Niagara ReporterBy Frank Parlato
I saw Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino in one of his out-of-control states.
Restaino appeared at a fundraising event for Glenn Choolokian between when the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct kicked Restaino off the bench in 2007 and when he was elected mayor in 2019.
I attended the Choolokian fundraising event at Chick D’Agostino’s old Nifty Fifty restaurant on Buffalo Avenue.
Sam Fruscione was there, Bob Anderson and a lot of old timers. It was a good turnout. I remember it was the last time I saw my old friend Babe Rotella.
When Restaino saw me, he confronted me with a verbal outburst. Despite our amicable relationship over the years, he was upset because my newspaper, the Niagara Falls Reporter, had not provided enough support for his daughter’s candidacy for city court judge.
I initially thought he was suggesting that my coverage was biased—an issue I take seriously. Although I did not endorse his daughter, I also did not endorse her opponent. My coverage remained neutral.
Though his anger was mounting, Restaino did not raise his voice.
Restaino soon revealed his beef with me was not about my coverage being unfair to his daughter, but I even covered her opponent. He was angry that I did not disparage her opponent or endorse her.
His anger grew, and he lightly touched the lapel of my jacket. Most of the crowd remained unaware.
He tapped the top of my head gently, not to harm me or pull my hair, but to slightly dishevel it. It was like he was out of control.
His eyes were wild, his face red as a tomato. But he spoke softly.
Mayor Restaino
He walked away before I could react to this bizarre and unexpected conduct. He began talking to someone else in a calm and cool manner and tone, provoking a former city council member to remark, “That guy is furious at you.”
When I realized what he had just done, I was taken aback. I went to Restaino, pulled him aside, and suggested we step outside. This was a practice we used to follow in the old days, when one man insulted another.
Restaino looked surprised, but he followed me to the back of the restaurant and into the kitchen area that led outside.
To fulfill the requirements for mutual combat, I insulted him first by calling him a coward for the way he spoke to me. He responded, “You called me a coward?” I replied, “Yes, I did, coward. What do you want to do about it?”
I was a little wrathful myself.
Rather than being angry about the insult, he apologized for his earlier behavior. We spoke for a moment, and since I had known him for over a decade, I decided to let it go.
I had always liked Restaino. There’s a lot to like about him. It is when he loses control and makes insane mistakes – like he is doing with trying to kill the AI digital data center. He can get things done and blow things up.
“Niagara Digital Campus”
And at this fundraiser, he chose not to blow things up.
We went back in the room with the others, and he was openly friendly to me. He even brought his daughter, who was running for judicial office and likely unaware of what had happened, to sit with him and me at my table.
She was elected as a judge, and I’ve never heard anyone speak negatively about her abilities as a jurist or otherwise.
My point in bringing this up is that, as intelligent as Restaino is, he can be a hothead. He sometimes loses his temper and acts impulsively in situations that lack careful reasoning. However, he also has the ability to change course and admit when he has acted rashly.
When his anger reached a boiling point, it affected 46 people jailed for hours because he lost control on the bench after a cell phone went off. He faced the consequences of his actions.
Restaino in his former role as a judge
In his fit of rage, he made the unfortunate decision to send a group of innocent people to jail, based solely on the possibility that one of them may have been guilty of not silencing their cell phone in his courtroom.
His temper calmed a few hours later when the Niagara Gazette discovered the news and contacted his clerk. He then ordered the release of the prisoners.
A judicial investigation was initiated, and he was removed from the bench.
If he loses his head and lays hands on a man who did not write what he wanted and the man calls him out, his apology is sufficient.
If he grabs and places his hand in front of a live TV camera, and the reporter airs the footage, the facts will speak for themselves.
If he prevents a significant development that could serve as a catalyst for a new future for Niagara Falls—potentially replacing the industries that the city lost 50 years ago—simply because he dislikes the developer, or because the developer refused to use his friends and associates, then a more serious consequence is warranted.
It could involve more than just being removed from office.
There is nothing beneficial about the mayor’s fixation on NFR’s site for building an arena that may not even secure funding.
The time has come to thoroughly investigate if his proposed arena at that location is an improper effort to obstruct a vital and necessary development.
I am well aware that NFR has been slow to initiate development on its site. The company acquired its land through a preferred developer status granted in the late 20th century. This status allowed them to assemble 140 acres over more than a decade by purchasing the land from nearly a thousand owners, most of whom were residential single-family homeowners.
In the past, NFR announced plans that did not come to fruition. Various reasons contributed, including obstacles posed by former mayors.
The mayor has exploited NFR’s delay in development as a distraction, misleading the public about NFR’s renewed seriousness regarding the site.
NFR has allocated resources and partnered with a skilled developer. Urbacon is a reputable development company in the AI and digital data center sector, known for its successful construction of similar projects across North America.
Over the years, particularly during the tenure of the late Mike Hudson as the publisher of the Niagara Falls Reporter, NFR has been a consistent advertiser in the publication. During challenging times, when Hudson produced a weekly print edition that questioned the status quo in the city — even leading to the imprisonment of one mayor — NFR continued to support the Reporter through advertising. Without NFR’s support, it is likely that the Niagara Falls Reporter would not exist today.
These facts should be conveyed as we take on the role of responsible media investigators.s.
During an eminent domain process, NFR submitted plans for an AI data center that could potentially lead to the loss of land for the company. NFR claims it has invested $4 million in developing these plans, taking a significant risk on a project for land that the mayor, in his narrow vision, may try to seize.
One thing is certain: the future of the land is uncertain. It could become an AI digital data center, an arena, or it may remain unused and left fallow. Another possibility is that if the mayor successfully acquires the land from NFR, he might sell or gift it to another developer who aligns more closely with his interests.
If that occurs, you will sense corruption, which could lead to the imprisonment of another mayor.
This interference with private, fully funded development by an angry and unpredictable mayor, driven by an unfounded and unstudied assumption about the need for an arena funded with public money, is a classic example of governmental overreach. It is our responsibility to investigate this matter further.
