Councilman John Jacoby not running for re-election in Lewiston
John Jacoby had no desire to get involved with town government after finishing a long career with the Niagara Falls Fire Department. But what started as a chance purchase of a plot of land in Lewiston in 1995 would lead to eight years of further public service.
The two-term town councilman will not run for re-election this year. At 74 years old, he said he feels he accomplished what he hoped to when he first ran for the board.
'I feel it's time for someone to give a younger person the chance,' Jacoby said.
Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Jacoby spent 32 years with the city fire department with one year as acting chief, retiring as a battalion chief. He said the move to Lewiston with his wife came when they saw a newspaper ad for the land, and it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.
One day in 2017, a friend told Jacoby to run for the town board — he said he thought the friend was kidding. A week later, when that friend brought it up again, Jacoby was convinced to go to a Democratic Party committee meeting that same night, where he ended up as a candidate.
'It's been an interesting and rewarding experience,' he said, adding that he feels the majority of Lewiston residents have been satisfied with their town government. Jacoby was also elected to be chairman of the Niagara County Democratic Committee in 2020, though current chair Chris Borgatti finished that two-year term starting in August 2021.
Among the town projects Jacoby is particularly proud of is the waterline project, particularly after several thunderstorms flooded sewer and stormwater lines the past few years, and getting legislation passed that outlawed short-term rentals in the town.
'Over 90 percent of people said to me, 'We don't want them,' ' Jacoby said.
He was also involved with grants to fund town projects without adding additional costs to taxpayers. The town's purchase of the former Boy Scout Camp Stonehaven to turn into a nature preserve was done with assistance from a state Community Forest Conservation grant worth $300,000, the purchase totaling $675,000.
Even now, the town is in the middle of an expansion project for Riverfront Park that would add a new pavilion, boardwalk, and kayak launch, funded through $1.46 million from the Niagara River Greenway Commission. The town board this past Monday awarded a contract to Murdaugh Development Concrete and Masonry worth $987,850.
While Jacoby said his voting record showed he voted in favor of most items that came before the board, he was not afraid to ask questions on why money was spent in certain ways, which has resulted in modified projects that were less expensive and more efficient.
'The board members are receptive to each other, so we had projects we could vote on with no guilt on our conscience to the benefit of the taxpayers,' Jacoby said.
Now that he is fully retired, Jacoby said he plans on traveling and improving his golf game.
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