Crowded field for Falls City Council race this year
It's going to be a crowded field for open seats on the Niagara Falls City Council this year.
The Niagara County Board of Elections confirmed this week that a total of nine candidates have qualified for ballot placement — six Democrats and three Republicans.
On the Democratic side, the list includes the three candidates endorsed by the party's county committee, including local realtor Noah Munoz, former city employee Bridgette Myles and former city Department of Public Works director John Kinney Jr. The non-endorsed Democrats include incumbent Falls Councilman Donta Myles and residents Michia Lee and Sylvana Rahman.
Munoz, Kinney and Bridgette Myles received backing from the county Democrats earlier this year after they passed on endorsing incumbent Donta Myles who has clashed, at times publicly, with Mayor Robert Restaino, who is a long-time member of the Democratic Party committee.
The trio of Republican candidates have all been endorsed by the local GOP committee and include incumbent city lawmaker David Zajac, former Falls councilman Vincent Cauley and local realtor Tanya Barone.
All nine candidates are vying to secure one of three open seats on the city council this year.
The terms of Donta Myles and Zajac come to a close at the end of the year. The council seat currently held by incumbent Republican lawmaker Traci Bax Bax is also up this year. Unlike Donta Myles and Zajac, Bax decided not to seek reelection this year.
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