Latest news with #DontaMyles
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘These problems are not new': City of Niagara Falls responds to community's concerns about Ontario Avenue Garden
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — The family who lives on Ontario Avenue in Niagara Falls, who said the City Department of Public Works came and tore up their family garden last week, received enough donations from their GoFundMe on Wednesday morning to pay off the fine they received from the city. The family had said that they were told they violated the 'Clean Neighborhood Ordinance,' which was passed in Niagara Falls in September. In a statement, the Niagara Falls Executive Office said grass in front of the sidewalk is a part of the city's right of way and is intended for pedestrian use. They said that area must be maintained for the safety of pedestrians. 'It feels amazing to know that people really do understand what we're trying to do here, and it wasn't just an eye sore, that it was something we do every year to just give back,' said Justine Burger. 'It's been a blessing, it's definitely a huge weight lifted off of our shoulders. We didn't know how we were going to come up with the $2,300, but we just want to thank everybody for every donation.' Niagara Falls family says city tore up their garden for violating new ordinance Niagara Falls City Councilman Donta Myles said he was disturbed when he first found out about the situation, calling it hypocritical. 'We owe this family an apology, but I think we owe them restitution, we owe them better representation for the services that they pay for,' Myles said. 'We have city properties and lots throughout the city that has been receiving complaints as well, and whether it's overgrown grass or whatever the case it is, over the summertime, or even illegal dumping or whatever the case it, there are so many other issues. There's alleys throughout the entire city that are filled with garbage and debris and trash from people just dumping, so where's the priorities?' Sean Mapp, who is running for Niagara Falls' 4th District Legislature, said he visited the family on Sunday. 'The garden they built was not just decorative, it was a point of community pride, a peaceful space that added value to their neighborhood. We should be encouraging residents who want to beautify and uplift their surroundings, not discouraging them' Mapp said in a statement to WIVB News 4. 'This is not about pointing fingers, it's about making sure our polices are carried out with fairness, compassion and common sense. I urge city leadership to review this situation and seek a resolution that honors both the intent of the law and the spirit of the community we serve.' Jim Perry, the Chairman of the Niagara Falls City Council, told News 4 that he has received several calls and complaints from neighbors about the house within the past 18 months, and that they felt like nothing was being done about it. After reaching out to the City of Niagara Falls on Tuesday and Wednesday, News 4 received a nine-page statement, along with photos, about this situation from the Executive Office of the City of Niagara Falls. 'After carefully reviewing this matter, the Executive Office has concluded that the Director of DPW and his staff properly applied and followed the Clean Neighborhood Ordinance relative to the recent enforcement action at 2627 Ontario Ave.,' the statement read, in part. In the statement, the city said a Clean Team inspector visited the address on April 3 to take photographs of violations and to attach an 'Order of Clean Up' to the front porch. The city said on the same day, the 'Order of Clean Up' was mailed to both the owner of the property in Amherst, along with the occupants. On April 21, more inspection photos were taken before the Clean Team started the clean up and they documented little to no efforts to remove the violations that were noted. The statement said that there is nothing new about the provisions of Chapter 738 that were enforced on April 21, and that they don't believe there are any flaws in the provisions. The city said the Clean Team performs between six to 20 cleanups on private property under Chapter 738, with no complaints registered. Read the Executive Office of the City of Niagara Falls' full statement below. Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
