Dyster Plays King as Rats Take Control in LaSalle

Rats.

They were sung about by Michel Jackson in the film, "Ben" and by local disc jockeys Danny Nevereth and Joey Reynolds in the early sixties local hit, "Rats in My Room."

Rats are often depicted as humorous cartoon characters and we all recall Hollywood legend James Cagney as he addressed a film rival as "You dirty rat!"

But the songs and cartoon images of rats belie the deadly and disease ridden nature of the rat, a rodent that sprang from the forests of Asia hundreds of thousands of years ago in the Pleistocene.

And surely there is nothing funny or remotely entertaining about the rat invasion now playing out in the LaSalle district of Niagara Falls.

That the rats are here in great numbers is beyond question. That the Dyster administration has yet to vigorously snatch the rat problem by the tail is beyond question.

As the Dyster administration has appropriated millions in city casino cash dollars for every manner of program and initiative, the rat population in LaSalle has continued to swell. It now threatens the very lives of a large portion of this city's population.

Who of you reading this story, that are fortunate to be currently rat-free, can honestly say that the reality of rats invading your living space, biting your children and making your family members ill wouldn't be more than enough to make you vacate your home?

Should anyone in this city, in this day and age, be forced to live like this?

According to the Center for Disease Control rats carry no less than 12 infectious diseases, including: swine fever; foot and mouth disease; tapeworms; rat-bite fever; salmonella; murine typhus and leptospirosis.

Yersinia pestis is the microorganism carried by fleas on black rats that brought Black Plague to Europe in the Dark Ages as it wiped out millions of people and changed the course of world history for the next five hundred years.

It's time for the Dyster administration to stop blaming the residents by not so indirectly hinting that they caused their own problem due to having dirty homes and property or open trash containers.

Mr. Mayor, the Covanta plant that you allowed to expand has hundreds of tons of garbage on their premises and so we have not the slightest doubt as to where the rats originated since human garbage is the number one attractor of these rodents.

While Dyster attends Buffalo Bills games, bespeaks of his love of the Sabres, pours out his soul on Facebook regarding his love of the blues and beer, and praises Governor Cuomo for gifting Buffalo with state taxpayer "billions" he remains idle as his hometown descends into ruin, both physical and fiscal.

The Reporter asks the Dyster administration to get off its collective bureaucratic hindquarters and come to the aid of the LaSalle residents who are dealing with the trauma of losing their homes and property to – of all things – the common pestilent rat.

Rat Q and A

1) What is the city doing to address the rat problem in the LaSalle neighborhood?

2) What do you believe is the cause of the rat infestation…is Covanta playing a role due to their tons of garbage on site?

3) What became of the city's rat control program in association with Covanta in which Covanta pledged to spend $150,000 for rat control last September?

4) Have you consulted with cities that have effectively dealt with rat problems?

5) Donna Owens came to Niagara Falls as a trash and refuse expert, one would imagine she has familiarity with rat challenges…has she been of help?

6) Does the Dyster administration realize that due to this rat infestation people are suffering, property values are impacted and the world is watching?

Mayor Paul Dyster finds time and money to promote Blues Fests, and health contests, while being silly about music and sports, but he has little interest in the serious rat problem in LaSalle.