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Inside the water bottle (above), handed out to youth’s at a city event, was a Nature Valley granola bar (below) and on the back of the bar (far below) was affixed a “reelect Mayor Dyster” sticker. Does this show a desperate mayor in the throes of a very desperate campaign or an innocent mistake where someone accidentally placed an election sticker on a city tournament? Should it be ignored?
Ask yourself then if Sam Fruscione or Glenn Choolokian did it, would it be ignored by Dyster?
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Mayor Paul Dyster brought his reelection campaign to the 38th Annual Niagara Falls Hyde Park Junior Golf Tournament on August 11 as “Re-elect Mayor Dyster” printed materials were placed in front of every entrant by city employees on city property on city time.
Each of the approximately 70 golfers, ranging in age from 10-17, received a “goody bag” made up of a city embossed water bottle containing three golf balls and a granola bar – and fastened to the granola bar was a sticker reading, “Re-elect Mayor Dyster, Moving forward together. Thank you for participating in the 38th Annual Junior Golf Tournament.”
As the mayor used a city event, city property, and city employees to reach out to young entrants and their families, dropping his reelection literature into water bottles given to youngsters, this action -- not only tasteless and unethical -- is very likely illegal – a possible violation of the Hatch Act.
It’s hard to imagine the reelect Dyster granola bars were handed out without Dyster’s knowledge.
Dyster attended the city sponsored even.
Those who are aware of how crafty a campaigner Dyster can be will remember the nasty anonymous mailers the Dyster campaign used on Babe Rotella in 2007. And many will remember the incredible Dyster orchestrated abuse that Councilman Sam Fruscione was subjected to in 2013 for challenging Dyster’s Hamister proposal.
Interestingly enough Democratic City Committee leader Ida Massaro (a retired city school teacher, teacher-consultant and former employee of Francine DelMonte) wrote an inaccurate, unpleasant letter to the Niagara Gazette editor on March 6, 2013 accusing Fruscione of using the council office and city resources to benefit his reelection. While Fruscione was under intense media scrutiny throughout his 2013 reelection effort, he never was found to be using his position, city funds, city resources, or city events to his political benefit.
Will Massaro write a letter to the editor taking Mayor Dyster to task for abusing his elected position while misusing city employees, a city event, and city funds on city property and plainly state that her favorite mayor violated election law?
Remember, this is the same mayor who is violating the city charter, and city law, every day by failing to hire a city engineer. This is the same mayor who violated the city charter, and city law, when he curiously hid the 2015 proposed budget for 37 days.
A couple of years ago the mayor violated election law as he announced the repaving of 47th then gave his mayor’s podium over to state senate candidate Amy Wytriol so she could stump against George Maziarz in front of television cameras the mayor had assembled.
We’re betting that Dyster’s latest campaign violation will fly right by - nothing to see here, everyone move along - just as his other campaign violations were ignored.
In Niagara Falls the rule is “it is not what you do but who does it,” that determines whether an act is illegal or unethical.