[Letter to Editor]
I believe now would be a good time to organize the events of the past month or so, because moving further we will all need to stay on the same page. The Niagarians are at war with a much larger entity, a chimera of sorts. This monster has the head of New York State, the limbs of Empire State Development, and the body of Delaware North. This ugly beast has stolen our birthright and bled our city dry. We are not willing to die, we will not go gentle into that good night. As our flickering flame has diminished to all but extinction, we have decided to rise up and slay this beast.
On January 20th, I stood in the city council chambers, packed full of people, and listened to the governor’s representative Sam Hoyt as he outlined an RFP for Goat Island. I made it a point to be there, having only heard about this presentation the day before. To my knowledge, it was not publicized in any newspapers, and there was no public announcement easily attainable by the masses. Most of the people in the room were state and city employees, and Mr. Hoyt was attempting to slip by with a proposal for a “lodge” on Goat Island. Something else that I’d only heard about the day prior. I knew this game; years ago, NYS did the same thing when they installed a railing on Three Sisters Island, destroying much of the natural beauty in the process of their “improvements”. That presentation was not publicized, even though it was “public” just like the one on January 20th, and since nobody showed up to oppose the destruction, they went ahead with it. Now we have to go back and fix the damage, and that’s much more difficult than nipping it in the bud.
So, on January 20th, I read my open letter to the governor in the presence of everyone in that room. Ken Hamilton sat next to me, and he was my only means of moral support. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I tried to control my emotions. This is not a game to me. I have lived in Niagara Falls my entire life and so this is my life. Mr. Hoyt continued to try to sell me on the idea, calling the falls a “product that needs to be marketed”, yet men did not create the waterfall; we found it. It’s not a “product”, it’s a wonder of the natural world and we have to preserve it. Delaware North pumps money out of the state park, and as their business partner NYS receives half, or so I’ve heard. It’s hard to get any hard numbers when money is being funneled. After my discussion with Mr. Hoyt, in which I had to bite my tongue and maintain my composure, I started a petition against the “lodge” and further commercialization of Goat Island, with the purpose of redirecting the funds into the city where they are desperately needed. The petition was signed by over 600 people in less than a week, and that was with very little effort as to sharing it and getting signatures.
As I said, I’ve lived in this city my entire life. I have come from the very bottom, from nothing. I have made a name for myself in the film industry as an indie filmmaker who can stretch a dollar. I’ve worked on over 50 films, five of which I wrote and directed. I’ve been featured in SyFy’s magazine (with highlights on my hometown), quoted in GQ magazine for my work with The Asylum (with highlights on my hometown), and most recently my name was featured on the cover of the UK’s Scream Magazine (with a feature spread featuring highlights on my hometown). Yet I still struggle to survive in Niagara Falls, NY because livable wages in the city are few and far between. On top of that, I have to withstand being told to leave the city by an incompetent councilwoman who cannot stay off her cell phone during meetings. Yes, I am talking about Kristen Grandinetti, who told me to move when I told the people to unite and stand for ourselves. She was offended that I said we have corrupt politicians. Guilty, much? She showed her true colors on February 21st when she attempted to table the resolution to ban the “lodge”. Don’t worry, Kristen, your time on the council is nearing it’s end, you can count on it.
My initial opposition on January 20th sparked a movement that is still growing like wildfire. I saw it, February 21st, at that council meeting. I see council members like Ken Tompkins and Ezra Scott who are real people, who care about the quality of life in the city. Unlike Grandinetti, they are not so far removed from the reality here that they only stand up for a small minority and Governor Cuomo. They stand for the PEOPLE. That inspired me. Then we have our county legislators, namely Dennis Virtuoso and Jay Zona, who also stand for the PEOPLE. The resolution to ban the “lodge” was tabled by the county, but only because Virtuoso was lied to by Sam Hoyt. In Virtuoso’s own words, “I received a phone call from Sam Hoyt from Empire State Dev. around noon on Tuesday. He ask me to pull my Resolution I said no. He then told me that Goat island was off the table and they are coming in with several options for other locations. He also said there would be public meetings and input as to the proposals . I told him that as long as Goat Island is off the table as a location i would table the resolution not pull it in light of other locations. I did that because sometimes you just can’t trust people. Now he said that Goat Island will be part of several locations that will be proposed. So far for trusting the Government. Our resolution will be back on the agenda for our March meeting.I would like to see the same enthusiastic crowd of supporters that are opposed to this hideous proposal.”
Here we have the governor’s representative lying to a county legislator in order to get the resolution tabled. Why? Because they are afraid of us, the PEOPLE. They are afraid of what this resolution means. Grandinetti also received a message from a governor’s rep, and she tried to railroad the city resolution. Grandinetti is in Cuomo’s back pocket, and as much as she will say she loves the city and she will “chain herself to a tree”, her actions on February 21st showed her real motives.
This fight is far from over. Delaware North has hundreds of millions of dollars invested in our state park. I won’t even get into the blatant disregard for Olmsted’s agreement when turning over the reservation to the state; that’s all been discussed and you can learn more by doing a very minimal amount of research. Jeremy Jacobs owns Delaware North, and the Jacobs family is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) contributor to Governor Cuomo’s campaign. The Niagarians have been ignored, forgotten, and stepped on for too long. We know what’s up. We’re not stupid, and we’re not backing down. If it’s a fight they want, it’s a fight they’ll get. This is our home. We can take shifts, and go home at the end of the day, sleep in our own beds, eat a nice warm meal. We can watch each other’s backs. We can operate within the laws but expose the corruption within the system, by naming names, by digging up facts. I am an artist, not a politician. I have served my city through community service, activism, and by being a good samaritan. I spend my dollars locally as much as I possibly can. Most tourists do not venture into our community, and that’s the problem. So, Governor Cuomo wants to take the Niagara Falls portion of the Buffalo Billions and invest it in the STATE park, well that is just wrong. That is theft. That money is for economic development of the CITY of Niagara Falls, NY. That money BELONGS to the CITY of Niagara Falls, NY. Not to the state. Building up the park, stomping on Olmsted’s vision, and catering to tourists is not going to revitalize the city. It will do just the opposite.
When I started this movement, I thought it would be just me. Boy, was I wrong. Now that I know I have over 1,000 people (and growing) standing beside me, I know that they will fight as long as I fight. And I will fight to the bitter end because I am a Niagarian. We are not living here; we are surviving here. Governor Cuomo has woken the sleeping giant. He has heard the voice of the people, and he even stretched his sword from Albany to the phones of Dennis Virtuoso and Kristen Grandinetti. He will not declare war officially, but he has already done so with his actions. We the people have a voice, and the roar of the falls is one sound that cannot be silenced. Not by Jeremy Jacobs, not by Governor Cuomo or any of his local puppets. We have not yet begun to fight.
~Ken Cosentino
(The preceding article is a letter to editor sent to NiagaraHub.com. The content or opinion expressed within does not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of NiagaraHub.com. Readers are encouraged to submit articles and videos and NiagaraHub.com expresses the right to approve or disapprove each submission. Each submission will be posted as is, so proofread and edit prior to submitting!)
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