Published: September 24, 2009 12:48 pm      

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Politicians keep Falls falling

A national publication recently wrote an in-depth analysis of Niagara Falls, N.Y., versus its Canadian counterpart.

Not surprisingly, the outlook was far more rosy in Ontario.

Governing.com examined the sparkling development of the Canadian side and the equally dreary crumbling of the American side, which the publication said falls far short of what a tourist destination should be.

A lack of vision by municipal leaders, the report said, is to blame.

“Simply put, Niagara Falls, Ontario, has benefited from decades of decisions by regional and provincial policy makers who have built on one another’s work,” the report said. “Niagara Falls, N.Y., has lurched through short-sighted, incompetent and sometimes corrupt municipal governance, failed stabs at regionalism and flailing, inconsistent and outright destructive approaches by various arms of state government.”

Calling the Falls the ideal place “to observe the effects of local government fragmentation and dysfunctional politics in their purest and most distressing form,” the report said that the city’s revitalization pale in comparison to Pittsburgh, Cleveland and other Rust Belt cities looking to rebound. When Canadian officials decided to prioritize tourism as a primary industry, the article said, every group that was involved in any way with Niagara Falls worked to ensure the city’s vitality — everything from water/land conservation to infrastructure and attractions.

An anonymous Canadian official was quoted as saying there’s one main reason why his nation’s prosperity in Niagara Falls hasn’t been realized stateside. Where a place such as Erie County has more than 1,000 governing entities, people wishing to do business in Ontario have only a handful of regulatory agencies with which to deal.

“If you’re an investor coming into Western New York, there are just too many jurisdictions, too may politicians to deal with, too many people who want their favor cashed in,” the source was quoted as saying. “And they don’t talk to each other very much.”

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While sales were logically robust locally, enhanced driver’s licenses have failed to bring in anywhere near the revenue New York state projected when the documents were introduced a year ago.

The licenses, which satisfy beefed up security requirements for entry into the United States, were expected to generate $66.4 million per year for the state. Instead, the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reported, the state will earn only about $3.7 million this fiscal year.

About 30 percent of the 200,000 enhanced licenses that have been sold (61,392) went to Erie County residents. Niagara County (19,823) sold the second-most enhanced licenses.

Contact Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116.