Reply With QuoteHe's a t**d!
http://www.niagara-gazette.com/local...364005215.html
Anello looks back on mayor's term
Anello leaves office with no regrets
By Rick Forgione/forgioner@gnnewspaper.com
Niagara Gazette
The Niagara Gazette’s headline the morning of Nov. 5, 2003, screamed the word “Invincible.”
It described Vince Anello’s landslide victory over incumbent Mayor Irene Elia. At the time, it was the largest defeat ever in a Niagara Falls political race, and added to a wave of optimism that Anello would lead the city back into its golden years.
“I felt comfortable in the position the first day because I had the advantage of being on the council for six years,” Anello said recently. “I was aware of the challenge and I knew what needed to be done.”
What Anello has accomplished during his term will be debated for years to come. His supporters will boast about a healthier financial house, a negotiated agreement with the New York Power Authority that will bring millions of dollars into the city over the next 50 years and the start of construction on a new state-of-the-art public safety complex that came in at a price less than anticipated.
On the other hand, detractors will say Anello’s tenure was riddled with public disagreements with other city leaders and major developers and a scandalous FBI investigation into his political dealings before taking the mayor’s office.
Despite all that, Anello said he leaves with no regrets.
“People can judge me any way they want, but the fact is, I’ve never said I thought I was infallible and I never thought I was the toughest guy in the city,” he said. “But when I came into office, I took on all challenges for the people in the city as though I was the toughest guy.”
Since being appointed city administrator earlier this year, Bill Bradberry said he and Anello have developed a “good working relationship and respect for each other.” He also feels that sometimes the mayor’s focus and passion is misinterpreted.
“History will point back to this time as when the city turned around,” Bradberry said. “Whether that will be because of Vince Anello or in spite of Vince Anello, only history will tell.”
“Battle Damaged”
Anello admits the last four years didn’t go exactly as he envisioned. Though he said he embraced each challenge “with open arms.”
Early on, his time at City Hall seemed hampered by actions made by the previous administration — and it wasn’t just a few locked drawers and computers needing access passwords.
“We found out by April 2004 that the budget left for us was structurally unbalanced by $3.5 million,” Anello said, pointing out the city now boasts a $6.7 million surplus.
Most of that turnaround had to be done with a strained relationship with City Council members. Despite benefiting from a Democratic-majority council upon being elected, it wasn’t long before Anello butted heads with his fellow lawmakers.
“With some of them I can discuss issues and some of them I can’t,” Anello said. “It’s not a secret.”
Councilman Charles Walker said the mayor had complete support upon being elected to office. However, friction started after the council voted against some of his proposals.
“I think he took some of the ‘no’ votes personal and it just kind of snowballed,” Walker said. “It became a situation where the council and mayor couldn’t get on the same page.”
Anello said some of the distance was created from certain councilmembers publicly stating inaccurate and unfair criticism about his administration. However, he doesn’t think Mayor-elect Paul Dyster will run into similar problems.
“The people that caused me the most grief on the City Council have been neutered — not neutralized, neutered,” he said.
As for a final grade of his time in the mayor’s office, Anello defers to the city’s Block Club Council, which has consistently ranked his performance between an 85 to 95 approval.
“I feel very good about that,” Anello said. “There’s nobody more involved in the neighborhoods than the block clubs, so they should know what we’ve done and what we tried to do.”
The Good
Love him or hate him, there’s no denying a lot of progress was made during Anello’s tenure.
The budget is balanced, pie-in-the-sky projects such as a new train station and public safety building were moved to the forefront and the city joined forces with the state to complete multi-million-dollar streetscape reconstructions on Third and Old Falls streets
And those are just the tip of the iceberg, according to Anello.
“We’re one of the few municipalities in Western New York that’s been able to negotiate a single health plan,” he said. “In the future, that will save millions of dollars for the taxpayers.”
He also points to his role in the city’s management of casino funds — the compact was signed before he was elected mayor.
“We’ve been able to manage it well,” Anello said of the casino cash influx. “It’s helped convince the financial rating agencies in New York that we have a good solid plan and they’ve rewarded us with two credit upgradings in the last four years which is a record to be proud of.”
Anello said his three major goals upon taking office were accomplished — to put the city’s financial house in order, let department heads run their departments based on their skills rather than being micro-managed and improving work output in each area.
“We’ve had countless success in both the police and fire departments,” the mayor said. “In the Department of Public Works, we have the same number of workers, but the output is two-and-a-half to three times more than it was in 2003. I don’t think there’s another business that can say the same thing has been accomplished.”
Anello said he’s also managed to endure personal and professional attacks meant to distract him from his work. Most recently, those perceived attacks dealt with signing the final agreement with Ciminelli Development and Largo Real Estate Advisors to construct a $44.6 million courthouse and police station on Main Street. Facing possible sanctions from the state, Anello stuck to his guns and refused to sign the contract until all of his financial questions were answered.
The end result shaved $500,000 off the cost estimate initially and included a financing model that will save the city millions of dollars in bond payments during the life of the agreement,
“Now I can say that over the next 30 years we will save $14.6 million on the interest costs of that project and we will own the building after 30 years,” Anello said. “That was done without any smoke and mirrors and it happened by staying resolute and not weaken under the extreme pressure that was put on by the developer, the developer’s supporters both in public office and the private sector and the office of court administration.”
Anello understands he’s attracted a reputation of being “stubborn,” but says that’s a good thing.
“What people fail to realize is I research everything that I do before I make a decision,” he said. “Other people are given the opportunity to give input, including councilmembers, and once a decision is made, I have to be firm in my decision.”
The Bad
While Anello classifies his actions as being “stubborn” others have characterized it as being thin-skinned, combative and hot tempered.
Those traits were often exposed during the mayor’s dealings with Niagara Falls Redevelopment in the past couple of years when he said it became obvious they didn’t plan on developing their 140 acres of land downtown despite having “exclusive rights” with the city.
Anello terminated that perk during a press conference in May. A month later, he engaged in a heated conversation with NFR Executive Vice President Roger Trevino outside the former 13th Street Gym after city recreation officials were denied access to the private property.
Trevino told police Anello threatened him and swore at him multiple times during the altercation. The mayor was charged with harassment a month later, but the charge was dropped.
Anello doesn’t deny losing his temper with Trevino, but said it was because NFR changed the locks at the property that had been used the past two years for recreation programs including providing nutrition to disadvantaged children.
He offers no apologies.
“I just want people to explain to me how you can go too far with a bully, do you just let them keep being a bully?” Anello said. “I don’t have a bad temper, I just don’t like to take abuse. That doesn’t make me a bad person.”
Despite the problems between Anello and NFR, the mayor insists his concerns are with Trevino and Attorney John Bartolomei, and not with NFR financial backer Howard Milstein.
“I am sure that Mr. Milstein was unaware of some of the shenanigans that his representatives in Niagara Falls were involved in,” Anello said.
The Ugly
Years from now, the average Niagara Falls resident may not remember Anello for his contributions to the city or even his legendary battles with NFR.
What most will recall is Anello having the notorious distinction of being the subject of an FBI probe.
The controversy dates back to a $40,000, no-interest loan Anello has said he received from businessman Joseph “Smokin Joe” Anderson in fall 2003 as he ran for mayor. Anello contends the loan went to help his struggling electrical business and has said he did nothing wrong.
The loan has haunted Anello since federal investigators started requesting records and questioning city employees about Anderson’s dealings with the city, which included a no-bid lease for vending rights on the East Pedestrian Mall outside the Seneca Niagara Casino and economic development grants and loans for two Third Street properties.
More than two years have passed since a series of subpoenas sought campaign and financial disclosure forms for Anello and former City Administrator Daniel Bristol. No indictment has been issued, and the FBI has declined to comment directly on the investigation.
Anello says the non-action proves he wasn’t involved in any wrongdoing.
“Do you think the federal or state government would have me signing multi-million-dollar contracts if they thought that I was doing something shady?” Anello said. “Where are the great investigative reporters now that this has been a dead issue? When it’s all said and done, the FBI investigation will turn out to be a great lie.”
The FBI has never publicly confirmed or denied if the investigation is ongoing.
Despite lingering questions and the bad publicity garnered from the FBI probe, Anello said he was set on running for re-election this past fall. After failing to receive the Democratic Party endorsement, Anello’s signature petitions to run in September’s primary were challenged by Dyster and Party Chairman Michael Rimmen.
The Niagara County Board of Elections ruled Anello’s signatures were invalid because many of them were witnessed by non-registered Democrats, effectively knocking the incumbent mayor off the ballot. That ruling was affirmed in State Supreme Court and later State Appellate Court.
“I did put my trust on some individuals that I shouldn’t have,” Anello said.
Leaving a Legacy
The city hasn’t heard the last from Vince Anello.
When he leaves office Monday evening, he will go back to his electrical business and dedicate spending more time to his family, especially his grandchildren.
But he’ll also continue to be a watchdog of the city’s affairs.
“I plan on just still being the biggest cheerleader this city has because I believe in this city,” Anello said. “I will give advice when it’s asked and do the things I want to do rather than the things I have to do.”
And wherever the public ranks him in the long line of city mayors, Anello believes his administration did what it promised.
“Any notion that I might be stubborn or angry will be seen as a characteristic that doesn’t belong on a list that describes me,” he said. “The fact is, I’m very passionate about everything I do and I’m not a willing victim to anybody. I hope people remember me as somebody who left the city three times better than where I found it — and money in the bank besides.”
Contact reporter Rick Forgione
at 282-2311, ext. 2257.
He's a t**d!
I've heard that Anello was a rat for the Feds. Sort of makes sense if you think about it. All the illegal loans and no prosecution--he was definately "cooperating."
Peace Out Funky
look if Niagara Falls had any brains they would have taken the Seneca Casino Revenue off budget and the Niagara Power Relicensing off-budget
there would be small business incubators partnered with Niagara University and maybe NCC, maybe even a venture capital fund
NCC would replace the north campus of ECC in a cost saving consolidation
Light Rail and commuter rail between Buffalo and Niagara Falls would be reailities
Commuter rail between Niagara Falls and Rochester would be realities
Niagara Falls would have an intermodal station for rail, light rail and buses
the LaSalle Expressway would either be demolished or finished
Brownfields would be cleaned up and new industrial parks built
BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT THERE WAS NO LONG TERM INSIGHT OR PLANNING BY ANYONE IN NIAGARA FALLS OR NIAGARA COUNTY WHICH IS WHY THE SENECA CASINO IS STILL AN ISLAND.
Why do you keep calling people rats? I thought your wife was a cop?Originally Posted by Velvet Fog
Since when is a cop a rat?---Lets just say that I have heard Anello is a rat---is it that hard to believe? ANyone else would have had their ass thrown in jail. PS: I use rat because I'm Italian and that what we use for scum crybabys who sing...
Peace Out Funky
Thats a cops JOB lol
Ihope your kidding! If not go screw your mother because for someone going for a law enforcement degree your a true blue imbecile. If not--Happy new year.
Peace Out Funky
I never said I was for so called "snitching" or "being a rat" as you say.
You of all people have to be one of the most hypocritical people Ive ever met.
You claim your wife is black, yet you disagree with every black oriented topic that is posted on this website.
You claim your wife is a cop, yet you can't stand "rats".
This has GOT to be a fake account. it MUST be.
What game are you watching, Ref?
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