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Albond Was More Than Senior Planner Led City Though Love Canal

Last week, in a story about the Niagara Falls train station, we wrote that Harvey Albond was formerly a senior planner for the City of Niagara Falls.

Albond was not a senior planner. Actually Albond was the director of planning and development. He served in this position from 1967-1979.

Albond also was city manager, a position he held twice, first in 1979-80 and again in 1985-86. The mayor, at that time, was Michael O’Laughlin.

At that time, the city charter was different than it is today.

The city manager was the chief executive officer of the city and served at the pleasure of the majority of the council.

When Albond first led the city in 1979, it was a city under fire.

Albond was the man tapped to handle the single largest crisis in the city’s history: Love Canal.

Albond oversaw the city’s role in the process of containment and treatment and the relocation of traumatized people.

Albond guided the city through its greatest crisis, dealing with Gov. Hugh Carey, President Jimmy Carter, Louis Gibbs, and the people of Love Canal.

And the city came out of it.

We stand corrected.

Albond was not a senior planner, he was more; much more.

 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter - Publisher Frank Parlato Jr. www.niagarafallsreporter.com

OCT 15, 2013