out to him to be part of community conversations. I believe firmly that Mr. Choolokian’s slogans do not match up with his actions as an elected official.
Please consider the following examples:
-Mr. Choolokian’s primary slogan is “It’s about our families.” In the recent debate, he stated his opposition for tax breaks for economic development. As a councilman he voted in favor of a reassessment and tax reduction at the vacant “turtle” building for Niagara Falls Redevelopment as well as a tax settlement for the One Niagara Building. Those are do-nothing tax breaks, and Mr. Choolokian voted for them. They did not bring benefit to Niagara Falls families.
-Mr. Choolokian has sponsored campaign billboards that state “$200 Million in Casino Funds Gone.” I assume the purpose was to suggest that the current administration spent funds alone. Mr. Choolokian’s math and memory are incorrect. The city has received $189 million of casino funds since 2003. The current administration and city council have had oversight over approximately $106 of casino funds. Mr. Choolokian has voted in favor of a majority of those investments.
-Mr. Choolokian stated in the recent debate that Niagara Falls is “done” and opposes the economic development approach of the city. Again, he presents himself as a newcomer and not as the five year member of the City Council with “30 years in the system” with the city and the Niagara Falls Water Board that he is.
City Council members sit on the city’s economic development agency boards to help make decisions. Mr. Choolokian has not attended a NFC or Urban Renewal Agency Meeting in three years. This includes his time as Chairman of the “Council Majority” in 2013. Last year, he was the only city council person to not attend community development budget community meetings, yet the only one to vote against it. Mr. Choolokian has purposefully taken himself out of the decision making process in order to make general criticisms. City Councilman is not a volunteer position. These meetings are part of his paid responsibilities, yet he still does not attend.
-Mr. Choolokian has a lot to say about fiscal conservatism. For the 2015 city budget, he proposed budget amendments that forced the city to exceed the property tax cap limit. During his one opportunity to show a coherent fiscal strategy, Mr. Choolokian presented changes that were both illogical and have contributed to the city’s structural deficit issues. Ironically, he was also the lone vote against participation in the New York State Financial Restructuring Board in July 2015, stating, paradoxically, “We’ve got to start doing things different.”
Honesty matters. Facts are important. Leaders show up. I agree that government should be about our families. Personally, I believe that our families deserve better than Mr. Choolokian’s brand of decision making and politics.
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This from a guy who I’d bet never got a job in his life without someone’s help. Who had Ben told what to do and say since getting hired by Dyster and that hiring was no doubt a favor for some help Dyster got. His letter here is designed to make his lies sound true. The guy is a wimp.